Blogging Consistently

A Wellness Blogging Primer – Interview With Linda Dessau

August 23, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Curious how I got started with blogging and content marketing? Wondering about the biggest blogging mistakes I see from wellness professionals?

I answer these questions and many more in this interview for Response Mine Health. Put them all together for your very own wellness blogging primer. Here’s just a glimpse of what we covered:

RM: What are some of the specific challenges facing wellness professionals when handling the marketing side of their business?

LD: One thing that comes up is a loud inner critic. “I feel like a fraud because I don’t have this all figured out yet.” “Who would want to read what I write?” “I’m no good at writing; I can’t blog.”

The antidote for this kind of self-doubt is to find a blogging buddy, writing group or blog editor who can remind you that none of us are perfect, and who can look over your work to give you an outside perspective and catch any pesky typos or writing errors.

RM: What are the most common mistakes you see your clients making with their online writing efforts? What should they be doing differently?

LD: The biggest blogging mistake you can make is to start and then stop. Once people see a blog on your site, they’ll notice if it hasn’t been updated or you only seem to post haphazardly. They’ll wonder if that’s how you do everything in your business. Instead, set yourself a realistic blogging schedule like once a month, and then carve out a little time each day to work towards that.

Read the entire interview on the Response Mine Health blog.

P.S. If you liked my tips in this interview, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

How to Blog When You’re Confused About Your Business

August 10, 2017 By Linda Dessau

confused woman — © megdypro4im – Depositphotos.com

Have you ever noticed that the less you do something, the less you want to do something? I noticed this the other day when I’d missed a workout at the gym. My brain started to talk me out of going for my next scheduled workout. Luckily my commitment to wellness prevailed and of course I felt amazing as soon as I got into the flow of my workout.

It’s the same with blogging. I’ve been blogging since 2004, and helping other people with their blogging and online writing since 2005. Yet lately I haven’t been feeling as enthusiastic about my blogging. Why? I’ve been missing the essential anchor of any blogging plan: a clear business goal.

I’ve been trying a few different things to launch and promote my new Content Mastery Formula program, and I’m not quite sure where to go next. This lack of clarity is leading to a lack of blogging momentum. Put them together, and I’m starting to feel some serious self-doubt.

I know that I’m not the only person in this situation, so I wanted to share some of the ways I’m approaching this situation and how you might as well, so we can all learn together as we proceed.

What’s most important is that we keep blogging, even through this time of uncertainty. I don’t want to stop blogging completely, or go into hiding. That’s important both for my business – my professional credibility – and also for myself. If I were to just disappear and say, “Well, when I get the rest of this sorted out I’ll jump right back into blogging,” I have a feeling it may not go as smoothly as that.

Here is what I’ve been telling myself through this time, and what I offer to anyone else in this situation:

Be gentle – Now is not the time to put pressure on yourself or hold yourself to a ridiculously unrealistic standard. If you’ve been blogging weekly, pare back to two or three times a month. If you’ve been blogging monthly, do try to keep that up, both for your own sense of momentum and also just so people keep you on their minds and in their hearts. That way they’re not completely surprised to hear from you after several weeks or months. But the trick is to write shorter posts and/or invite a guest expert to write or be interviewed about something they enjoy talking about, that will also be beneficial to your readers. Or experiment with other ways of producing content, like these Facebook Live videos I’ve been doing. A change in format may just be the boost your blogging needs.
Stick with the basics – Go back and cover topics that have gotten a good response before. Find a new slant or simply update the information with the additional experience you’ve amassed since you wrote the original. Don’t worry that you’ve already covered this – people either haven’t seen it, or they’ve seen it and loved it and will appreciate the reminder. If you’ve explained something hundreds of times, that just means hundreds of people have asked you about it, and that hundreds more are probably wondering the same thing. By focusing on the things you know inside and out, you’ll keep up your confidence and remind yourself and your audience of your core areas of expertise.
Be sincere – Don’t make false promises or pledges about how or when you’re going to “come back” or how much content you’re going to produce by a certain time. It’s up to you how much to share when you’re right in the middle of your process. Authenticity, honesty and transparency are precious (I’ve seen many business owners do this beautifully and naturally, including author and writing coach Debbie Weil who sent out an update about her personal situation right while I was preparing my notes for my FB Live presentation!), but you don’t need to let people backstage if that doesn’t feel right for you. It also depends on what type of business you have. If you’re a business coach, it may be very appropriate for you to talk about your process, because you help people with the inner workings of their own businesses. In my business and perhaps in your wellness business, this is not what we normally talk about with our clients, so stay broad and don’t get into too much detail. You can always tell the story later, once you know how it ends.
Seek clarity about your business – but don’t rush – Of course, we all get into states where we are feeling unsure about our business and where we’re going next, and of course we want to seek that clarity. But what I’m finding for myself is that I can’t rush this process. Let the clarity come in its own time, because I know it will, I trust that it will, and I trust it will for you as well. What feels most important is to keep seeking that clarity and stay open to receive – that might be an idea coming from someone you never expected, or other sources that have absolutely nothing to do with your business. It could be about seeking out specific counsel with people about your business, or it could just be sitting in quiet time to seek your own inner wisdom about what feels like the next right step for you.
Go back to the blog planning drawing board – when you’re ready – The good thing about my four-step wellness blogging plan is that you can use it over and over again as often as you need to. So when you do get that clarity about what you’re going to do in your business, then you can go back and start again with a new plan that matches your blogging goals with your business goals. You want to be writing about the things that your ideal clients want to learn about, and things that support what you’re trying to build and grow in your business. In the meantime, think about having a temporary blogging plan, even week by week if that’s what you can manage. I’m not writing posts according to the plan I created at the beginning of the year, but I trust that when I’m feeling that forward momentum again and a stronger sense of direction, I’ll go back and create another plan that will take me forward.

When you’re feeling confused about your business, it’s only natural for your blogging to stall. But there are ways to stay visible and keep offering value to your ideal clients, all while giving yourself the gentle space and self-care you need to find your footing again.

P.S. Want to watch the Facebook Live video where I discuss this topic in a bit more detail? Here’s your link.

When You Blog Daily You Can Publish Regularly

July 26, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Blog daily publish regularly — © ArturVerkhovetskiy – Depositphotos.com

Every day that you show up to work on your blog you are showing up for your clients.

What does it mean to blog every day? You may think I mean you have to publish a new blog post every day. Rest assured, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’ve never advised wellness professionals or other business owners to publish every day.

In some industries, of course, things change quickly enough to warrant posting daily, but for the majority of businesses I recommend you start with once a month. That’s it! Then you can work yourself up to whatever feels right for you and your audience; that might mean once a week, once every other week, three times a month, or something else.

The point is that daily blogging doesn’t mean you’re publishing every day. It means you’re blogging every day. And by blogging, I mean you’re working on one or more of the many steps it takes to get from start to publish. Seven steps, actually, according to the method I teach.

Unfortunately, too many people try to start, finish, and publish in one sitting – how exhausting! It’s also self-defeating, because you end up either walking away from the post and deserting it forever, or putting out something that’s not the quality you want.

Daily blogging shows you care

Splitting blog writing up into seven steps makes it easier for you to keep going, to keep publishing content on a regular basis, to keep showing up for your clients and yourself. Every day that you show up to work on your blog you are showing up for your clients.

Even if they’re not seeing something new from you every single day, you’re thinking about them, you’re getting into their frame of mind, and you’re working on trying to solve their problems and give them the help that they need.

When I made the connection in a previous post between showing up for your blog and showing up for your clients, readers told me it really brought home the point that the people out there who need your help also need to keep seeing new content from you. It shows them that you care about their problems.

Daily blogging is self-care

Blogging is a skill like any other – you’ll get better at it the more you practice. You’ll also develop more confidence in your blogging and your ability to show up and do what you said you were going to do.

Once you’ve made the decision to blog every day, you don’t have to keep making that decision. After all, you don’t want your blog nagging at you like a hungry beast, always weighing down on you like something you should be doing.

Make the decision once then let go of the decision fatigue. In return, you can settle into a routine of actually getting your blogging done, and use the same approach to meet other goals in your life as well.

Another decision you no longer have to make? What to do first, and what to do next.

The 7-step blog writing process

Brainstorm
Outline
Draft
Shape
Edit
Decorate
Tease

As we discuss in my Write Less, Earn More free online training, when you have this replicable set of steps to follow, you always know where you are in the process and that makes it easier to know what to do next. You’ll know exactly what to do.

James Clear writes about the benefits of having a disciplined process or routine to follow. In fact, he says you can forget about setting goals (like how many blog posts you’re going to publish every month) because when you follow a system, the goals take care of themselves.

So instead of feeling the constant weight of “I have to publish a blog post this month,” let go and settle into the daily routine of working through the seven steps. Guess what? The blog post will get done, and you’ll have achieved your goal! Then you can start from the beginning again and write your next post.

Consider the alternative: As the date looms nearer to when you wanted to have your post done, you’ll be stuck having to complete all the steps in one or two sittings. You have to switch through very different tasks in a short time. I don’t know about you, but my brain doesn’t work that way.

Instead, I like to approach the blog writing process in phases, especially when it comes to things like brainstorming and outlining. I like to do those types of tasks when I’m feeling most creative – or whenever inspiration strikes! And I like to have some time and space between them and the nitty gritty of getting all of my words and ideas down in the drafting stage.

Another important time for space is in between writing (the drafting and shaping stages) and editing. When you step away from a post and return to it later, you’re going to see things you wouldn’t have seen. You know what you meant to say, you know what you wanted to say, but you may not realize that it came out differently through your fingertips on the keyboard.

My daily blogging habits

In this 25-minute Facebook Live video, I chatted about my own daily blogging habits and the tools I use to support them. I just want to say how much these have changed over the years since I started blogging in 2004. I’ve experimented with many different habits and routines. That’s a big part of what I see as my job in helping you with your blogging: trying different things myself so that I can report back to you on how they worked for me.

My blog, just like yours, is a chronicle of things I’ve tried, things I’ve let go of, things I’ve added, things I’ve gotten excited about and then given up on or found something better. That’s just the nature of blogging. We all change our habits and our routines, and what’s working for us will change as life changes.

This blogging routine is not what I did when I first started, and it’s not even what I did six months ago. It changes. Yours will change too, and it’s just important for you to try out different things and see how they work for you.

Click the photo below to watch the Facebook video now. In a hurry? Fast-forward to the 11- minute mark for just the habits. In an even bigger hurry? Visit the description box where I’ve listed all the tools with links.

(You can also check out the Blogging Tips newsletter for a snapshot of lessons from my first Facebook Live.)

We go into much more detail about the 7-step blog writing process in my free online training, “Write Less, Earn More With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients For Your Health and Wellness Business.” Claim your spot now at contentmasteryguide.com/webinar.

When You Show Up For Your Blog, You Show Up For Your Clients

July 5, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Do you want your clients and prospective clients to feel cared for or abandoned? It seems obvious, but think for a moment how they might feel when you start blogging and then stop.

Since I’d rather focus on the positive, let’s talk about how they’ll feel when you do show up. Because I don’t want you blogging out of guilt or obligation. I want you blogging out of a genuine desire to be of service, and a commitment to build the business you want.

Prioritizing your blogging as a key marketing activity, being willing to consistently get out there and be visible, is how you show up for those people out there who need you, but won’t know you’re there if you stay small and silent.

Here are five reasons to keep showing up for your blog:

There is always room for improvement and discovery. When you blog consistently it keeps you thinking about how else you can help, what you can do better, what else there is to know, and how you can explain the same ideas in new clearer ways. It also helps model this mindset to your clients. If you act like someone who has “arrived” with it all figured out, you will not be credible or relatable because no one can achieve that.
Done is better than perfect. To that I like to add, “but good is still better than bad.” Being authentic, conversational, and relatable is not an excuse to be sloppy or unprofessional. No matter how brilliant and important what you’ve written may be, it can still wait 30 minutes for you to walk away, come back, and proofread. Once that’s done, shore up the courage to release your writing to the world and the people who need your help. By showing up week after week or month after month (however often is right for you), whether or not you’re ready, whether or not it’s “good enough,” helps your clients embrace their own imperfections with whatever they’re trying in their own life (including the things you help them with).
Self-esteem comes from the actions you take. Whenever you follow through and do what you said you were going to do, it boosts your self-esteem from being a person of your word. In this case, you’ve promised your social media followers and newsletter subscribers that you’re going to share new valuable content on a regular basis. When you tell yourself, “That’s okay, I can skip it today, it’s not really that important,” you’re breaking your commitment and that can eat away at your self-esteem. And since how you do one thing is how you do everything, keeping your daily blogging commitment can have a positive impact on other situations in your life where you have goals and habits you’d like to build.
Most of the time is better than none of the time. None of us can do this perfectly. There are days that I choose not to fulfill my blogging commitment. That doesn’t mean I have to go stand in the corner. It means I start again the next day or fit it in later in the day. (That sure challenges my all-or-nothing thinking! But just because I didn’t blog in the morning doesn’t mean I have to write off the day.)
Other people notice when you’re showing up. Publishing consistently gives you credibility – not just with the clients and prospective clients who see that you care about them, but with search engines who are crawling your website all the time to assess whether you are a true authority on your topic. As you keep the conversation going, you maintain the perception you have lots to talk about and there is lots more where that came from.

Blogging can feel like a difficult chore, and can be one of the first things to slip onto the back burner when life gets busy. Remember that there are people out there waiting to discover your next piece of valuable content, and all the other ways you can help them.

P.S. Want more ideas about how to write high-quality content that has more impact, attracts more ideal clients, and makes you more money? Register for my FREE webinar, Write Less, Earn More With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients For Your Health and Wellness Business.

How to Put Your Blogging Habit on Auto-Pilot

June 29, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Thoughtful woman sitting at computer — © Sepy – Depositphotos.com

I’m grateful to have a lot going on in my business and life these days. Yet it can be overwhelming, and sometimes I’m not sure what to do with these competing commitments.

It’s tough to acknowledge when I’m in a blogging slump, since I’m the one who’s supposed to have this blogging thing down. And I know better than to spend too much time taking you too far behind the curtain of my blogging habits. That’s not why you’re here. On the other hand, you need to know I’m not perfect at this – none of us can be.

So let’s look at three habits we can all use to get more blogging done:

1. Prioritize

Several times this week I decided to take my own advice and put my blog writing time ahead of my client work. It felt incredible to let that momentum and accomplishment propel me through the rest of my day.

By giving my blog writing the best part of my day, I’m showing myself, the universe, and my readers that this blog is a priority for me. Now this doesn’t mean I don’t do anything else during this energetic prime time, but by blogging first I’m taking a stand for myself and for the readers I’ll help with my blog posts.

I often use a Pomodoro timer for these sessions. That means I work for 25 minutes and then stop for a 5-minute break. This is partly so I don’t get carried away and run out of prime time for other important tasks, and partly to force myself to stick with the writing process, even if I feel stuck or want to procrastinate.

Here’s what Marie Forleo says about doing your creative work at the beginning of your day.

2. Calendarize

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again – what gets scheduled, gets done. When I’m super-busy like I am now, I tell myself I don’t have time to plan my time. Yet it always backfires on me because it’s the planning that helps me get things done.

It’s the structure that gives me freedom to adhere to my calendar and trust that things will be taken care of, knowing I can always adjust my plan if I need to.

If blogging is on my calendar at the start of every work day, I don’t schedule meetings for that time, and I don’t count on that time for client or project work. Of course I can make exceptions, but when a blogging session is on my calendar I’m far more likely to reschedule it than let it fall through the cracks.

3. Systematize

When I feel intimidated by a big pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen, or unloading a week’s worth of groceries from the car, I often tell myself to just turn on my auto-pilot.

Just put one foot in the front of the other and start. One dish at a time, they will all get clean. One bag at a time, they will all get into the house and be put away.

Whenever I have a system or routine built around something, I can use this tactic. My muscle memories and habits take over, and the task is done before I know it. When it comes to blogging, I have a 7-step blog writing system in place, which means I can always turn on the auto-pilot and know which specific actions to take.

One word at a time, a blog post gets written.

Want to learn my 7-step blog writing system? Join my next free live online training, Write More, Earn Less With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients for Your Health and Wellness Business.