As I've mentioned before, I'm not the most consistent blogger that's ever ventured into the blogosphere. And I'm pretty sporadic at Tweeting too. The thing is, I'm confident that my incompetence isn't unfixable -- I just need to take a bit of time to sort through the vast array of information available on the Internet, implement a few helpful tools, and devote myself to my craft. Right?
Please say that I'm right.
I mean, sure, today I'm starting out with the best of intentions. My baby girl is off at daycare and I have all the time in the world to get lost in a myriad of links that promise to make me a better blogger. But come Monday, I know my spare seconds will be few and far between -- so I need a
strategy that will allow me to get all my social media tasks completed in a span of two days, and all my posts and Tweets and updates scheduled for the week ahead.
Below are the most helpful tips I've found so far that will help me achieve my goal of consistency:
1. HootSuite is my friend.
I wasn't always certain of this fact. The first time I signed up for an account I finally understood how my Grandma must have felt when we tried to explain the concept of the Internet to her. I mean -- there's just so much information in one space! The layout, the multiple tabs, the millions of different streams. Gaaaahhh!
This time around, however, I took the time to watch the HooteSuite educational video -- HooteSuite 101. I watched it all the way through and - I have to admit - it really isn't all that complicated. My favourite feature? The AutoScheduling button that will find the most prime time for my Tweets to be published. Genius!
2. Those who fail to plan...
I came across this great article on Problogger entitled 31 Days to Building a Better Blog. While some of the steps are for a more established blogger, the task for Day 7 really resonated with me. It's all about Planning your Next Week's Posting Schedule. My lack of planning has always been my downfall with blogs. I'm thinking I might even aim to plan them a month in advance. If work pops up and I can't write my next week's blog post on my Thursday and Friday time slots, the preplanning will allow me to quickly write them on the weekends, when I have the benefit of Daddy's babysitting services.
3. Have a goal in mind...
Not only should my blog have a goal (or a "mission statement"), but so should each individual post. A common theme throughout the blog will bring consistency to my content, which is just as important to my blog as the frequency of my posts, I think.
Chris Brogan offered a great sample blogging workflow here, which highlights these points:
- Seek link traffic – I write certain posts (like anything with a big number) with a secondary goal of deriving links from you to the story. Why? Because that tells Google and Technorati that I’m doing good things over here, and that matters.
- Seek advice – I often write posts where I ask for your opinion. Why have a blog if you can’t start conversations?
- Establish thought leadership – When I write about something way off from the norm of what others are blogging about, it’s to show you that I’m not a “me too” blogger.
- Promote something interesting – This might be people or software or an event. One point about promotion posts versus other kinds: if you’re looking for comments, promotion posts rarely get them.
- Link love to others – Sometimes, I want to give other people the spotlight, or point out good writing elsewhere. It’s important to keep that in mind. Linking out promotes linking in.
These three tips are simple enough. Hopefully I'll be able to implement them and get my blog humming along at a decent, consistent clip. Fingers crossed!!