The benefits of blogging are too obvious to ignore. If you believe you don’t have the time or resources to handle blogging, a professional writer (like me) can make blogging manageable.
Read these sections as individual tasks that you can outsource, even as you keep others in-house.
1. Create a vision for your blog
A writer can
- guide your brainstorming to the point where you create an initial vision for your blog.
- help you regularly revisit that vision to ensure it fits your business as it evolves.
2. Brainstorm blog post ideas
Writers trade in ideas and insights, so it’s only natural for us to ask the questions it takes to dig up post topics faster than you might be able to on your own.
3. Continually look for more blog post ideas
After the initial post brainstorming session, a writer will better understand your business and where to look for post ideas (RSS feeds, industry websites and so forth).
A writer can:
- subscribe to RSS feeds and industry news sources
- accumulate potential ideas
- periodically send you a list of ideas to consider
During this process, you can fine-tune the writers understanding of what you think makes good post ideas.
4. Plan your blog content
Once you’ve chosen topics for your posts, the writer can help you:
- set up your blog editorial calendar
- arrange any related activities (announcements via social media, targeted email to clients or members of the media, and so forth)
Give the writer any additional guidance you want to and be available for the occasional question. Then expect fully-formed posts to show up in your inbox ahead of the agreed-upon publication date, giving you plenty of time to review the post before you publish it.
5. Set up your blog platform
This is a technology step that some, but not all, writers handle. However, the writer should be able toL
- publish posts using your blogging system
- handle other blog-related tasks online for you
6. Write posts
This, of course, is the lion’s share of work, the key reason why people hire ghost writers.
7. Title your posts
The writer can suggest two or three titles and offer recommendations.
8. Review and revise your posts
With feedback from yourself and your colleagues, the writer will make the post publication-ready.
9. Tag your posts
The writer can handle this straightforward task. Tags usually come from the initial brainstorming session, and you can add more over time if you need.
10. Publish your posts
If you grant the writer guest access to your blog, the writer can publish posts.
11. Promote your blog
The writer can suggest :
- routine tasks (like announcing all new posts using your Twitter feed and Facebook fan page)
- post-specific tasks (like emailing customers, prospects, members of the media, and others you identify as being interested in the blog topic).
You can take other steps within your firm, like ensuring that the standard employee email signature contains the blog url and putting that url on company stationery.
12. Keep track of blog feedback
You’ll certainly want to know how your blog is doing and what conversations it starts. A writer can help with:
- suggesting how you might reply to specific comments
- pointing out when comments contain ideas for future blog posts
Since you know your company better than the writer does, you need to reply to comments, but the writer can review your replies if you like.
Contact me if you want to discuss your blogging – I’ll be happy to help!
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