It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a website with a lack of site views is in want of a blog.
Blogs mean that fresh content is regularly appearing on your site, and Google likes that. Consistent appearance of new articles will make Google happy, and a happy Google brings customers to your site, in a nutshell. (It’s slightly more technical than that really, but you’ve heard it all before, so I won’t bore you.)
However, blogging isn’t easy. I myself accidentally took a couple of months off from my blog over Christmas, for various reasons, though I’m back now!
Getting your blog rolling
If you want to write it yourself, have a read of my blog post about how to start writing. There are lots of ideas to help turn a scary blank page into a collection of words.
Or you could consider whether there’s another member of staff in your business who would love to get their teeth into a regular blog. It could be something you pass around the team, taking it in turns to give different perspectives on the work that you do.
As another option, you probably already have spam emails telling you that a robot, or someone in China, could happily write your blog posts for you to increase your Google traffic, for ‘peanuts’, but really? Why would you even do that? (That’s a joke suggestion, by the way! You know the saying about what you get if you pay peanuts…)
[Subsequent to writing this blog in 2017, AI has emerged as a competitor to copywriters. See my more recent blogs for my thoughts on AI, and where it can, and shouldn’t be used.]
Use a copywriter
A real alternative is to find a copywriter who could blog for you. Using myself as an example here, I’m human, I speak good English, and I can research and write about almost any topic. I can write however much you need, in the style you require, and as often as you want, for appropriate remuneration, of course…
I currently blog for myself, obviously, a jeweller (between 4 and 6 blog posts per month depending on length and content), a jewellery storage solutions business (once a month), and a local thatching company (twice a year – thatching moves more slowly than some businesses).
These are all slightly different, so let me explain how each one works, to give you an idea of what’s possible.
My thatchers supply me with a list of their jobs over the previous six months, and then I compare that with their Facebook page for a few little extra nuggets of colour. I write something that is a lively, informative and fun account of what they’ve been up to recently. I’ll also research things like fire-proof membranes, if they’re mentioned, and put in bits about good practice.
My jewellery storage solutions are is different. Emma there supplies me with a list of what she wants to say for each month, which I add ideas to, and we discuss what I’m going to say. We’ll talk about special offers, collaborations, Christmas, new ranges, and trends. It’s very light-hearted and fun, with the occasional girly squeaky noise about something particularly lovely.
And then there’s my jewellers. I’ve been given a lot of license with their blogs, though I keep in close touch with the owners there, and they drop me ideas about what’s currently going on. They’ve asked for a mixture of pieces, so I’ve just completed a very serious, thoroughly-researched series of five blogs about the impact of mined diamonds, covering the natural environment and human rights issues. I’ve also written recently about St Valentine, a new range of rings, a factual item about some industry awards at which they were recognised, and a variety of others. We’re also beginning a series of customer–based pieces, contacting people who’ve bought rings from them to get their engagement stories, which has been lovely.
For your business?
If you’re planning to outsource your blogging, then you need to consider several factors:
- How often do you want blogs, and how long do you want them? What approximate word-count do you need? What will your customers actually sit down and read? 300 words? Over a thousand, like this one?
- What style do you want to be writing in? If your freelance blogger can’t write in the style your customers will relate to, look elsewhere. Get a test-blog or two, to check that you’re both happy.
- What content do you want in your blogs? Do you have ideas that you just can’t find the time to write, or will you need your freelancer to help brainstorm ideas? Will it be the case that blogs will need to be written at short notice based on current affairs, or will it be a rigid plan that doesn’t change? (Or somewhere in between.)
- How much are you prepared to pay? What is the blog worth to you? It’s usually the case that you get what you pay for in this field. As mentioned before, you’ll be able to find adverts for blogging online or in your email spam box, or people offering to blog for you for free, but there’ll be a catch. They’ll be advertising their own services, or want to place adverts on your site, or else the writing will be dreadful.
- How long do you want this arrangement to last? A reputable freelancer will want to have a contract, specifying a number of blogs per month, for an agreed amount of money, with probably a notice period built in as well. This protects both sides, and allows for circumstances to change. Make sure you’re both happy with the arrangements you make, and there’s flexibility.
- Finally, will you acknowledge that you’re having your blogs effectively ghost-written? Will the blog writer get credited on your site, or not? If not, then they may ask for a little more money, in lieu of the advertising that they’d get from being able to use your site to show to other customers.
If you would like me to blog for your businesses as well, then do drop me a line. I’m happy to discuss your business requirements, and work with you to achieve a blog you can be happy about.