Dear Aunty B,
I have been operating my own business for about six months now and I am keen to put myself out there. The industry I operate in is highly competitive and I think one way that I might be able to win over some new clients is if I started a blog.
The problem is I don’t really come from a marketing or content background and so I don’t know where to start.
Do you have any pointers?
Dan,
Sydney
Dear Dan,
It’s refreshing to hear from a small business owner who understands how useful content marketing can be. Now we just need to get you writing.
In situations like this, I like to hear from experts and there are few people who blog better than Kelly Exeter, the brains behind Swish Design, a blog for all things design, social media and digital marketing.
Earlier this year Exeter published this great post about how to write a business blog post fast. She has put together four quick steps to get you writing, the first of which is to make a quick list of the five biggest problems your clients have. For any small business owner that knows their clientele well, this should come easily.
Exeter then recommends zooming in on one of these questions that just keeps on coming up when you talk to clients. Pick your question and come up with three points related to the question.
Now you’re ready to start writing. And Exeter says just write. “Pretend someone’s come up to you in the street, asked you a question and you’re giving them the answer,” she says.
After you write the post, revisit it after a period of time and make any changes you need to. Then it’s time to hit publish!
Be smart (and happy blogging),
Aunty B
I’m SmartCompany’s resident Agony Aunt. Have a problem to solve? Just ask. @IamAuntyB #AuntyB
