Now that the winter is getting closer, I’m noticing a few more spiders seeking shelter in my house. We’ve had a long-standing agreement – if they stay out of my way I’ll stay out of theirs.
One thing I do take care of are the intricate webs they leave behind in the corners. As beautiful as they are, they make my house feel tidy and uncared for.
The website equivalent to cobwebs in the corner is a blog that hasn’t been updated. When your website looks uncared for, the risk is that potential clients may think they might not be cared for either.
Aside from the unprofessional impression it makes on website visitors, a ghost town blog can affect your own confidence in your website, your business, and yourself.
You may stop wanting to send people to your website because you’re embarrassed by it; you may question whether you have any value to offer; and you may feel guilt or shame that you set a blogging goal and didn’t achieve it.
I’ve noticed that when it comes to fitness, the less I do, the less I want to do. While most days I look forward to going to the gym, if I miss even one workout, my motivation starts to wane.
Similarly, when your website is full of cobwebs because you haven’t blogged in awhile, you can quickly lose momentum and fall out of any blogging routine you may have started.
From cobwebs to content
On the flip-side, when you blog consistently at a level you can manage – start with once a month and go from there – your website, your business and you all reap the benefits.
- Your website is updated more frequently (search engines love that!) and visitors stay longer.
- Prospective clients get both an instant snapshot and an in-depth tour of your areas of expertise. This provides a better sense of who you are as a practitioner and a person, helping them build more trust in you. As well, colleagues and fans have a direct way to refer people to you for specific solutions.
- When you follow through on your blogging commitment, you experience a heightened self-confidence in your own strengths and expertise. You get to develop and refine your ideas, then try them out and get feedback from your audience. Plus you gain material for other resources like presentations and books.
Spiders aren’t the only critters that can damage your blog. When your blog posts elicit no responses or feedback, your blog and social media pages become so quiet you can hear crickets chirp.
The problem with crickets is that you’re left with self-doubt about your content (am I writing about the right topics?), your business (does anyone want what I have to offer?), and yourself (do I even know what I’m talking about?).
As you keep writing (IF you keep writing), you may be going further down the wrong path of content that isn’t connecting with its intended audience. For the people who do find your content, they may be less inclined to take an action (like, share, comment) if they don’t see any other activity.
From crickets to crowds
When you consistently and repeatedly promote your new posts (and your archived posts, too) on social media, you build a community of people who appreciate your ideas and will share them with others. This includes both prospective clients and those who refer them to you.
This “social proof” encourages more people to read and share your work, giving you a wider audience and an invaluable feedback loop that can refine your future writing. This will keep your content on the right track and aligned with the needs of your target audience of prospective clients.
Exposure to a larger community can also attract invitations for content collaboration, speaking opportunities, and media exposure.
Here are the five key ingredients for promoting your blog posts on social media:
- An enticing message – why should they click?
- Separate messages for each social media platform – the right length and the right approach
- Permalink – send them to one particular post, not just your blog or website
- Related hashtags – join a wider conversation
- Usernames for tagging – make powerful connections and show your appreciation
It’s not the end of the world to hit a blogging slump (it happens to the best of us!). You can always dust off the cobwebs and start again. Just don’t forget to make some noise when you do!
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