Jessica Rae W

Social Media Strategist to the pet-industry stars & Dog Walker
Seattle, Washington

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3 Steps to Consistently Updating Your Blog

Blogs are a great way to promote your business. If you are finding it hard to update your blog consistently these 3 simple steps will help.

Written Jun 26, 2010, read 767 times since then.

Many people start a blog to promote their business. They often start with good intentions but stop posting regularly when it gets harder to come up with content or life gets in the way. The blog then becomes something that gets updated occasionally only when something inspires them to write or they are able to finally find the time. The thing is, the number one key to a successful blog is consistency. Consistency is important because it will train the search engines to spider your site at regular intervals and will also train your visitors when to return. Here are three simple steps that can help you remain consistent with your blog postings even if you don’t have a lot of time.

1. Pre-write your blog content

Creating content is the hardest part of blogging. An easy way to consistently come up with blog content is to carry a notebook with you so that you can write down ideas whenever they strike. Once a week you can review your notebook and pre-write a few blog posts from those ideas. You can create a database of posts that you can use at a later date. Keeping enough backup content for one to four weeks of blog posting is ideal. The number of pre-written blog posts you will need depend on the frequency you choose to update your blog. You don’t always have to use a pre-written blog . You can add spontaneous content when the inspiration strikes but keeping a running list will ensure you will always have something to post even if you run short on time and can’t write one by your next posting deadline.

2. Determine your blogging schedule

Readers like predictability, so be predictable. Be sure to update your blog consistently on the same schedule. It is suggested that you update your blog one to three times a week but there is no magic number. If you have quality blog content your readers won’t mind if you update your blog less frequently. The key is to determine a regular schedule that you can commit to. Ask yourself how much time you have available to devote to updating your blog post. Determine how many blogs you are capable of writing in that amount of time. Be realistic. You can always increase the frequency of your blog posts at a later date after you have already gotten into the routine of posting consistently. Once you determine how many blog posts you can write a month, subtract one if you need to make it an even number and then divide it by 4 weeks. The aim is to update your blog on an even number of days a week or month. For example, you can post your blogs on Mondays and Fridays, or every Wednesday, or the first Tuesday of every month. Look at your posting schedule again and make sure that you are not overcommitting yourself. Remember that the goal is to come up with a schedule that you are sure you can stick with.

3. Pre-set your blogs to post without you

Whatever schedule you pick, make sure to update your blog at the same day and time. For example, you could update your blog every Monday at 1 pm. When you update your blog at the same day and time it allows your readers to know when to expect a new post from you and, believe it or not, search engines get trained to search specific sites on particular intervals. To ensure that your blogs always post on the same day and time, use an auto-poster or use a virtual assistant to post your blog for you. By pre-setting your blog posts at least a week in advance, mishaps or spur-of-the moment plans won’t interfere with your blog posting schedule.

If you follow these simple steps you will be on your way to having a successful blog. Your blog will appear more professional and give you more credibility in the eyes of your readers. More credibility demands attention and readers will hear more of your message. The more they hear your message the more likely you are to come into their mind when they are looking to buy what you have to offer.

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Posted by Miles Austin, Redmond, Washington | Jun 27, 2010

Jessica, good tips. I especially find Tip #1 has helped me quite a bit. A small notebook is with me almost anywhere I go.

Two additional tips that feed off of your idea:

1) If you are on the keyboard quite a bit, I encourage you to explore a web tool called Evernote.com. At it's most basic, it serves as an online notebook, but with the advantages of cut & paste, and hyperlinks. You can also add the notes from your notebook so that all of your ideas and references are in one place. Evernote also has apps for iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, etc. for even easier access.

2) Dragon Naturally Speaking is a program that converts speech to text. I am in my car frequently, and when ideas come to mind I can record my thoughts on a small digital recorder (I recommend Olympus) with a USB connector. When I get back to my office I plug the recorder into my PC and my thoughts and ideas are converted to text by Dragon. With a bit of cleanup, I then save the text in - you guessed it - Evernote for future use.

I would love to hear your thoughts and the suggestions of other Biznik'rs on how they capture those brilliant moments and ideas for use in future blog posts.
Posted by Jessica Rae W, Seattle, Washington | Jun 27, 2010

Those are some great tips Miles. Thanks. I too welcome thoughts and tips from other Bizniks on how they best capture their creative thoughts when the mood strikes. Generating and capturing those thoughts can be one of the most challenging steps to consistently updating your blog.
Posted by Jodith Allen, Custer, Washington | Jun 27, 2010

I use WordPress to schedule blog posts. When I have time to write, I'll often sit down and bang out several posts in a row, and them schedule them for publication.

Like you, I'm seldom without a notebook or something to write on, so I can make notes whenever something occurs to me. I often find that I get ideas talking to people at networking meetings. If I don't write down the ideas as I get them, they'll be gone forever.

When I have down time, like waiting in line or for an appointment, I'll take out my list of ideas, and create outlines for blog posts or articles I have planned. That way, when I have time in front of the computer to write, I can quickly turn one of my outlines into a post or article.
Posted by Michael Hartzell, Seattle, Washington | Jun 27, 2010

Jessica,

Posterous.

I love Dragon 10. Miles is right on.

thank you!

Guerrilla Marketing Ideas that Rock!
Posted by Deborah Drake, Bellevue, Washington | Jun 28, 2010

Jessica,

I couldn't agree with you more and my three favorite C's where blogging is concerned ARE:

Congruency: (being congruent with who you are always makes it easier for me...) Consistency:(even if it is bi-monthly, that readers can count on you and find a fresh new post waiting for them...and this encourages subscribers!) and Content: Content remains King in my humble opinion as far as my favorite blogs to follow...

And there is an "S "for those of us that get jazzed by it:

Support....

It could be a friend or a writing partner or a group that gathers weekly to mastermind and inspire (be it online or in-person.)

My energy is liberated from week to week each time I gather with my Writer's Support Group for Reticent Bloggers (aka Writers.)

Thank you for this article and gentle reminder! It really is much appreciated...

Deborah

Authentic Writing Provokes
Posted by Alan Boyer, Liberty, Missouri | Jun 28, 2010

Good article, Jessica.

I originally started out writing one or more articles per day. I posted them on my blog first, and then followed several days later by publishing them, or a spin on them on an ezine.

I've discovered that when I follow this process I get about 100 additional signups a month for my email newsletter. And each one of those are worth $1 to $5 per list member per month to me.

So, my writing is moneitzed, and I know when I fail to write my monthly increase in income also drops. Keeps me focused.

But, recently, I've discovered time is also a problem. So I find strategic partners who think like I do and write just about as well, so I have others now that want exposure on my blog, and who will write. That helps me and helps them with links and traffic, while increasing my own traffic as well.

Besides my own writing, I now take on 5 or more articles a week, which increases my website activity, my traffic, and my links. The search engines see that my site is very active and that helps me search engine positions.

And quite frequently I partner with some of the writers to share exposure on each other teleseminars and workshops.
Posted by Jessica Rae W, Seattle, Washington | Jun 28, 2010

Excellent ideas Alan! Thanks for sharing.