The social media world falls victim to an environment of “haves” and “have nots.” There are those people that are very socially connected. They’re on Twitter, Facebook, and they blog all the time. And then there are those others that look at the “socially connected” in either complete awe (“Wow, how do I get to be like you?”) or derision (“Who has time to do all this stuff?”).
Sometimes the problem for the social media “have nots” is that they haven’t figured out how to ingrain social media into their daily lives. Usually the most common complaint heard is either “what would I talk about” or I “have no time to blog.” If you feel either way, let me reassure you that you do have plenty to talk about and you do actually have time to blog. Maybe the problem is you haven’t figured out how to register these “moments.” Finding stories to blog about and recording them effectively requires constant active thinking. Get good enough at it and it can become second nature. You see good stories, and opportunities. The headlines jump out at you and you get that burst of inspiration, allowing you to quickly blog like the pros.
How to find time to blog
What do you want to be known for? – Often the reason people don’t start blogging is they don’t know what they want to blog about. The answer to that question can be found when you answer the simple end result question, “What do you want to be known for?” Once you know that, you’ll be able to form the editorial voice of your blog.
Think in headlines – What ideas and opinions do you have? You’ll want to formulate them as headlines. Look at the type of headlines that catch your eye and how the same structures could be used to be the framework for what you want to talk about. Popular headline structures include numbered lists, how to’s, best practices, and what not to do. How can your stories be formed in these headline structures?
What do you keep repeating? – We all find ourselves repeating the same personal anecdotes or explanations of our business. In person, or over email. Every time you find yourself in one of those “I’m repeating one of those stories again,” write a quick note to yourself. That story can be your next blog post. And the next time someone asks you that same question, instead of repeating yourself, just send them a link to that post!
Look at your sent email – Go through the past couple of weeks of sent emails and see if you had one of those “I’m repeating myself” moments or maybe you just wrote a long email to someone. Take a look at that message. Would it make a good blog post if you did a little editing? If so, do it.
Blog about a great conversation – Conferences, trade shows, and dinners are where you’ll engage in great conversations. Make a note of the conversation and immediately write something about it when you get home when it’s still fresh in your mind.
Tell personal stories – Popular articles are actually based on real stories that happen to you or other people.
Keep a “what to blog about” file – Ideas will pop into your head all the time. When you’re out and about talking to people or browsing online. You may not have the time to write the entire post at a given moment, but you will have time to make a note about it. Try keeping a file of just headlines on your computer.
Have someone blog for you
Lastly, if at the end of the day you find you still don’t have time, you can always have someone blog for you. I have a few clients I blog for on a regular basis. They know the importance of blogging and keeping their content out there for the world to see. I simply blog for them and post the links on facebook, twitter etc. An easy and affordable option for those who are really too busy to blog…
I blog once a week for Concepts In Color, keeping their voice out there and of course,
repeatedly driving traffic to their website. So, give blogging a try or
contact me and we can talk about the option of having your blog and content researched and posted for you.
In either case, good luck and I’ll keep an eye out for you on the internet!
– James
Services include:
James can build your social channels, create content around your business, distribute your content through social media, grow your fanbase and engage with your community.
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