10 Tips For A Killer Blog Strategy

Jul 31

At GoLive, we’ve been creating helpful content for girlbosses online for almost a decade. Whether it’s been for video tutorials, social media posts, quick guides, or other resources, the thing that’s been going the longest for our brand is our blog. We get tons of traffic, sales and bookings from people finding our blog through Instagram, Google searches and Pinterest.

When you have a blog where you are creating quality content, you can…

Build trust with your audience by giving out valuable tips, tricks and information
Get found online because having a blog can boost your search engine optimization
Establish yourself as an expert in your field because you’re showcasing your expertise
Have more content to post on your social media that people can quickly and easily share

We’re here to tell you that starting, maintaining (and even monetizing) does not have to be rocket science or wildly overwhelming!

Maybe you’re considering starting a blog, but you have NO idea how to get started. Or, you’ve been blogging for a bit, but you haven’t seen the results that you’ve wanted from all your hard work. Either way, we’ve got some simple tips that will make the overwhelming thought of blogging seem easy.

Our biggest tip is to plan ahead. That’s what we do in our own company, and it’s what we also tell small business owners that we’re mentoring and coaching. Seriously, being intentional, thoughtful and keeping your calendar in mind when strategizing your blog content can make a real difference for your brand or business.

Here’s 10 Beginner Tips For Basic Blog Strategy:

1. Post helpful, quality content to your blog.

While a blog can be great for showing off a portfolio of work or posting updates, we’d really recommend you use your blog to provide helpful information, tips, tricks, resources and tutorials for your potential clients or customers.

When people see content that they will actually find helpful and valuable, they will feel like you’re doing them a favor by giving out this information. This leads to them trusting you as a resource and as an expert, and then they think of you when they need your product or service. This also keeps them coming back to your blog. People coming back to your website increases both your page views and your website visits. Plus, having reliable, quality information and links to get more of it keeps people on your website for longer.

2. Create a long-term blog plan or outline.

At GoLive, our marketing team plans out all our major content about 3 months in advance. This can be as simple as printing out a calendar and writing in one blog post idea per week for the next 3 months. Then, you have 12 weeks of good ideas to get you started.

This also lets you think strategically about any marketing campaigns, new products, or new services you have coming up, national holidays you can take advantage of, or getting partnerships on your calendar.

3. Keep a working inspiration or topic list.

You never know when inspiration will strike! Make sure you don’t lose any of your best ideas by keeping a note on your phone or desktop with a running list of blog ideas.

PRO TIP: If you already have a blog, check back in your analytics to find out which blog posts are most popular so you know what topics your readers like best. Then, you can brainstorm new content within that same theme that you know is already popular.

4. Batch work your blog task list.

This is the BEST way to help prioritize time in your business. Batch working means grouping similar tasks together. So, rather than doing one blog post from start to finish, you’re grouping the similar tasks for multiple blog posts.

For blog creation, it goes like this: spend one day planning, another day writing the content, another day editing, another day taking the photos or creating your graphics, and then one day posting or scheduling.

This system of batch working allows you to create content in bulk. When you’re not switching from task-to-task so often, but rather kicking out the same tasks one right after another, you can actually be more efficient with your time.

5. Think about what people need BEFORE they book you or buy from you.

This is a tried-and-true tip that we use in our business. When coming up with blog content and helpful tips, start to think about what someone might be searching for before they would book or buy from you. This sets someone up to find your website at just the right time: right before they need your product or service.

For example, if you are a wedding photographer, your ideal client is likely a bride that is newly engaged and now looking for a photographer. Here are some examples of what she may be looking for online in that season: tips for choosing a wedding venue, a wedding planning checklist, the top 5 wedding venues in your area, how to ask friends to be a bridesmaid, etc.

6. Group your blog posts into categories.

Before you begin writing a bunch of posts, try to think about 3 to 5 categories you could file your blog posts under. This not only helps you think of new topics and ideas, it also helps your readers once they land on your blog to find more posts in similar categories.

We recommend keeping your categories broad and keeping them to fewer than 6. For us, our main blog categories are Design, Strategy, Tech, and Live Sites. These are vague enough that many different smaller topics could fit under those broad categories.

7. Name your blog posts something "searchable."

This tip is probably the most valuable on this list in terms of making sure your blog posts are actually found on the internet. When you think about how to name your blog posts, think about what you would type into a Google search bar to find your specific blog post.

For example, if you are writing a post with tips for starting a blog strategy, you should name it “10 tips for starting a blog.” That helps Google and people looking for tips quickly and easily find your post. Oppositely, an example of a bad blog title would be for this example would be “My Thoughts On Blogging.” This isn’t very effective because likely someone isn’t typing in “thoughts on blogging” into the Google search bar.

For another example, if you are a wedding photographer posting about a recent wedding you shot, instead of naming the blog post with just the couple’s names, name it after the style of wedding and the wedding venue. This might be “Rustic Pasadena Wedding At Pasadena Town Hall.” Then, if someone is Googling about weddings at the Pasadena Town Hall, your website will come up in the search results.

8. Write your blog post as an easy-to-read list.

Creating lists such as "10 tips for ____" or "5 reasons to ____" not only makes it easier for you to write in a clear and concise way, but it also makes it easier for your audience to read. When your blog is segmented into smaller, more digestible pieces, it makes it quicker to read and easier to understand.

9. Link to your other blog posts within your content.

This tip helps you in two ways: It boosts your SEO and keeps people reading on your site. From a tech standpoint, when you link to your other blog posts within your content, Google sees your site as more valuable and robust, and makes sure it appears higher in search results.

For people who land on your site, linking to your other blog posts also keeps them reading because they have something to click on next. If you mention a topic you’ve covered in another blog post, link it! And make sure to link related posts at the bottom of your blog post too.

10. Splinter and repurpose your content.

Once you have a blog post created, splinter it (or break it up) and use it in multiple ways. You can use blog content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. You can create graphics with your helpful information, a digital download or checklist for signing up for your mailing list, pull out 2-3 tips and use the individual tips as quick captions for social media, and more! Basically, the more you can get out of just one post you’ve created, the more bang for your buck you get.

The Wrap-Up

Making a plan to start using your blog as a serious marketing tool for your brand or business does not have to be overwhelming! Our biggest tip -- JUST START! Schedule 1 hour right now in your calendar to start brainstorming and you’re already a step ahead.

If you’re ready to take your blog and social media strategy to the next level, check out our other helpful posts below: