If you have at all been actively trying to market your business, you’ve probably heard about Content Marketing.

In short, Content Marketing is any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media in order to acquire and retain customers. This can include video, infographics, images, case studies, blogging and more. But in order to market content, you need to create content. And for many, that means starting a blog.

How do you create content for your blog?

Well, if you’re like most people these days, you’ve probably spent a bit of time scouring the internet to figure that out. And you’ve probably come across some mystical advice about “creating blog content that sells”. It all seems simple enough on the surface. But when you actually sit down to write a blog post….

“Write killer headlines.” “Be interesting.” “Be relevant.”

“Write for humans not search engines.”

Umm… Help?

I mean, what makes a headline “killer”? How do you know if you’re “interesting”? “What do they mean write for humans and not search engines. Why would I write for a search engine?” It’s enough to make somebody who’s new to blogging, well, not blog.

Here’s a secret about blogs

You can always go back and edit them after they’ve been posted! If you find a typo, or have a small edit just go in to the post and make an adjustment. If you find a new piece of information or discover you want to include an update, do so. If you think of a more compelling title, change it. For any significant changes, add an editor’s note at the bottom.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2014 and has since been updated.

That’s my editor’s note from an article I originally posted last year about What to Know Before Building a Website. Soon after I hit publish, a commenter pointed out I’d left out an important piece of the puzzle. I updated the post to include this valuable information and since that time I have changed the title and a couple of the sub-headings along the way.

The key to getting started with Content Marketing is to just start!

As content writer Belle Beth Cooper states, “… a lot of what it takes to build a successful blog is just being good at showing up. Over and over. For a long, long time.” So, if you’ve chosen to blog in order to drive traffic to your site, become recognized as a thought leader in your industry or just increase your awareness, you need to “show up.”

3 tips for getting started on your blog

1) Just start writing.

Write anything. A word. A sentence. A question.  For now, forget what all of the “experts” say. Most of the articles you’re reading are geared towards professional marketers – or businesses with bigger budgets. And it’s far too easy to get lost in the sea of keyword research, content calendars, optimizing for views, likes and shares.

Don’t let the details paralyze you from starting. Just start. Find your voice and see what you have to say.

2) Proofread

Not you. You cannot proofread your own work.

Yes, you need to look it over enough so that you know it will make sense to someone else. But, find someone that has a fairly decent grasp of grammar who can be a second pair of eyes to point out typos or confusing sentence structure.

My mom was a school teacher for 30+ years. I still send her stuff to proofread every now and then!

Also check out Grammarly, a free Chrome extension that can help spot any typos and grammar faux-pas.

3) Stock-pile.

I always advise my clients to stockpile at least six months’ worth of posts before posting the very first one.

Why? Because nothing looks worse on your website than having your last post be dated from over a year ago. It diminishes your authority and can leave your reader wondering if you’re even still in business.

Blogging isn’t for everyone.

It takes commitment and perseverance. So start slow. Plan on a monthly schedule and write a minimum of six posts before posting.

Going through this process will help you decide if you’ll be able to commit to blogging for the long run and how often you want to post. If you decide blogging isn’t for you, try another form of content. Or, if budget permits, hire a copywriter to write it for you.

My personal experience was that by my fourth or fifth post I had so many ideas and thoughts I wanted to get out that I needed to start a log of titles for all of my future blogs.

Need help with your blog?

Consider hiring a blogging pro like John White. He can teach you the tricks of the trade that has enabled him to be published on several highly recognizable sites and be a top blogger on LinkedIn. Blogging pros and coaches not only help you with writing a great bog, but also in promoting it.

As John says, “The mistake I see many bloggers make is that after they publish they sit and wait for the audience to find them.”

Now that you have several posts you feel good about and maybe even a few up on your blog, you can revisit all of that other awesome advice. Happy blogging!

Photo credit: Blogging readiness by Beth Kanter CC BY-2.0

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Jacqui Genow

Brand & Business Strategist

J. Genow Marketing

Jacqui Genow is the founder and principal of J. Genow Marketing. She works with clients in aligning their brand message, building their marketing roadmap, and helping them stay on track to move their business forward. As a Brand and Business Strategist, her focus goes beyond marketing; making the connections between how marketing decisions made today can impact a client’s business in the future. You can find Jacqui on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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