Some had tried blogging but hadn’t gotten positive results, so they gave up. Now their abandoned blog was waving a red flag about their credibility every time a visitor landed on their website. Others had thought about blogging but it just seemed too complicated.
Before you give up on the idea of blogging for your business, here are 12 soothing truths:
1. You can miss a post
You can remove the word “deadline” from your vocabulary. For most of us, very little that we do in a day is a matter of life or death. We make plans and schedules, and then we do our best and recalibrate when we must. The world won’t end if you veer from your editorial schedule. Reset the “delivery date” (isn’t that a nicer term?) and move on.
2. Inspiration always returns
When I sit and agonize over a post that’s not flowing, I find that I can turn my attention to something else and trust that when I come back, I’ll be given the inner or outer resources I need. If that means a blog post isn’t done when I hoped, that’s okay — I just refer to Truth #1.
3. No one is reading every word
In a recent interview with Tema Frank of Frank Online Marketing, I was reminded of the humbling fact that even though I review every single word of my blog posts several times, that’s not how people are reading them. They’re much more likely to skim the headlines, as you may be doing right now, honing in to read only certain sections.
4. There is no perfect
Though my attention may be drawn to industry giants who blog beautifully and brilliantly on a regular basis, in the grand scheme of things there are far more businesses who blog less frequently and definitely less perfectly. Depending on your niche, you might already be the one who’s farthest ahead, and you’ll be improving with every new post.
5. Everything improves with repetition
The more you write, publish and promote blog posts, the easier and more effective it will become. You can also use your published posts to measure your responses, do more of what’s working well, and experiment with things that may work better. Josh Kaufman claims you can get noticeably better at any skill by applying 20 hours of focused practice (that’s 40 minutes per day for a month). Writing every day doesn’t mean you publish every day, but it will do wonders for your confidence and skill.
6. Mistakes can be deleted
You can go back anytime after a post is published and correct a typo. If you’re adding new content or correcting misinformation, I recommend you clearly label that new information. Yes, people who subscribe to the blog via RSS feed will get the original version in their inbox, but you can still take comfort in knowing the corrected version is the one that will live on forever.
7. You can let go of something else
Blogging can replace, not add to, the advertising and marketing methods your business is currently using. Consider this when planning your blogging strategy. You may also choose to look at some of your personal time — can you give up a TV show or batch together some tasks to free up any time for blogging?
8. Blogging gives way more than it takes
Your blog posts can do double-duty as content for social media, email newsletters, presentations and more. And as I mentioned in Truth #6, blog posts live forever on your site for new people to discover.
9. More isn’t better
Very few businesses should be blogging every day — once a month might be enough for your company. It’s better to spend a few minutes each day working towards one really solid post, than to force yourself to eke out posts more often that aren’t well thought out or effective.
10. It’s okay to split
A company blog can have multiple personalities, topic areas, and even audiences, as long as they’re clearly defined and organized so the right people can find the information that’s for them.
11. If you can help, you can blog
If your business exists to help people solve a problem, you already have everything you need for a terrific company blog. These days we often turn to the Internet first when we have questions — if you can provide answers that help people move forward, they’ll come back for more. When it’s time to get expert help, you’ll be right there on their screen.
12. There is help for blogging
Whether it’s planning a blog strategy that incorporates your company’s marketing goals, coordinating and interviewing subject matter experts, writing and editing the blog posts, posting them to your site, or promoting and sharing them on social media, there are people with those areas of expertise.
For an overwhelmed blogger, the most soothing solution of all may be to share or pass along the task. That way everyone on your team can do what they do best, and you get to concentrate on running your business and serving the new customers your blog will attract.
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