Blogging consistently is a real challenge. There are so many blogs out there: personal blogs, tech blogs, travel blogs, and of course corporate blogs—and the number is growing every day.
In my search for statistical data on the life expectancy of blogs, I came across the following number years ago: 100 days! Blogs are kept alive for 100 days on average until they are not lost in the vastness of the web.
Why not everyone can blog consistently
The reasons for the inability to blog consistently can be very different, starting with the “short” writer’s block, through lack of motivation to the lack of inspiration to regularly produce new and helpful content.
In order not to lose the joy of professional blogging, you should therefore consider a few things and plan ahead. I have summarized five lesser-known tips for you here. But I can already promise you one thing: The typical “have an editorial plan” tip is not included!
Tip 1 to blog consistently: Position yourself, grow and change
Heraclitus of Ephesus was right: the only constant in life is a change. Why should it be any different for blogs, be they corporate blogs or not?
I know this really well from my personal experience. After a certain time, you get to a point where you are unsure whether what you are doing and the topics you are writing about still make sense. A lot of bloggers stop blogging consistently at this point. But that’s exactly what you shouldn’t do!
This uncertainty serves you well because it shows you that there is a discrepancy between your company vision, your positioning, and what you actually do.
Give up? No, successful bloggers don’t do that! The magic words of the hour are adaptation, growth, and change.
When the blog stumbles, it’s time to position, grow and change!
Take another look at your brand positioning and strategic planning. What are your core values, what do you want to stand for and where do you see your goal? If your blog isn’t helping you achieve that exact goal, then you should recalibrate your content and focus.
Most of the time, you don’t have to scrap the entire blog for this – in the corporate sector, that’s almost impossible anyway. It is often enough if you bring your dialogue groups back into focus or change the approach to your company’s topic – but even larger changes can be managed well with the right communication.
No matter which path of change you choose, at this point you should be really proud of yourself. You have found the courage to overcome a major development hurdle and are therefore a long way ahead of many others.
Tip 2 to blog consistently: Don’t waste, reuse
At this point, under any circumstances do not delete all your old posts because you feel they do not fit your new direction! Extensive content recycling is a good idea, especially after such a development spurt. Sounds good, but what is it?
As the name suggests, it is about recycling existing content. So, in the list of existing posts, jump to the oldest ones and see how you can breathe new life into them through revisions.
Take this post here, for example. We used to do a lot of content on a variety of topics here. Nevertheless, we didn’t send it into retirement but set it up as a portfolio of our copywriting.
We shouldn’t change the existing URL (an SEO no-no), so we asked ourselves: How can we revise these articles in such a way that it is of real benefit from our current perspective and for our current or future readership?
Content recycling for more benefits and a breath of fresh air. Maybe there’s a new development on a topic you’ve already written about, maybe you’re focusing the topic a little more specifically on potential customers. Maybe your own attitude towards a certain topic has totally changed. Content recycling is definitely not a panacea, but it will help you not start from scratch again!
Tip 3 to blog consistently: Combine epic with micro-content
If you ask the American Joe Pulizzi, then the content must above all be epic in order to stand out from the mass of blogs and messages. The cover of his 2013 book “Epic Content Marketing” alone is reminiscent of Star Wars. Epic enough?
Evergreen content should be an important part of your consistent blogging strategy.
But it doesn’t always have to be an epic story to keep the blog alive! It is precisely this requirement that many bloggers quickly reach their limits. On some days, a simple, short text with a provocative headline or thesis may be enough.
Perhaps the mix of micro and epic content is the key to success!
Tip 4 to blog consistently: Invite friends
Another possibility that promises you constant new content and at the same time strengthens the bond between your company and the readers is the involvement of users and friends. User-generated content is a strategic approach that motivates customers, fans, and community members to share their personal experiences.
The pet-sitting portal Rover, for example, uses user-generated content in a very targeted manner to draw attention to its services. On Rover’s Instagram account you can find numerous snaps of pets submitted by their owners. I am sure that many of you would also sponsor interesting, funny, touching, or instructive experiences from your everyday life for the blog.
Let people be a part of your blog success story!
Guest posts also fall into this category of content procurement. Invite industry colleagues specifically or conduct an interview with an opinion leader from your niche. It’s not that easy if your blog is very young, but you should definitely try it. You can read more about how to be smart about guest posting here.
Tip 5 to blog consistently: Love your blog!
That sounds a bit weird at first, I know, but what your blog actually needs for a long life is love and emotions. But what you should definitely keep in mind is that your blog is only a means to an end. As the?
Hardly anyone just starts writing a blog. Every blogger pursues a certain goal with our blog. We have a vision of the future that we want to fulfill with the help of our blog, especially when we blog consistently. Understood. But what exactly does this have to do with love and emotions?
It’s really quite simple: Link your goal with a concrete, emotion-bound vision. Answer yourself the question: Why do I want to achieve this goal, namely that my blog runs like a bomb? What do I get if I achieve this goal? It has to be something very concrete, something that you can already smell, hear and feel, that is almost within reach.
For me, such an emotionally charged goal would be: I want to use my blog to regularly acquire people who are interested in my workbooks and my coaching sessions, so that next summer I will have enough money to take a four-week break just to be there for my children. What am I looking at? Two smiling faces and four (not quite so little anymore) children’s hands that keep me company over coffee in the morning.
This is what blogs that don’t run out of juice look like!
Blog consistently? You have to know why you’re doing it
This is exactly the lifeline of every successful blog: you have to be aware of why you want this blog in the first place. What’s your big why? Share your thoughts in the comments!