“Yikes!” “I don’t have enough time.” or “I don’t know what I will write about!” is what I often hear when people talk about trying to blog on a regular basis. There’s no question about it – blogging takes time. If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner with a daily to-do list as long as your arm, you may feel like you don’t have the time to update your blog. However, it might be your day’s most important task, so don’t skip it. Here are some tips for taking the blogging weight off your shoulders and making blogging what it should be – fun, energizing, and creative.
Find Your Best Time to Write Your Blog Posts
Everybody has certain times of the day when they feel more inspired than others. For example, you might have your best ideas in the mornings just after you wake up. Set aside some time each day during these periods for working on blog posts. Make it part of your schedule and it will become a habitand ideas will flow and when they do, write away.
Focus is one of those things in life that can feel really hard to attain so we might resist against it. Yes, deep down we know that if we spent the time and created the discipline, the pay-offs would be huge for our productivity and ultimately, our freedom.
There are many reasons solopreneurs and business owners procrastinate. It could be due to perfectionism, overwhelm, or problems prioritizing. The key to overcoming procrastination is learning what your procrastination style is and how to deal with it. Once you’re armed with this information, you’ll find it easier to defeat procrastination and get back on track. it makes sense that each of us is unique so there is not a one size fits all solution. See which one fits you…
We often think we are communicating effectively and of course, we want people to take action on what we say. So it can be frustrating when we talk and share a message and NOTHING happens. Crickets…. Most likely, you were doing only half of what needs to be done to effectively communicate- the talking part. Listening is the other half – perhaps the better half – of all communication. Unfortunately, most people rarely receive any formal training for how to do it properly. Improving your listening skills can enhance your professional and personal life. Follow these practical steps towards becoming a better listener, even in challenging situations where it’s most important.
Everyone says that you should show your personal side, even if you’re using social media for your business. Personalizing your content and interactions puts a human face on your business. This is how you build real, authentic relationships. But there are cases where you can be too personal, and you need to steer clear of these or the results could be disastrous.
No “Big Talk”
The type of personal content we share on social media falls under the category of small talk, not “big talk.” You might mention a place you ate today and how it was. You may show a picture of your dog and share a milestone in his or her life. But you would avoid topics like romantic encounters, touchy political issues, or things that annoy you about certain people, unless those topics are a central part of your branding. We have all seen how too much politics has made people cranky and frankly rude to one another- even leading to the “unfriending” behavior that is happening all too frequently.
Sharing (too many) Problems
Venting and complaining about your problems is more likely to annoy than engage. However, there is a right way to discuss problems that can actually boost engagement. The way to do it is to share a problem you faced that is also a common problem of your audience. Get them to discuss the problem with you. Even better, offer a solution to this common problem or ask your audience to share theirs.
In this rush, rush, busy, hurry up world of ours, it is easy to get into overwhelm. Sometimes it feels too hard to stop and spend some quiet time to relax, unwind and find your center. And yet, this is crucial. It is in creating that space that we allow ourselves to feel at peace.
I am often called the “Queen of Busy” because I am a mom to 3 active kids, a business owner, a wife and I also teach communication classes in an MBA program and yet, I rarely feel overwhelmed . So how does the “Queen of Busy” stay out of overwhelm? I start my day by creating a space for peace. I get up early and I start my day sitting in my hot tub. I start my day relaxed and spend time to create my thriving mindset by setting intentions. This allows me to decide how I am going to experience my day. We each get to CHOOSEevery moment of every day and how we respond to what is happening to us. I choose to respond in a positive way that allows me to stay connected and focused on how I was to feel and what I want to achieve.
Values are a key component of how we think, what we believe and how we show up in the world. When you create you life and business based on what you value, you experience greater connection and passion.
What is Important to you Changes on a Regular Basis
Interestingly, your values can also be a window into how you are feeling on a particular day and thus what is important to you right at this moment. So for fun, take a look and share what are the first 3 words you see. Are you surprised? OR did they reinforce what you already know is going on for you right now. Share what you see and your reaction to it. Consider how you might use this as you move through your day. ENJOY!
Coming up with fresh content ideas for your blog isn’t always easy. Today I have a great new content tip for you and the best part is that some of your post is already written. It’s a bit like getting to skip ahead in line. Perfect for those busy days when your calendar is full but you want to get a blog post published.
Got Questions?
Keep an eye out for questions in comments. Save them, horde them, and when you need a quick post, take that question – copy and paste it into your blog and answer it. That was easy, wasn’t it?
Of course you want to answer your readers right away when you see the comment come up. Go ahead and do that. But keep a mental tab on this question and ask yourself this:
Will other people have the same question? (99% of the time the answer will be yes)
Is there more I can share on the topic?
If you answer yes to both questions (and most likely you will), then the commenter question qualifies for a follow up blog post. And that’s exactly what it is; a follow up to the original comment question and your answer.
Answer those questions
Start by introducing the topic or question. Share the question and then let your readers know that you wanted to give a more detailed answer, thus the new blog post. Share the answer you gave the reader in the original comment and elaborate as you see fit. That’s it. A quick and easy blog post and for a portion all you had to do was copy and paste.
Format it, add a graphic and you’re ready to hit publish. Rinse and repeat with other questions as they pop up in your comments. Readers love these types of posts because they often had the exact same question, but they were too shy to ask.
Your Personal FAQ section
If you find yourself with quite a few questions, you may even want to make this a new featured category on your blog. It will quickly become a valuable resource to your readers. You can even answer them all at once (in different blog posts) and schedule them to be published on a certain day. If you are consistent with this, your readers will know look forward to reading the answers. You can also do this as a video if you would like just to give people a more personal connection to you as you are answering their questions.
It will save you time in the long run. By being thorough in your answer, it will not only apply to this exact question, but a multitude of related questions. When they pop up in comments, all you have to do is reply with a link to the post. You have created your own personal FAQ section for your blog.
Wasn’t that easy? So, do you have any questions for me today?
Thought I would do something fun for today, the 23rd of the month. Here are some reasons why 23 is the greatest number of all time as stated by www.urbandictionary.com I changed # 8 to It is Tennis Day because that is important to me (see my blog post on “Why I am addicted to Professional Tennis”) and #12 because, come on, we all need to celebrate International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. Enjoy!
Here are 23 Reasons why 23 is the greatest number: It is…
1. a prime number, as are 2 and 3.
2. Michael Jordan’s number.
3. the NBA record for most consecutive points scored by a single player in a game, done by none other than Michael Jordan.
4. the number of chromosomes in a human sperm or egg.
5. the angle between the earth’s magnetic and rotational axis.
6. the Tropic of Cancer at 23 degrees N Latitude.
7. the Tropic of Capricorn at 23 degrees S Latitude.
8. Tennis Day
9. the most quoted Psalm in the bible (“The Lord is my shepherd…”
10. the number of people executed in “A Tale of Two Cities”
11. the smallest number of people for which there is at least a 50% chance that two will share the same birthday.
12. International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
13. one of the “Lost” numbers on the television show….also the sum of two of the other numbers (8 & 15)and the solution to 42-15-4=23, all of which are also Lost numbers.
14. the number of times Caesar was stabbed in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
15. has been prominently featured in the following: Serendipity, Futurama, Star Wars A New Hope, Monty Python The Life of Brian, Seinfeld, The Big Lebowski, The Matrix Reloaded, and Die Hard III among MANY MANY other movies.
16. the number of flavors Dr. Pepper claims to be a blend of.
17. the number of distinct orientations of Tetris pieces.
18. the sum of U2, the greatest band ever. U is the 21st letter of the alphabet.
19. the number of letters in the latin alphabet.
20. the number of the Illuminati.
21. the letter W in the english alphabet, a letter with 2 points down and 3 points up.
22. the smallest number of integer sided boxes that tile a box such that no two boxes share a common length.
23. the only US president to serve between nonconsecutive terms of another president (23rd president Benjamin Harrison serving between Grover Cleveland’s terms).
Recently I posted a poll asking business owners what areas of their business they most procrastinate in and 50% of you answered that videos was the area you most avoided. Now, we know that videos are a really powerful way to connect with your audience. It takes a bit of time and practice to master video marketing, but it’s not hard to do at all. Along the way, you’ll make mistakes that serve as learning experiences but these mistakes can also slow you down. Here are some common mistakes people often make when they get started with video marketing. Learn from these so that you can avoid them and speed up your learning curve.
