Do you struggle to create content for your small business blog? You’re not alone.
In HubSpot’s State of Inbound 2014 report, most marketers from both big and small companies say creating enough content is one of their biggest challenges.
Yet the report goes on to say, “Marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy positive” return on their content marketing investment “year after year”.
So why aren’t more small business owners investing in blogging for their business?
1. Time and Money
People in general have two limited resources: time and money.
Money
You have to spend money to set up and grow your business. How much depends on your business goals. (See Strategies: Set marketing budget to fit business goals and Marketing Your Small Business for Dummies Cheat Sheet for more information.)
You don’t, however, have to set aside a lot of money for content marketing. You just need a budget big enough to meet your business goals.
Time
In 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, Laura Vanderkamm says the most productive people manage time by tapping into the power of repeating time blocks.
So if you want to include blogging in your content marketing mix, schedule a time in the week when you plan to write.
Vanderkamm also suggests delegating or outsourcing tasks that are not your core activities. So give your blog writing to someone else if writing isn’t the best use of your time.
2. Persistence
Blogging is like all other content marketing tactics. It requires persistence—the ability to keep pursuing your goals in spite of obstacles.
I’ve already talked about some problems small business owners may have with time and money.
You may also feel discouraged by the lack of positive feedback through comments, likes, and shares. But recognition via social media doesn’t matter.
What does matter is getting quality leads.
So once you have at least 51 custom blog posts, you start to experience the ROI everyone keeps talking about. In other words, people find you instead of your competitors in search.
Writing blog posts also gets easier the more you write. And you can easily repurpose content once you have more material in your archives.
3. Perfectionism
You don’t have to write perfect English sentences to have a successful business blog. In fact, your customers want you to write the way you speak.
So maybe you’re a better speaker than a writer?
A friend who is a successful salesperson, doesn’t like to write or read. But he can compose a well-crafted presentation in his head at the drop of a hat.
If you’re like my friend, record what’s on your mind. Then transcribe the recording so you can clean it up; that is, get rid of annoying clutch words that plague most podcasts and online videos, such as “um,” “like,” “you know,” and “whatever.” Then make a clean recording.
You also get search engine and customer service bonus points for publishing a transcript of your recording.
4. Inertia
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines inertia as “a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force.”
When it comes to blogging (or any other special project), “the property of matter” is you. Only you can stop or set into motion you. But how do you overcome the static inertia of not blogging for your small business?
You close the gap between deciding on a course of action and doing it.
- You bore everybody you know by talking non-stop about your desired goal.
- You up your commitment level by writing down your goal.
- You then write down the steps you’re going to take to meet that goal.
- You make sure the goal and its steps are realistic and doable.
- You schedule both your planned steps on your calendar.
- Then you follow the steps, giving yourself a reward after you complete each one.
Because meeting a goal isn’t easy, you might want to enlist accountability partners. They can keep you focused on your content marketing journey.
5. Low Priority
At the beginning of this article you learned if you make blogging a high priority for your small business, you get a consistent return on your investment year after year.
First, you can support your customers and prospects with a small business blog. It’s a knowledge base, allowing you to save time answering people’s questions, training your staff, and generating quality leads 24/7.
Second, people read website content carefully before buying a product or service. A well-maintained business blog makes you more competitive, making it easier for you to close sales.
Finally, blogging helps you realize your business goals because you set into motion a content marketing plan that’s unstoppable.
You might also like: How to Organize Your Ideas So You Can Start a Content Marketing Campaign and Take 5 Things to Know about Content Marketing.
