Building Blocks for 2024 - Part II

by Skip Cohen
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It's funny how January rolls around and so many of you put the brakes on, thinking you can just kick back and chill for a few weeks. I'm not questioning business owners needing a break, just the timing if you stop working altogether.

It might be the slow season, but "slow" is only about revenue and clients coming through the front door! Right now, things can be as busy as you want them to be when it comes to building a stronger business in the new year.

I'm continuing my quest to give you ideas to build a more substantial business and, at the very least, give a few of you a jump start.

Next topic up: I want to focus on your blog in the next two building block posts.

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"Your website is about what you sell. Your blog is about what's in your heart."

Here are some great tips on building a blog. While I'd love to take credit for all of them, many of them are thanks to my good buddy Scott Bourne. They apply not only to maintaining a blog but also to any place you're trying to build readership and followers.

• Consistency: one key to success. If you're blogging every full moon, then give it up. I suggest posting at least twice a week.
• Build a stash: Everything you share doesn't have to be written in real time! Take the slow time now and put together a couple of dozen posts. Then, use one a week from your stash. On the other day of posting, tie in something you're doing that's recent and maybe even community-related.
• Content is King - Pay attention to who your readers are. You've got to be relevant to their needs. If you don't know your demographics, how can you be sure what you're sharing is appropriate for your readers? 
• Timing is essential: Post on the same days each week and at the same time. 
• Don't write term papers! Keep your posts relatively short - ideally, 200-500 words are the max; you can go over that if the topic is relevant, but if that's the case, then use bullet points.
• Cut too many English classes when you were a kid? Use spellcheck and Grammarly. However, with Grammarly, read every suggestion out loud. Grammarly doesn't always know precisely what you're talking about and often gives recommendations that aren't accurate for the meaning you want to convey. 
• Hate to write? Find yourself an English teacher from the locl high school or an "A" student who loves to write. There's nothing wrong with having a ghostwriter who will listen to what you want to say and then put it together in a blog post. Finding a teacher or student who'd like to moonlight a little is an inexpensive way to get additional support to supplement your weak spots.
• Guest post with other blogs: Use your network and swap posts with other photographers/businesses hitting a similar target. Everything you post doesn't have to be written directly by you. For example, a wedding photographer might exchange posts with a maternity or newborn artist, and vice versa. 
• Adding photographs: Include at least one relevant photograph with each post.
• Links: Don't go wild with too many links in a post to other locations within your website or outside to other sources. 
• Share what's in your heart! A blog gives what you sell credibility, like publicity supporting advertising. You don't need to get overly personal, but for most of you, your target audience is "Mom." Share some of your own challenges she can identify with.

And there they are, ten tips to help you build a blog that draws in readers. But a blog alone isn't enough. You need to weave a web around your readers so they're finding you in multiple locations. It's all about building a more recognized brand, starting with being helpful to your followers.
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​Check in tomorrow for thirty content ideas to write about!