This is Day 8 of a 10 Day Course on how to create killer content. Visit Day One to get the full mojo.
If you’re anything like me, you go way over the top when you start something new. Bringing the laptop to bed, shooting video in strange places, mumbling incoherent mumblings about plug-in options for Wordpress in the dead of night. But if you’re having fun with the blog, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t become part of your lifeblood and your daily gig.
But here’s a few tips:
- If you’re married or interested in a relationship of any kind, try not to get too hyper-amped about your new endeavor. Remember: a blog is a major time-suck. Between that and your penchant for long hours at work, your better half may wonder if your computer is your most important appendage. Take it from me. I get sideways glances whenever I start reciting my blog posts at the dinner table.
- Don’t do this on the company dime. If you’re a small business owner and you’re writing your blog to spread the word about your expertise, that’s one thing. Go for it and chalk it up to good marketing. But if you’re someone like me who isn’t paid by his company to write a blog - keep it off hours. Sure, you can surf like everyone else looking for ideas during the 8-5, but I’d keep the actual posting to a minimum. Your blog will come to the attention of everyone you know sooner or later (especially if it catches fire), and you don’t want people saying ‘So that’s what he does all day!’ Especially in this economy.
- Your clients are not blog material. I’ve got juicy marketing stories that would make your eyes water - but you don’t want to discuss your clients or their business w/o their permission, do you? Even if it could make for a lot of laughter around the virtual water cooler - this is off limits. Generalize instead.
- Keep it real. One thing you never want to do is lift work from other bloggers or content creators. If you do, make sure it’s attributed to them. There are no exceptions. Like an idea you see online? Rewrite it and expand on it. Don’t crash and burn.
Now, all this is obvious stuff and probably doesn’t need to be said. But I didn’t think the Governor of South Carolina needed to be reminded that visiting his mistress in South America on the taxpayers dime was a bad idea either. Crap happens. Keep the content engine running on careful planning, common sense, and integrity.
Marketing Takeaway: Good blogs take more time and original thinking than you think you have, but both are out there. Find them.
Deliverable: Take 30 minutes today to surf the Internet and begin filling your editorial calendar for the week of July 6th and beyond. Don’t edit at this point. Jot down any idea that sounds good. One word becomes a sentence.
Any other potholes we should avoid?
