How To Start a Company Blog
You already know the Benefits of Blogging for Business, but you may still be wondering: how the heck do I get started?! Blogging can be a step out of your comfort zone, but will likely payoff well for your business. Read on for some questions to ask yourself before you begin writing.
Determine Goals for Blog
Are you hoping this fresh content will garner new customers? Are you striving to better connect with your current customers? Do you want to showcase a certain section of your business? The goal of your blog will dictate the type of content you write and the audience you target. It is important to narrow down your specific objective before diving deeper into the blogging process. If the content you publish does not reach your goal, you will be dissatisfied with the results. Keep this goal in mind each time you write a new blog post.
Set a Schedule
Typically, company blogs start out strong during their first month when employees have a ton of ideas and are knee deep in gumption. You may end up with five or six blogs during the first few weeks and think it will be easy to maintain this pace.
But then a week goes by without new content, and that week can quickly turn into two or three months before you realize your blog has been seriously neglected. When your blog goes live for the first time, be realistic about how often your company can update it. Writing just once a month can still be beneficial for your business if the content is strong and unique. Of course, you can always strive for more, but it is better to have consistent, quality content than spotty, substandard content.
Consider setting a schedule such as posting one the first week of every month. Most web builders have the capability to schedule future blogs, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to post after writing. You can simply add them into the queue for the next month.
Establish Ground Rules
Most likely, you have set protocol for handling nearly every aspect of your business; and blogging is no exception. Having clear instructions keeps everyone on the same page and ensures consistency time and time again. Consider setting an average word count, deciding on off-limit topics, and choosing a writing style to follow - such as AP style.
Determine Who Will Write the Blog
Perhaps the most difficult part of blogging for companies is deciding who will write. You can assign writing to one single employee or create a team of a few qualified writers. If you are struggling to find employees who are willing to take on the task, consider offering an external incentive for creating content. Other companies utilize a rotation system. This way the responsibility of blogging is shared equally among office members. But, this can result in dissatisfactory content from employees who don’t have as much writing experience.
Blogs can greatly benefit your business. However, they can also be quite a burden or get lost among the many other tasks you and your employees have on your plate. That’s where we come in. At Cork Tree Creative, our experienced team members will maintain your blog with monthly, bimonthly or even weekly content that is unique and specific to your business. Give us a call at (618) 656-7333 to start seeing the results of blogging without the stress of writing.