What is a content strategy and why do you need one?

Now that you have a blog and are ready to start sharing all of your great ideas with your audience, you’ll want to start thinking about developing a strategy to share your content.

Why? Having a solid and consistent content strategy is the best way to connect with your audience and is key to growing a successful blog. So what is a content strategy and why do you need one?

A content strategy is simply a plan that you create, document, and use as a guide when publishing content to your blog. A solid content strategy is what separates a hobby blog from a high-ranking, popular, moneymaking blog. Here’s how to get started.

Have clear goals when creating a content strategy

Having clear goals for your business blog is so important to the success of your blog.

Think of your blog as a journey that you are taking your readers on. A journey needs a beginning, middle, and an end. You want to create a clear path for your readers to follow that tells the story of your brand and business.

When you are creating content ask yourself what part of your business’s story a post or content tells. Does it speak to where you started, where you are in the present, or where you would like to go? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, you can be pretty confident that your content strategy is clearly designed and well-focused.

Know your audience

Knowing who you are talking to is probably one of the most important things to keep in mind when you are creating content.

Make it a habit to check in on whom your audience is, who is procuring your services, or buying your products, who is following you on social media, and who is reading your blog. Use what you find to keep your content relevant and useful to potential clients.

Ask yourself what problems you want to solve for your audience

If you think about it, the most popular blogs have achieved their success by offering real solutions to their readers.

Here are a few things to ask yourself when you are thinking about what problems your audience most often presents and what you can offer them to help solve them:

• What problems do your audience often present?
• How can you give them a solution to these problems?
• What is unique about your solution that other businesses are not offering?
• How easy are these solutions for them to access and implement?

Once you ask yourself these questions, you will be able to fine-tune the content you are offering your readers so they consistently come back to your blog.

What type of Content can you create?

Now that you have the focus of your blog content, you can start to think about the different types of consent you can create. Here are a few of the most popular types of consent.

• Blog posts
• Downloadable content
• Freebies
• Courses
• Video and images

It is a good strategy to create and share a wide variety of content to your readers so that your blog feels fresh each time they visit.

Consider where you will publish your content

Once you have created your content, you will want to consider how and where you can share it to get the most bang for your buck.

• What social media channels are best for your content– depending on what your business is, different social media channels will be more effective places for you to share your content. Check out other businesses in your field and see where they are sharing their content, and which channels seem to be the most receptive and engaged with their content.
• Guest posting– Guest posting is a great way to grow a community and make connections while getting your content out there. When you have a great post or an idea for a post, send out a few inquiries to other blogs in your niche that you admire and ask them if they would be willing to let you guest post. Offer to link to their blog and always do your best to follow their requirements for guest posting.

Develop a plan to create, schedule, and share your content on a regular basis

Once you create great content, the next step is sharing it. By creating a real strategy for sharing your content, you will make your content go the extra mile and reach more people who may be interested in your business. So what are the most important aspects of sharing your content?

• Consistency is key– be sure to share your content on a consistent schedule. Research the times that are best for each channel, and post during these times each week.
• Make a schedule for each social media channel you plan to use– Every channel has its own rules for popular times to post, as well as how many times a day to post. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest all favor different days, time of the day, and frequency, so make sure to do a little research before you create your posting and sharing schedule.
• Choose planning tools– Planning tools are a blogger’s best friend. Depending on what social media channel you are posting to, you may want to use different scheduling tools. Some tools are good for general scheduling across many channels, while others are more specific in their use.
• Make it easy for your readers and followers to share your content – We use Social Warfare (affiliate link) here on the blog and it has been a great tool to help us spread the word about our work and help people get organized through our tips and posts.

Growing Your Blog and Your Business

As the digital marketing world continues to expand, blogs remain one of the best ways to advertise.

Blogs are a key component of any business marketing strategy and are one of the most effective ways to give your business a strong online presence.

Having a solid and intentional blog content strategy enhances your blog by giving readers something they can count on and making your business a go-to in your industry. With a consistent and quality content plan in place, your blog will continue to be a success and grow your business.

New post How To Create A Blog Content Strategy That Will Grow Your Business on A Personal Organizer by Helena Alkhas

Why Does Your Business Need A Blog?

Are you an Entrepreneur? Then you need to check out the top five reasons your business needs a blog to get noticed, connect to your target audience, and grow.

Wondering why you need a blog for your business?

Last week I shared with you some great tips on how to start a blog for your business in as little as one day. Today we will talk about why you need a blog for your business.

I know, I know… you hear that often but you’re still not convinced and after all, starting a blog can seem like a daunting task and something that will take a lot of your -already scarce- time!

But believe me, of all steps you will take to grow and advance your business, starting a blog might be one of the most important things you can do.

I can tell you from personal experience that starting this blog way back in 2011-2012 was one of the best things I could have done for my organizing business.

It has opened so many doors; it brought me organizing clients every time the Navy moved us, it created so many professional connections! And on times when social media channels algorithms change on a whim, the last thing you want is to depend on someone else’s land to build your reputation and your empire -no matter how big or small!

But, I want to make the case to you of why you need a blog for your business, so let me show you a few of the top reasons:

1. A Blog Sets Your Business Apart From The Crowd

• A blog gives you great brand awareness online. The more people see your business; the more people will tend to contact you for services or products rather than a business which is less visible.
• A blog lets you showcase your unique brand. In a sea of businesses in your field, a blog lets you make a mark and tell your audience how your business can fill their specific needs, solve their problems and answer their burning questions.

2. A Blog Creates an Online Presence For Your Business

• Having a blog creates an ever so important presence for your business online. Everything moves so fast today; a blog helps you hold your ground and acts as a placeholder of sorts for your business when people are searching online for someone who provides the goods or services that your company does. Your blog posts are like a long term investment that keeps giving you high returns. For example, unlike a social media feed where all your posts disappear from your followers’ feeds, your blog posts keep showing up on search results.
• There will always be businesses that offer similar services or products to yours, but having a  blog gives you an immediate advantage over those businesses that do not have a blog when it comes to being recognized online and building a customer base.

3. A Blog Will Grow Your Business

• A blog improves SEO and visibility of your business
•  A blog for your business will get you new clients that you may have missed without the strong online presence a blog can give your business.
• You need a blog for your business so you can connect with your exact audience, provide real solutions to your current clients, and share what you do with potential clients.

4. A Blog Will Make You An Authority In Your Field

•   Your business blog lets you showcase all of the valuable things you know.
• Through the process of sharing your knowledge on your business blog, you will become an authority in your field. You will become the person people want to go to for solutions.
•   A blog gives you a clear platform to reach your customers with new and essential information that develops in your field

5. A Blog Creates New Opportunities

• Selling online becomes a very viable way to make money once you have a blog for your business, helping you create multiple revenue sources for yourself.
• Working with brands can add additional income to your business while simultaneously boosting your businesses visibility
• A blog helps you to grows your email list, which is probably the most valuable ways to reach your customers. Social media is great, but you don’t truly control the online visibility of your business, and the combination of a blog and an email list is one of the most powerful ways to stay in touch with your readers, build community and stay top of mind to your potential clients.

If you want to increase your brand awareness, grow your audience and customer base, and create an online presence that is loved and respected in your field, then you need a blog for your business. Ready to start your blog? Check out our post on how to start a blog in one day!

New post Why Does Your Business Need A Blog? on A Personal Organizer by Helena Alkhas

Why And How To Start A Blog For Your Business

Whether you provide a service or sell a product, you must have heard a million times that you need to start a blog. Yet, it can feel so intimidating to build it from scratch and maybe you just can’t afford to hire it out at this time, right?

I know, creating your website from scratch and starting a blog can be overwhelming-but trust me, you can do it.

Once you break down the process of starting a blog into simple, actionable steps, you can start writing your first post in as little as one day’s work.

But before we jump into the steps you will take to start your blog, let’s see the reasons why you would have one in the first place.

Why You Need a Blog For Your Business

There are so many reasons you need a blog for your business but here are the top ones:

• A blog is one of the most cost-effective marketing you can get for your business
• The information and knowledge you share on your blog keeps you relevant and makes you an authority in your field
• A blog helps you to connect and get to know your audience and your customers

These three reasons alone make starting a blog such a boost for your business. So let’s do this!

Give Your Blog A Name

Before you do anything else, you need to choose a name for your blog.

Now, you can spend as little or as much time on this step as you like, but don’t get stuck here.

Here are a few tips for choosing a great name:

• If you already have a business registered in your State, you should aim to own the domain for it. Make a search to make sure it’s available.
• If you don’t have a business yet and will start from scratch:
  • Think of what you do, what you want to teach or the message you want to spread and write down words that describe or are related to this
  • Keep it short
  • Do not use special characters or anything too specific that will corner off your business
  • Consider using your name, or incorporating it in some way
  • Ask friends and peers in your field
  • Try out a name generator online for inspiration if you get stuck
  • Consider other languages and cultures. In my case, I was mindful of Portuguese (my native language) and Spanish.

Most importantly, try to choose a name that you feel represents your business well and will be flexible as your business grows.

Buy Your Domain and Choose a Hosting Plan

Once you have chosen your domain or blog name, you need to check that it is available and then purchase it. Consider if you’d like to buy all extensions like .net, .org etc.

When you are buying your domain name you will have the option to just buy the domain name or to buy a hosting package along with it.

If this is your first blog, or you just want to keep things simple, buying your domain in combination with a hosting package is a good way to start because you can be up and running in a few minutes.

Choose Your Niche And What You Want To Blog About

Now that you have your domain, you’ll want to think about what you want to blog about. Many people suggest being as niched as possible when deciding on a blog subject.

For example, if you are a professional organizer consider who is your client and provide answers to the problems your typical client has. If you specialize in photo organizing, write all about it, teaching and sharing your reader how to organize their photos.

The benefit of a niche blog topic is that it allows you to hone in on a very specific market, which could be good for finding exactly the audience who needs your services and/or products.

On the other hand, if you’re not sure yet what your offer will be or what you’d like to focus on as a blogger, a wide range blog on your topic (food, parenting, travel, lifestyle) can give you the flexibility to change as your business grows and as you evolve as a business owner and writer.

One of the biggest things to remember is to write your blog as if you are writing to one particular person.

I like to think of my favorite clients and their needs. If you don’t know this person yet, imagine him or her in your head, give them a name, ask yourself what they like, what they need, where do they live, do they have kids, where do they have fun and hang out etc.

If you focus your blog posts on this person and niche like this, in time, you will attract your ideal audience.

Choose A Blog Theme

Now that your blog has a name, a host (Yay!) and you know what you’ll blog about and to whom you’ll write to, you will want to choose a theme.

The number of themes that are available can be overwhelming, but keep in mind you can always change your theme at a later date if you want. So don’t get hung up on bells and whistles right now.

Themes range from free to a few hundred dollars for premium ones. Studio Press  (affiliate link) offers amazing options for designing your blog, especially if you want to avoid the hassle of self-hosting a blog. With Studio Press you get the design and hosting in a neat package which I used for many years.

Create Your Website Pages

The pages on your website are landing areas that let your customers know important information about you and help him find important parts of your blog very easily.

PS: Not sure your English and grammar are up to snuff? Use Grammarly! English is my second language and while I do my best to write well, Grammarly always saves the day!

The main pages you will want to create are:

• About Page
• Contact Page
• Services Page
• Portfolio (If applicable)
• Work With Me/ Hire Me (if applicable)

You can create pages for whatever you feel will be valuable to your customers. You can even create a page that highlights a specific product, book, or a course you are offering.

Create a Strategy And Schedule For Creating Content And Publishing

Consistency is one of the most important parts of running a successful blog.

Your readers will be waiting for your posts, so no matter how many times a month you’ll hit publish, you want to create a plan that allows you to post consistently and promote these posts on social media.

Remember, when you’re creating content, quality is always more important than quantity. If you can only post once a week-  or once a month – that’s ok.

Just keep it consistent and of high quality, posting content that your readers will find useful and entertaining.

Find A Stock Photo Site That Fits Your Blog Style

Pinterest and social media platforms literally change the game when it came to images on your blog. Images are an important part of your blog identity and will help you spread the word about your posts.

Once you start posting regularly choose one or more stock photo sites where you can find images that compliment the style of your brand.

There are many stock photo sites to choose from. I love hautestock.co (affiliate link) and these are the images you see on my website.

Create a Social Media Strategy To Promote Your Posts

Again, consistency is key. When it comes to social media for your business you will need to create campaigns to post and share your content, as well as other people’s content (OPC) that is relevant to your niche.

Each social media channel has its own ideal posting days and times, which you’ll find on the “insights” area of your Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. So do your research and get to know what type of content works where and when.

If you are at a point on your business where you can afford to outsource, this is a great task to delegate to the experts!

Get help for your social media by hiring a social media manager to help you create and schedule content to boost your business.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now have all the tools you need to start your blog.

By following these steps you will be on your way to running a successful blog in no time. With some commitment and a little creativity, your blog will quickly become one of the most valuable tools that you use to grow your business.

New post Start A Blog In One Day With These Simple Steps on A Personal Organizer by Helena Alkhas