Do you have a blog for your business? High five if you do, but here’s another question – are you making a point of blogging relevant content on a schedule? That’s the thing about blogging. It’s one of those long-game things that can take time to pay off. But pay off it will, in the form of lead generation, increased website traffic and customer or client conversion.
So now that we’ve established that a business blog is important, where’s all that consistent, relevant content coming from? Maybe it’s you. And maybe it’s not. Here are five signs it’s time to hire a blog writer.
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Your blog is pretty bare.
Blame it on time, interest, ability, whatever, but the cold, hard truth is that your blog is pretty much a wasteland. Blogging can be one of those things you keep “meaning to get to,” but something always comes up. Take this for the sign it is – you need to hire a writer.
When you aren’t blogging effectively, you’re missing out on some pretty important stuff:
- SEO
- Improved site visibility and reach
- Authority in your industry
- Content for other uses (social media, e-blasts, podcasts, etc.)
And that’s in addition to the three biggies I mentioned above – lead generation, website traffic and that oh-so-critical site visitor-to-customer conversion.
2. You blog sporadically
It’s one thing to tell yourself you’re going to blog every week. It’s another thing entirely to actually do it. It can be a challenge to make the time to blog, especially if you find it a slog (more on that in point three). The thing is, we know that well-written content can have a great ripple effect, with visitor interaction (shares and likes), increased traffic and better search engine ranks. The consistency part comes into play when you’re developing trust and rapport. You want to give people (and search engine spiders) a reason to come back and check you out.
Remember, both quality and quantity will impact your blog’s efficacy. If you’re just wearing too many hats as the business owner, it may time to bring in someone whose only role is to focus on great content for your blog.
3. You actually hate the whole process
If you’d rather be doing anything besides writing for your blog, it’s time to find a pro. Not everyone likes to write, and that’s totally fine. Time is money, and if you’re wasting the afternoon trying to write something great, you’ll probably save money (and you’ll definitely save time and hassle) by hiring a writer. Actually, good for you if you recognize that this isn’t your strong suit. Effective delegation is a sign of good business savvy.
4. you don’t know what makes a blog post “effective.”
There’s a method to the madness, and posts written with a bit of strategy tend to out-perform those written off the cuff. Why? Usually, they’re more meaningful to the target market. Instead of writing something entirely promotional and self-serving, it’s smarter and more effective to write something relevant and useful to your target market. Maybe that’s answering burning industry questions. Maybe it’s sharing insider secrets, or offering tips for getting a great deal, or otherwise helping people solve their problems.
No matter what the topic, an effective blog post takes into account headlines, keywords, existing content, formatting, voice, SEO, internal and external links, calls to action, visuals and more. If you don’t have the know-how to factor for all of that, find someone who does.
5. you really don’t have the time.
When you’re running a business, cramming another thing onto your weekly to-do list may really be impossible. If you know you don’t have the time, hire someone who does. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?
remember…
A good writer will take your knowledge and transform it into great content, saving you time, money and hassle, and serving up all the benefits that come from effective blogging. There may be a bit of a learning curve when you make the transition from handling the blog yourself to passing it over, but with the right writer, things will improve quickly.
Want to know more? Fire away with questions, or let’s set up a time to hash things out.