Devin Pallone — August 4, 2018 — August 4, 2018
Part 1: I Set Up a Business Blog – Now What? Part 1: Generating Ideas
Part 2: I Set Up a Business Blog – Now What? Part 2: Integrating Other Channels
Part 3: I Set Up a Business Blog – Now What? Part 3: Building Your Audience
If you’ve heard one inspirational quote about consistency, you’ve heard them all. We aren’t here to hit you over the head with all the reasons you should stay on top of your blog. You already know that consistency is key in content – or else you wouldn’t have gotten this far! Instead, we’re here to explain how consistency relates to blogging, how you can conquer consistency with the right tools, and how to see real, measurable results from your efforts. It starts with fully appreciating the importance of blog reliability in today’s business environment.
Readers Want a Blog They Can Count On
While it’s great to get plenty of first-time readers, it’s even better to build a loyal audience that subscribes to blog updates and regularly checks back in to your website for new posts. How to accomplish such a feat? Be reliable. Reliability, trustworthiness, and brand reputation are three peas in a pod. To build a positive brand reputation, you must first prove your reliability and trustworthiness to your audience. This has gotten harder in recent years in the face of more savvy, cynical, and mistrusting Millennial consumers. Luckily, harder doesn’t mean impossible.
How do you win today’s tough crowd over? With a blog readers can rely on time and time again for honest information, engaging content, and (ready for it?) consistency. If readers can’t count on your brand or website for the latest information in your industry, what can they count on you for? Appeal to the generation that values honesty and transparency by being these things in your blog. One of the easiest ways to prove you’re worthy is by consistently posting new, engaging content to your blog.
What Does Consistency Mean for Your Blog?
“Consistency” in the blogosphere refers to both the number and frequency of posts and creating seamless uniformity in your tone and style. A great blog delivers a consistent message to its readers. Take one of the blogging greats, Neil Patel, for example. Patel built his $ 4.4 million empire out of constantly publishing content readers have come to expect from his blog; specifically, content relating to online marketing.
Neil Patel doesn’t deviate from his industry because this could confuse his audience – or worse, paint him as a blogger who will write about anything if it earns him fame or fortune. This is exactly the type of blogger today’s consumers aren’t interested in supporting. Instead, they want to support trusted sources of content and information. Establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry requires that you maintain the same type of consistency.
Posting sporadically, jumping all over the place with your topics, and publishing content in a variety of tones (something that can often be the product of investing in a low-quality content company) to your blog is the opposite of consistency. This strategy – or lack thereof – won’t get you any love from readers. Instead, create a source of constant information that your target audience will come to count on. You need to establish yourself as the go-to blog in your industry. This won’t be easy, but it can at least be relatively simple with the right tools.
Expert Tips to Make Consistent Blogging a Breeze
Whether you’re starting a blog for the first time or you’re a seasoned pro cranking out new blogs daily, you know keeping up with a blog can be a full-time job. As is the case with virtually all marketing processes, however, digital tools and expert tips exist to make blogging significantly more doable for the Everyman. Strategically using a few tools, tips, and tricks can help you stay on top of trending topics and the latest events in your blog without burning out. Here are some of our top tips:
- Use a scheduling tool like the CEM Editorial Calendar. We offer a free guide to help you create an editorial calendar that will help you stay on track, measure your results, and create fresh content that’s perfectly tailored to the seasons. Using our guide allows you to map out your content strategy far in advance – resulting in much less work day to day. Staying consistent with your blog doesn’t have to be a puzzle!
- Turn on Google Alerts. Google Alerts is a free tool that lets you be the first to know when news breaks on a topic in your industry. Customize your alerts to suit your needs and never miss a captivating headline again. Tracking the latest news in your industry can help you immediately craft a blog about it – making your site a go-to source for the newest info.
- Work with a trusted content provider. Busy business owners don’t have to worry about dedicating valuable time or energy into maintaining a regular blog. That’s what CEM is here for. Using a trusted, high-quality source of custom blog content can remove the burden of blogging from your shoulders. You can reap all the benefits of a 100% original blog without putting in the work!
People don’t become popular bloggers by chance. It takes time, effort, and steady productivity. Using the right tools and managing your blog like a pro, however, can make consistent blogging feel less like a chore. You might need a business blog, but you don’t need the stress that can come with maintaining one. Work smarter, not harder to stay consistent with your blogging efforts by seeking help from all the right sources.
You’ve Laid the Groundwork…Now It’s Time to Nurture Your Efforts
In the first months (or even years) after starting your business blog, you might not see the numbers you were hoping for. Don’t worry. Blogs are not overnight successes. Instead, treat your blog like a freshly-tilled field. It takes time for your seeds to sprout, grow, and bear fruit. Your job is to give those seeds the best possible environment in which to thrive. Staying consistent in your blogging efforts is the number one secret to long-term success. Like watering crops – the only way to keep them alive is to be consistent.
Stay tuned for Part 5, the final installment in the I Set Up a Business Blog – Now What? series, for tips on time management for bloggers!
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