The Secret To Creating a Steady Stream of Blog Content (and it’s easy)

TweetWhat have you done for me lately?

This is the question the Internet asks us each day.  What have you created lately?

It’s a cryin’ shame but the blog posts that you wrote two weeks ago are likely long forgotten about by the search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.  And long forgotten by the members of your social networks.

Bummer, right?

Q: Why Create More Content? A: Business Blogging Creates Opportunities

Business blogging is an enormously beneficial activity.  When done properly, it will:

• Increase your traffic from search engines
• Increase your traffic from social networking sites
• Increase conversion of prospect to customers
• Increase up-selling and cross-selling opportunities to current customers
• Create partnership opportunities
• Increase the chance of your business being covered by mainstream, traditional media
• Increase your chances of getting public speaking gigs

Need I go on?

Sounds great right!?  But none of this will happen if you don’t create a steady stream of [valuable] blog content.  Drats! Why does there always have to be a catch!

OK, How Much Content Do I Need To Create?

The $64,000 question — and, like most things, there is no pat answer to this question.

There are three rules:

1. More content is better
2. Good content is better
3. #1 doesn’t matter if you don’t have #2

You can create gobs and gobs of below average content and it won’t do much for you.  You might get more search engine traffic but your site visitors will not be impressed if they arrive to find crappy content.

I like this rule:  Set a publication schedule and stick to it.  Gradually increase the amount of content you are creating.

If you are in a low competition (from a web point of view) industry, you may be able to get away with creating one piece of content per week.

If you are in a high competition (from a web point of view) industry, you may need to publish every day.

To the discouraged souls:  If you aren’t creating ANY content for your website — creating something even once a month will be beneficial.  Keep your head up and get started on a steady content creating and publication schedule.

The Secret To Creating Steady Blog Content

There are two main stages to a consistent bloggers workflow:

Stage 1:  Idea Generation

From the day you start you blog and every day afterward, you need to be in constant idea generation mode.  And, if you are like most business owners, you already are in constant idea generation mode.

This is why your spouse will occasionally say to you —- “You Never Listen To Me”  —– because often when people are speaking to you —– you are THINKING about your tiny business.  You are a mover and a shaker — your brain has no off-switch.

Write those ideas down and get them into your blog publishing platform as saved drafts.  That’s part 1 of the secret.

Check out my blog:

Notice that I have 99 “drafts” — these are just ideas that have not been finished yet.

Each time I log into my WordPress blog, I take all of the ideas that I have had since I last logged in (I keep these in my iPhone, but you could carry a pen and paper if you wanted to) and I type them into my blogging platform.

Then, I hit the “Save Draft” button.  I will jot down a few notes about the idea, or I will create an outline.  Sometimes I will even type out the first couple of lines.

These “drafts” are gold and this is the secret —- you need to have a bunch of drafts available to choose from when you sit down to “polish and publish.”

Stage 2:  Polishing and Publishing

This is the second part to the secret.  Notice that I have 2 posts “Scheduled” in the image above. This means that I have the next two days scheduled out.  These two posts are finished and ready to publish on the dates and times that I have them set.

Sometimes, I will go on a blogging spree and I will have 10 – 15 posts scheduled out.  A blogging spree like this usually ends with an “Oh What A Feeling, Toyota!” leap in the air.  It feels great to know that your next 10-15 pieces of content are already completed.

Don’t get discouraged.  It is important to be publishing content on a consistent basis, but this 2 part secret will get you well on your way to being a steady blogger.

What are your thoughts about this?  What questions do you have about creating a steady stream of blog content?  What advice do you have for the rest of us?