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12 Most Fierce Ways to Protect Your Blogging Time

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© emiliau – Fotolia.com
© emiliau – Fotolia.com

Blogging can easily fall off your to do list when you’re faced with other pressing tasks in your business and life. Yet blogging only works if you do it consistently and you do it well. Since achieving both those things requires time you don’t think you have, here are 12 ways to set and protect that time.

1. Put it first

While it seems counterintuitive, try working on your blogging tasks before client work or business development. This may be the only way to keep blogging from getting pushed behind your other priorities. Then, let the accomplishment of making progress on your blog fuel your confidence (and grow your business!) all day long.

2. Schedule it as an appointment

Simply setting the intention to blog will not make it happen. You need to clarify when you will blog, and get it onto your calendar. Treat this the same as you would any other important commitment.

3. Say no to yourself

If you feel so overloaded with tasks that you can’t imagine taking even 20 minutes at the start of each work day, there is too much on your plate and something has to give. This is a life issue, not a blogging issue, and the rest of your life will be ever so grateful to your blog if you stop taking on too much – and start delegating some of what’s already there.

4. Say no to other people

Whether you’re at home or at work, chances are people are asking for your time. While blogging, close the door, turn off your phone, and stay away from email (see #6). (When you do need to book an early morning meeting or other commitment, reschedule – don’t cancel – your blogging appointment.)

5. Change your environment

Sometimes the easiest way to escape other people’s demands is to relocate. The hustle and bustle of a busy coffee shop can be a soothing form of white noise. Or bring your own white noise or background music.

6. Control your environment

Staying away from email is easier said than done (believe me, I know). There are many software solutions for keeping distractions at bay while you write. (I tend to use this approach instead.)

7. Catch competing ideas

Have a notepad handy to write down unrelated thoughts so you know you can come back to them AFTER your blogging time. Some posts require research and gathering links, but while you’re writing, pledge to stay on the screen and just note the things you want to look up later. This practice has been hugely helpful to me.

8. Collect new ideas

If you’re feeling uncertain about the blog writing process, you’ll find any excuse to avoid it. In between blog writing sessions, be sure to make notes about possible blog post topics (e.g., customer questions, web research, magazine covers, current events). You’ll be more eager to sit down and stick with it if you already have something to work with.

9. Buddy up

Pair up with someone with similar blogging goals, join a mastermind group where you hold each other’s feet to the fire, or a try a “take action” day. You could have a friendly competition, or just lean on others for encouragement and acknowledgement.

10. Link your blogging goals with your business goals

If you know why you’re doing something, you’ll feel more inspired to do it. As you’re planning your blogging time, write down a few reminders about how blogging will bring customers to your business.

11. Stick with it

Set a timer and force yourself to sit through periods of writers’ block, discomfort, or even boredom. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits suggests you make each particular task – such as blogging – your entire universe. If you can get over the hump of starting and push past the first urge to flee, you’ll be surprised how prolific you can be.

12. Match the task to the time

Feel low in the middle of the afternoon? Perk up with some stock photo sites and batch the task of finding photos for a few blog posts. Feel most creative and focused in the wee hours? Plan to outline, brainstorm, and write then.

We all have the same 24 hours. If you’ve decided to tap into the power of blogging to attract new customers for your business, please give it the time it deserves.

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

12 Most Freeing Reasons to Scrap an Unfinished Blog Post

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© fotofabrika - Fotolia.com
© fotofabrika – Fotolia.com

Most of us have a limited amount of time for blogging. That’s why it can be so frustrating to keep coming back to the same unfinished post, but feel like we’re not making any progress.

Just because a post is in your blogging plan, doesn’t mean you have to publish it at all costs. Plans are meant to be flexible, and some posts were not meant to be written – at least not by you.

Here are 12 signs it may be time to let go of a blog post and move on:

1. It’s not aligned with your blog’s categories

Your categories show readers what your business is known for and what they can expect from you. It may be a great idea, but if a post goes beyond the scope of the categories defined in your blogging plan, leave it out. The next time you review your plan, consider adding the topic.

2. It’s too personal

A business blog is not the place to discuss personal issues, unless you’ve found a creative way to use your stories to make a business point. Is this something better suited for your personal Facebook page, a private message to a friend, or your own journal?

3. The topic has no value for your ideal customers

While a topic may be fascinating to you (especially if it’s personal – see #2), this can sometimes cloud your judgment about what will be most interesting to your audience. Try on those readers’ shoes and consider what they want to be reading about on your blog.

4. You avoid working on it

Sometimes procrastination is an important message from a source of wisdom deep within each of us, that the thing we’re resisting is not the right thing for us to be doing. Honestly consider if that’s the case, or if you’re just taking the easy way out.

5. You’ve lost interest

Even if the topic is relevant to your business and aligned with your categories, it may not be something you’re jazzed about anymore. The farther out you plan your blogging calendar, the more likely this is to happen.

6. It’s no longer relevant

Similarly, if you planned a topic months ago, it may simply be old news at this point, or you may even have discovered new information that negates the premise of your planned post.

7. You found something better

Sometimes doing the research for a post can yield new ideas for topics that are more timely, relevant and exciting to you than the one you started. Go with the excitement because that’s where you’ll do your best writing.

8. Someone scooped the topic

While it’s perfectly okay – and effective – to put your own slant on a widely-covered topic, if you travel in the same circles as another expert and their post is almost a duplicate of what you’re working on, take it back to the drawing board and find another angle. Or you might want to simply write a paragraph or two about why you find the topic so relevant, and then post a link to your colleague’s post (this is called a curated blog post).

9. It’s too promotional

The primary purpose of your blog is to provide valuable information and ask nothing in return. Once you’ve delivered that, you can guide readers towards a relevant offer with a smart call-to-action that takes them to another section of your website.

10. It’s unnecessary

If you find yourself apologizing for not blogging, explaining why you haven’t been blogging, or publicly re-committing to a new blogging schedule, STOP and scrap that post! These types of messages take away from your credibility. The best way to show that you’re serious about delivering value with your blog is to do it – consistently.

11. It’s not a post you should be writing

If this topic is an extension of your main subject matter, consider finding another expert to interview or write a guest post. This is a genuinely win-win situation, as your guest gets exposure to a new audience and will likely promote the post to their own audience as well. You also demonstrate your collaborative mindset, and show that you’re well-connected in your industry.

12. It has a short shelf life

News that will be quickly outdated or irrelevant may be better delivered in another format such as email, social media and/or a static website page you can take down or hide later. You can also create a special News category that is displayed in a separate area of the site and not on your main blog archives page.

Has an unfinished blog post ever stalled your online marketing efforts or soured your enthusiasm for blogging? Which of these 12 scenarios do you suspect was the culprit?

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

12 Most Altruistic Reasons to Keep Blogging

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© Aleksandar Mijatovic - Fotolia.com
© Aleksandar Mijatovic – Fotolia.com

Many wellness practitioners say it’s challenging or near impossible to find time in the week to keep up with their blogging. Yet consistency is key when it comes to building trust, visibility and credibility online.

If helping your business grow isn’t motivating enough to give blogging your attention, here are 12 ways your blogging can help others:

  1. Blogging is teaching – Whether you’re sharing tips, explaining how your treatment modality works, or telling stories about topics your clients care about, you’re giving people information and insights they didn’t have before.
  2. Blogging is gratifying – Because blogs are indexed quickly by search engines, and posts are so easy to share and promote on social media, blogging gives people quick and easy access to what they want now.
  3. Blogging can heal – By teaching others what you know, you’re empowering them with tools they can use to address their health issues and improve their lives.
  4. Blogging opens minds – You have a unique set of ideas, experiences, skills and beliefs. By writing authentically about these and how they relate to your blog topics, you never know what new awareness you’ll spark in someone else’s mind.
  5. Blogging builds trust – When you use your experience, knowledge and research to present helpful and accurate information, people can rely on your blog as a credible resource for guidance.
  6. Blogging can advocate – Building credibility through blogging makes you a powerful advocate because people are more likely to listen to an expert – whether you’re speaking for those without a voice or advancing your own ideas for change.
  7. Blogging can inspire – Putting your ideas into the world and being an expert encourages other people to claim their expertise and raise their own voices.
  8. Blogging gives back – A blog is a great forum for highlighting and promoting the good work being done by charitable organizations in your local or global community, and asking others to support them as well.
  9. Blogging shares the wealth – By spotlighting a colleague, product or service or colleague on your blog, you can give another business the gift of exposure to a wider audience.
  10. Blogging creates community – When you blog effectively about topics that are interesting and helpful to your ideal customers, it draws those people to you. When your blog turns into a community it becomes a treasured place for people to gather and celebrate passion for an industry, tool, belief or resource.
  11. Blogging is personal – By responding to all individual comments and questions sent via your blog, social media pages, and email, you’re offering a personal touch that so many people are missing these days. Not only is that good for people, it’s good for business.
  12. Blogging is good for business – While you’re sharing helpful information, inspiring new ideas and actions, growing a larger audience, advancing worthy causes, building a community, and connecting on a personal level, you’ll be attracting the ideal clients (and referrals to them) who resonate with your unique values and mission.

By blogging to create a more successful business, you will generate more resources to make the world a better place.

This post was originally published on the 12 Most site, which was closed in 2016.

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Is There a Bottleneck in Your Wellness Blogging Process?

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© sveta - Fotolia.com
© sveta – Fotolia.com

Many wellness practitioners are eager to blog, at least in theory. After all, you’re passionate about helping people be healthier, and you have a seemingly endless stream of ideas and suggestions.

So what happens between idea and publication that trips up so many would-be wellness bloggers? Let’s look at five bottlenecks that can hinder a wellness clinic blog, so we can turn that frustration back into enthusiasm.

Developing a blog post

What’s the difference between words scribbled on a post-it note and a finished post on your clinic blog?

A polished, readable and effective blog post includes an appealing title, sub-headings and/or lists, a photo, an introduction, a conclusion, and an invitation to action (also known as a call-to-action or CTA).

Bottleneck #1: Not having the time or confidence to complete every step in the blog writing process.

Publishing the blog post

Are you at the mercy of the web developer who created your site, or can you easily go in and make your own updates?

Having access is one thing, having confidence and know-how is another. Headings and lists must be formatted correctly, as do photos and links, and you may need to fill in other details that will help search engines find your post.

Bottleneck #2: Not having access or technical knowledge to get your post to appear properly on your website’s blog.

Promoting your posts on social media

I don’t recommend mass-posting the same message across all your accounts, or automatically blasting out the blog post title and link as soon as you publish a new post.

Instead, write tantalizing teasers for each of your social media accounts that compel people to click to read your blog post.

You can pre-schedule these messages to save time, but if you completely automate your social media activity you will turn away the people who want to engage with you.

Someone must consistently monitor those accounts and reply to comments and people who’ve shared your content. Otherwise you risk ignoring valuable contacts and letting social media stack up until it becomes an overwhelming task.

Bottleneck #3: Not having a system in place for monitoring social media notifications on every platform.

Coming up with new blog post ideas

It happens to the best of us – you or your other contributors may lose steam for the blogging process, or get caught up with the busy-ness of clinic life.

Or short-term situations like travel or a family crisis may have to take precedent over writing new blog posts. This can halt your blogging progress and form a hump that can be very difficult to get over.

Bottleneck #4: Putting your blog on the back burner and then not knowing how to bring it back.

Approving post submissions

“A bottleneck in a process,” explains the career site MindTools, “occurs when input comes in faster than the next step can use it to create output.”

You want people to feel excited about being part of the clinic blog, and valued and appreciated for their contributions. If there is a long wait time between submission and publication, your contributors’ excitement will fade.

Bottleneck #5: Not leaving enough time for the clinic owner to review and approve all contributions, OR not delegating this responsibility to someone else.

The MindTools team suggests there are two ways to unclog a bottleneck: increase the efficiency of the bottleneck step, or decrease input to the bottleneck step.

As long as the posts are focused on the right topics, I’d never want to limit the number (“decrease input”) of blog posts someone writes. You can always pre-schedule posts for future weeks when you will inevitably run out of steam again.

Instead, let’s look at efficiency. MindTools recommends we “remove activities from the bottleneck process that could be done by other people or machinery.”

Much as we small business owners like to think we’re as invincible as machines, we do need to delegate, assigning “the most productive team members [sometimes that’s not you – it may even be me!] and technology to the bottleneck process.”

For example, Wunderlist is a productivity tool that syncs across all your devices. It is an ideal place to jot down blog post ideas on the fly, and you can even assign a date and reminder for when you will develop the idea into an outline.

Even though you have an abundance of useful and creative wellness solutions, ideas are not enough. The blogging process includes several specific steps that must flow freely for you to share that wisdom with your current contacts, or have it discovered by new fans and clients.

Do you need help identifying the bottlenecks in your blogging process? Contact me today to book a Blog Review or Blog Strategy session.

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

How to Spotlight Other People on Your Nutrition Blog

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© frog-travel - Fotolia.com
© frog-travel – Fotolia.com

Blogging consistently is a key to success, both for the marketing benefits and for your growth as a blogger. Yet not every article has to be in-depth like a how-to post. In fact I recommend you aim for just one of those every month.

In the weeks in between, choose from other types of posts that may be shorter, easier and quicker to put together. These include the personal post, the curated post, and today’s topic: the spotlight post.

Is there someone you think everyone should know about because they’re so brilliant, creative or knowledgeable? How about a food product, gadget or tool you keep recommending again and again? Use a spotlight post to spread the love.

Consider these three options when you want to introduce someone to your readers:

  1. Interview the person, and present their insights as a profile and/or a how-to post about a specific topic. You can use a simple Q & A format, or intertwine their answers with your own comments.
  2. Invite the person to contribute a guest post, either a reprint from their own blog or an original article for your readers. Include an author bio with a link back to their website. If a reprint, give the link to the original post.
  3. Write about the person (or product), with or without links to other blog posts, websites, videos or other resources. Even if you weren’t able to interview them personally, you can include brief quotes from their own writing or from other interviews they’ve done. And be sure to let them know you featured them!

Similar to a curated post, open your spotlight post by saying a bit about the person or product, how you first heard about or met them, and why you treasure them as a trusted resource.

With video or audio interviews, be sure to also provide some text for people who don’t want to just listen or watch. Offer a transcript, or at the very least a bullet list of highlights.

Spotlighting others on your blog lightens your load and creates more value for your audience. As an added bonus, you’ll build and deepen relationships with other experts in your field.

Now that we’ve explored the how-to post, the personal post, the curated post, and the spotlight post, which of these formats do you think will be easiest for you? Mixing them all will give your blog maximum variety and interest.

For help brainstorming topics for each of these four blog post types, visit http://www.contentmasteryguide.com/blog-topic-planning-worksheet to download your own topic planning worksheets.

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