How to solve your lack-of-blogging problem

Sometimes fellow creatives and clients say to me: 

“Wow, Jill. You’re so good at blogging. You’re so consistent! How do you get it done?”

Well today, I’m going to tell you.

Here’s my reality…

Writing:

• Takes me forever
• Is not my passion
• Is not something I want to fill my time with
• Kept falling to the wayside

Yet, I want to have a voice and share my thoughts, ideas and recommendations via written words. I still want:

• Good SEO
• To build a following
• To show expertise
• To answer common questions
• Content that can be used for social media, newsletters and otherwise repurposed

A bit of a conundrum, right?

It doesn’t have to be.

I decided to accept the fact that I don’t have time to write.

I decided to make content marketing a priority anyway.

In 2013, I made the decision that my blogging needed to be consistent, so I hired copywriter Deidre Rienzo to help. I like chatting with Deidre on the phone about topics and ideas. It makes the whole thing more fun, and our set monthly calls keep me accountable. Partnering with someone gets it done!

(It’s not just me. Many of the creatives I know who blog consistently partner with a writer.)

If you’re gasping—Oh no, I can’t hire a writer!—read on…

Don’t want to spend money? You’ve got to spend money to make money. It’s the cost of business, folks. It’s okay to pay for this, just like you pay for software and every other business expense.

But you’re a good writer? I’m a decent writer, too. But it takes me forever. Like truly, hours and hours. And I don’t especially enjoy it. So unless you enjoy it, why use your billable-time and creative energy on it?

Don’t know if it will be worth it? When you share relevant content on the regular, Google is going to give you better rankings for your target words. Clients I wouldn’t have reached found me on Google from SEO. If I can get one new client a year from Google, it’s worth it.

Worried it’s not “your” words? It is. It’s still me. It’s my thoughts. It’s just based on a 30-minute conversation rather than me spending three hours (which is cost-savings right there because time is money).

When you hire a writer, you will:

• Get it done
• Be consistent
• Save time

Know this:

• You still have to do it. You need to come up with ideas, talk, review and post. How do I do that? I use Monday mornings to work on my business. Regardless of what’s going on that week, it’s the first thing I do! I have a set monthly call with my marketing mentor, Ilise Benun, to talk about my business. I have a set monthly call with Deidre to discuss blog topics. On the other Mondays, I review/post my blogs (with relevant links and images) and send my newsletter. Hitting publish or send feels awesome.
• Perfection isn’t necessary. I’m not perfect. Life happens. The kids get sick. Calls get moved. But I just get back into the groove. When it comes to content marketing, you don’t have to be completely regimented—but do have to make a commitment if you’re going to see results.
• If your approach isn’t working…If you’ve been trying and trying but not generating consistent content, try something else. Believe me. I tried for a year. And now, I’m able to market consistently.
• Take baby steps. Small steps build. Start with researching a writer. Next week, talk with a writer to see how it could work. The week after that, figure out your budget.

Does writing keep staying on your to-do list? Hiring good help is the way to go.

About Jill Anderson

Hi, I’m Jill, a WordPress WordPress designer/developer who partners with talented designers, copywriters, and agencies on their websites, and their client’s sites. I’m passionate about crafting beautiful and innovative WordPress websites focused on clear positioning and positive user experiences. Get my free report, Get Your Website Done: 12 Actionable Steps for Designers, and check out my Client Onboarding Toolkit, a simple 4-step digital course for converting prospects into a paying clients.