Ok. So I slipped off the blogging path and haven’t walked my talk since December.* And it wasn’t even particularly icy out this winter! I can start by blaming the kids for bringing home a terrible bug and passing it along to good ole Auntie. And then – well – my production calendar got busier.
Did I damage my credibility? Maybe.
Did I beat myself up over it? Yep – you betcha.
Did I just give up because I screwed up? Nope! That would damage my business more than starting back up again.
How to Get Back on Track with Blogging
So how do you get going again? After all, it’s kind of nice not to worry about your blog, right? And now maybe you’re feeling a bit stuck for what to say. So, it’s “get back on track” time.
Well, I can tell you that I don’t really have an issue coming up with blog topics. Marketing and marketing writing -whether for the web, social media or even print – has such a huge scope that the topics are nearly inexhaustible. If you spent some time focused on thinking about your own business, I’m guessing you’d probably have an unending supply of topics as well.
Here’s what I did. I hope it helps get you back on track.
First, I committed to my accountability partner that I would get my blog calendar completed and that I would finish off March’s posts and newsletter. (I also told a couple of other people what my goal was and I know they’ll call me out on it if I don’t get it done.)
As an aside, an accountability partner is someone who has agreed to hold you accountable for your actions or inactions. They are there to provide tough love and support. Some people work better with a paid accountability coach –they feel that since they are paying for the service they will be more responsible for accomplishing their goals.
Note also that this partner must be a person you respect. It must be difficult for you to tell them you have not completed the goals you set yourself.
Second, I decided that it was time to implement self-discipline and spend the weekend getting myself together.
Third, I thought things through and decided to make a Plan B – a plan for next December in case the kiddies deliver another lovely bug. My content calendar now goes clear into February 2014.
Fourth, I sat down and started to draft ideas, headlines, and get things on paper/computer screen. I actually started to do this right inside my content calendar as I was putting it together. You’ll find that once you start getting your raw thoughts on paper, you will feel more comfortable and less stuck in a rut.
Fifth, I have a plan for getting my content done. Most of the topics I’ll be writing about are topics that remain the same over time. They are “evergreen” to use a technical term. I can write about these topics at any time and they’ll still be valid and valuable in a couple of months. This allows me to create my blog content during slower periods and stay on track with my blog.
As timely information comes along (which happens all the time with social media) I’ll be able to supplement my content so that my readers will be up-to-date with the latest info!
Is it just one weekend that you need to spend on blogging?
Heck no! Even for marketing writers or blog writers it would be completely ridiculous to assume it’s that easy to crank out 26 blog posts (if you’re writing two per month). You see, blog writing is a process. You might spend hours on one post or you might just take a few minutes. It depends on your topic. Just be aware that most substantive posts do take time. Don’t get frustrated – stay on the blogging path.
*Note: No customer marketing or content creation efforts were harmed in the slip.