Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

How to overhaul your marketing content with a great blogging strategy

We made it to week two of 2022 and most of us fall into three categories:

  1. You have set goals for the year, and you’re excited to be taking the first steps to achieving them – because you have a plan.
  2. You have set goals for the year, but you’re already feeling really overwhelmed with the pressure you put on yourself to succeed – likely because you don’t have a plan in place that supports your growth.
  3. You have already abandoned all planning you may have done – it’s much easier to fall into the status quo whether it worked or not.

While the past couple of years have been challenging – and exhausting – for most business owners, that doesn’t mean you should avoid planning or challenging yourself to try something new this year. And you can even try something that will make your life easier. I am a huge fan of working smarter not harder. We should all strive for that. It doesn’t mean you are lazy or cutting corners. It means you are putting things together like a puzzle to create a bigger picture – your overall plan. For your marketing, that means finding efficiencies to make everyday tasks that much easier. When it comes to your marketing content a great blogging strategy may be the answer you are looking for to ease some of the pressure.

Here are 5 steps to help you leverage a blog strategy to take your entire content marketing strategy up a notch.

Step 1: Identify your marketing channels

I always start with what I WANT and then get to what I NEED (AKA what I – or my client – can handle). Create a list of your desired marketing channels. Make sure it’s based on your customers and where they like to interact with brands. Once you have that list, CUT THE FLUFF. This means prioritize your list from most effective to least effective based on factors like:

  • Does my audience use this channel?
  • Are my competitors successful on this channel?
  • Has this been effective for me in the past?

Then you have to figure out what you can handle based on budget (time, money, team skills) and start cutting from the bottom of your list until you can manage what you have left. You have to remove your personal emotions from this because what you want might not be what you need at this point in time. And remember, just because you’re not doing it now doesn’t mean you can’t add on to your strategy later!

HOT TIP: Blogging should be included in your list!!! You can adjust the frequency to meet your budget needs.

Step 2: Identify your blogging personality

It’s a given that your brand identity should be tightly woven throughout your blog content. However, when it comes to blogging, you can adjust your content based on your strengths. Not all blogs have to be written – and sometimes it doesn’t even make as much sense to write out a blog like this one. For example, if you are a chef, you could do photo stories with short descriptions instead that showcase a great recipe or food and beverage pairing. You could do a video blog or even audio (hello podcasts have exploded in recent years!). A blog is meant to showcase your brand, your expertise, YOU, so you can make it fit your needs.

Step 3: Build an editorial calendar

This is a secret pleasure of mine. An editorial calendar is a schedule that outlines dates, responsibilities, blog topics, and themes. I usually work 3 months in advance. It’s not always easy to do because it means sitting down and planning in advance. However, this step will make your life sooooo much easier. I know there are fancy content planning platforms, but I like a good old-fashioned spreadsheet. I break my editorial calendar down into monthly themes (you could also do quarterly or seasonal depending on your business and the type of content you are creating). Once I have monthly themes, I set the publish dates for our weekly blogs, assign a team member to write for the week, and assign a topic for the week.

SIDE NOTE: Figuring out your topics in advance means you don’t have to waste time each week trying to come up with a topic!

Step 4: Carry the themes and topics over to your other content platforms

This is where your blog starts to wield its power as the centrepiece of your marketing content. Your thematic and topical structure can drive your social media content, promotional content, Whitepaper topics, email newsletters, free eBooks, and the list could go on. The foundations you create for your blog strategy then become the foundations for your entire marketing strategy.

Step 5: Create content that can be repurposed

Whether you look at this as Step 5 or Step 4 B this is where you start to put together content for your blog. Write for your blog first and then let that content help you populate your other platforms. A well-thought-out blog can turn into at least one social media post (but usually multiple!), an email newsletter, gated content to help collect emails, a media angle to pitch, and more.

You could also create what’s called evergreen content that is content that can be referred to much past the publish date. You can read more about evergreen content here.

For more tips on blog writing itself, check out these blogs here, here, and here.

I talk about blogging for business a lot. I am a huge fan. And it’s because it works, and it can make your life much easier when it comes to marketing content.

Candace Huntly is Founding Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Sign up for our free 20-minute consultation and we’ll help you figure things out.

A version of this article was originally posted to the SongBird Marketing Communications blog.

Instagram/Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

Creating A Loyal Following Through Blogging

There is something magical that Gwen Austin with Entrepreneur Women Unified creates.  A following.  A following of women so dedicated to helping each other succeed.  Women that are dedicated to uplifting themselves and the women around them.  Creating change in the world by living their passions and reminding those around them that they can also live their passions. 

As we watch these women like Gwen create these empowered groups, we may wonder how we can do that.  What is it that they have that I don’t?  The truth is……

NOTHING!

You have everything that she has.  You just haven’t figured it out yet.  I am here to tell you that there is a way to create that connection with people.  Specifically with your ideal people.  At the end of the day, you don’t just want to be surrounded by people who are just numbers of followers.  You want a dedicated group that is willing to support you, lift you up, and make you feel less alone than before they were in your life.

 

CREATING A LOYAL FOLLOWING

I didn’t know that back in 2014, that is what I was doing. I was putting words to paper (or the internet) that needed to come out before my seams cracked.  I have always had a way with words even though it is still hard for me to admit that.  Giving myself praise is something that I am working on.  (Helps to be surrounded by women who NEVER stop giving praise.)

I was a nobody.  I was new to a city in a province that I had just moved to.  I had 0 friends and was living even further away from my family than before.  I had nothing to lose.  I was at a point in my life when I needed to do something drastic to change the trajectory of the direction I was heading.  Who knew that drastic something would be blogging?

I didn’t know anything about blogging.  I didn’t know about SEO, keywords, and niches.  I just knew that I could write and that is where I began.  I wrote my story.  My darkest secret. A secret that kept me chained to the dark side for years.

I began getting messages thanking me for sharing my story. I had women reading what I wrote and going out of their way to show me that I was changing the world. I was changing my world and their world just through sharing my words.  I had created a connection with women that I had never met before just using my words and sharing my story.

TIPS TO BEGIN CREATING YOUR OWN FOLLOWING THROUGH BLOGGING

 

  1. JUST START.  This is always the hardest part. We allow overthinking, fear, and not knowing to stop us. You don’t need to be an expert to just start. I didn’t know anything about blogging at first. All I knew was it was putting words on a website. Everything else came after that.  There are going to be people that judge you either way.  By starting you are not allowing fear to win.  You are stepping into your power as a storyteller, as a woman, as a blogger. 
  2. BE HONEST.  Your people want to truly know you. They want to know your pain and weaknesses. They want to know your happiness and strengths. The more you show people, the more loyal they will be. This doesn’t mean that you need to tell them every little piece about you all at once or even ever. It means to share what you are comfortable with. Only you will know that.
  3. LEARN TO BE COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. True growth comes from the moments when we are out of our element. Whether that means learning something new or sharing a piece of us we never have before. Being uncomfortable means that we are expanding who we are in the present moment. It is exciting, scary, and sometimes messy. Embrace it all.
  4. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN EXPERT WRITER TO BE A BLOGGER.  You just need to be yourself. There are tools to help you with the other aspects of writing. Show the world who you are. We all start out a beginner.  Start where you are and learn from there.  You can’t be an expert if you don’t even begin.
  5. WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.  There is always room for you, no matter what your passions are. By sharing what you are passionate about, your blog will shine. Your readers and followers will know when you love what you are writing about versus when you are faking it. Be authentic. When you are true to yourself, your personality, your strengths and weaknesses will show your readers that you want to help them.
  6. DON’T JUST SHOW THE HIGHLIGHTS.  To create a connection to those who are following you, you must show them the tough parts.  The parts of your story where you struggle and you may not know the answers.  Your readers can’t connect to you when all they see is the perfection that they show them.  Social media is about being social.  It is about being honest with your life and showing them that you aren’t perfect.
  7. ENGAGE WITH YOUR READERS.  Your readers are on your site, reading your posts for a reason.  They want to be there.  Engage with them.  When someone comments, take the time to respond to them in a meaningful way.  Your readers want to feel heard and seen.  They want you to know that they are there.  We all want to feel special and loved. 
  8. EMBRACE THE READERS YOU CURRENTLY HAVE.  I think we get caught up in trying to grow and expand that we lose sight of where we currently are.  Nurture the following that you already have.  Remind them often that you are grateful for them being a part of your story, your journey.  When you make one person feel special, you change that person’s world.  You don’t need to have a huge following to make a HUGE impact.  Begin where you are. 
  9. ASK FOR HELP. A 4 letter word that can cause us to feel inferior, stupid, and weak but has the power to open up lines of communication like no other word. By asking your readers for help, you are opening up a dialogue, a true conversation that has the capabilities to change the outlook of someone. When we ask for help, we allow those who have been where we are to open up and share what worked for them. Allow them to share their voice, their story, their advice on your blog. Allow your readers to read and listen to another point of view that you can’t give them.  Asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it lifts up those around you to step in when you need it most. It empowers. It changes lives. It becomes a part of your life.

Blogging is scary.  Sharing your story is scary.  But allowing that fear to win is the biggest regret that you will have.   Fear and the unknown are temporary and will pass.  Don’t let that stop you.  Starting your blog means healing yourself.  It means healing those around you.  You have a following that you don’t even know about.

Remember that it isn’t the ones that are commenting and interacting with you that need you the most.  It is the readers that you don’t even realize you have.  The ones that are sitting silently in the corner, soaking up everything that you have to say.  You are helping them to build THEIR strength to share THEIR story someday. 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

10 ways to repurpose your blog posts – so versatile!

If you’ve ever thought that blogging for business is a boring chore, do you realise just how much you can do with one blog post or article? Here are ten good reasons why your dear, old-fashioned blog is worth its weight in gold…

Number one priority – blog on your own real estate

If you’ve read any of my previous articles on blogging and/or attended one of my talks or workshops in the UK and Canada, you’ll know how important it is – and why – always to blog on your own website or blogsite first of all.

Much as some people now are skipping their own blog or not bothering with one at all, preferring to blog directly to LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram etc., it’s risky. One, there’s nothing to stop the platform owners pulling your stuff if they feel like it; and two, you’re less likely to benefit from Google rankings for it if it doesn’t appear on your own site first.

 

  1. Then, post on social media: on own page, as post or even as comment in a group

You may need to give your blog post a bit of a haircut, but if it fits appropriately you can use it to post or even comment on your social media. Many of the popular sites can accommodate fairly long posts, and even the previously terse Twitter now allows you up to 280 characters … and it’s rumoured that this will increase again.

  1. LinkedIn article

As long as it’s after your blog post has been published on your site, you can then upload it as a full-blown article on LinkedIn. You may to change the headline and first sentence or two and adjust your call to action. It’s also quite useful to include a base line that says something like “an earlier version of this article first appeared on (your website).”

If you have written a lot more about that topic, you can also say “For more articles on this topic, please check out this link” (being a link to the appropriate category on your site.)

  1. Magazine / online magazine article

Yes, there still are some paper magazines around these days, depending on your business! Given that blog posts and articles now are almost identical, you can submit good blog posts to magazine editors. It’s always a good idea to email the editor beforehand and ask if they would be willing to view your article. Some publications are very picky, but others – especially the smaller ones – often are desperate for new, good content and although you won’t get paid for your article, you’ll get the publicity.

Online magazines tend to be crisper, shorter and punchier than print versions – far fewer words per article, laid out differently too. You’ll probably find, though, that you can edit your blog post down to match the style of the online magazine, then go about the submission process as I’ve described above.

  1. Guest post on others’ sites

Unless a site specifies that all content must be original (as mine does) there’s nothing to stop you from submitting your blog post to an appropriate website for consideration. Always be honest and tell them it originally appeared on your site, and offer to alter it according to their guidelines. As long as your content is absolutely right for their audience, they may well look favourably on it.

As before, it’s polite to send them a query email before submitting the whole blog post. Make sure you do your homework – unlike many of the spammers who email me offering me articles that would be absolutely perfect for my readers. Most are way off beam and the funniest one said all that, accompanying a title that read “20 Ways To Get The Best From Your Garden Hose.”

  1. Basis for podcast

Increasingly people only have time to learn about new things, techniques, or even enjoy some fiction while they’re doing something else like driving their car, sitting on a train or doing the ironing. Audio is easy to produce and even proper audiobooks are coming down in production costs, so think about converting your blog post into a podcast. This can be available on your website, social media page, etc.

  1. Basis for live streaming video e.g. FB live

If you prefer to talk to your phone or video camera, your blog post often will make a very good subject for a live video. You may not want to read it out, but you can talk around it – perhaps having pared it down to bullet points to use.

You can then include the written version as a post to accompany the video so people can choose whether to read or watch.

  1. Create a white paper

White papers are often thought to be a little old fashioned now but they are still valued in the more “serious” and technical areas of business. Especially if you have written a fairly long and detailed blog post, you can repurpose it into a downloadable white paper that people can access from your website. You can also send it out to your mailing list.

  1. Series into eBook, free download for promotion or to sell

A series of blog posts – or even a collection of your best ones on a given topic – can easily be turned into an eBook you can offer as a download, or even to sell.

Much as people know they could search around and find each of the blog posts on your site and so read them for free, most are too lazy or time-pressed to do that and would prefer to have the whole lot in one or two clicks even if there is a cost.

  1. Longer series into book, Kindle ebook, audiobook

A long series of blog posts can be gathered together, with some editing, into a full-length print and Kindle book, and also now as an audiobook. I have done this with my own book “How To Write Brilliant Business Blogs” which I self-published, and which then got picked up by an American publisher and so is now on sale (in two volumes) under their brand as well as my own. Two other guest columnists on my website have turned their series of posts into books, too.

If you’d like to do that eventually, you’ll need to plan ahead so the blog posts run in a logical order – although of course you can always re-edit them when you’re compiling your book.

  1. Serialisation of book as blog posts

Turning # 9 on its head, if you have written a book you can serialise it in a series of blog posts. As mentioned above, although in theory people could read all the posts on your website so getting a free book, the reality is people will still buy the book rather than plod through your search box looking for every post in order.

A few years ago I serialised a book about writing for job search on my website, and it helped to boost the book’s sales quite considerably.

What other uses can you think of for your blog posts?

Please share your thoughts in the comments!

This article first appeared on the award-winning website, How To Write Better with Suzan St Maur

 

Canadian author, blogger and marketer Suzan St Maur lives in the UK for about 10 months of the year and the rest of the time in Ontario. Born in Kingston but with relatives and friends from Ottawa to Collingwood, down to London and across through Toronto, she spends a lot of hours driving on the 400s! She has had 35 books published (mainly nonfiction) so far with four more coming up and now works mainly as an author coach, helping new authors write their books and make their literary dreams come true. As a former copywriter and content marketing advisor she also speaks on marketing communications of all types and gives some lively workshops on blogging, personal branding and her rather ferocious “So What?” test! Catch her on her award-winning website, https://howtowritebetter.net/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzan St Maur with one of her latest books

Stay Social with Canadian Small Business Women: