Working your side hustle while maintaining your 9 to 5 can be a challenge. Here’s why: while you’re working your JOB during the day, your business needs to keep marketing going. One no-cost way to do that is by blogging. Blogging is important because it is a proven model to grow your business.
Your blog posts are the foundation for your social media efforts. Blogging attracts Google (and other search engines) which drives your website traffic. In addition blogging builds trust while providing you the exposure needed to be seen as an expert in your industry.
If you are not blogging it’s probably time to start. I know what you’re thinking, adding blogging to the side hustle mix can make you feel a little overwhelmed, right? Well, here are 5 blogging tips that keep it simple as it guides you down the path to success. Use these blogging tips to quickly get started blogging today.
5 simple blogging tips to get you started:
1) Keep it short
Contrary to popular belief, blogging does not have to be long. Keep in mind you are not writing a term paper or a dissertation. Keep it simple. Keep it short. Your average blog post can be 400 to 750 words. However, over the years of blogging and watching the behavior of my website traffic, I have found around 500 words to be the sweet spot.
2) Make it easy to read
No one wants to read a blog where they need to pull out a dictionary every 5th word. In fact, when writing for the internet your content should be written on a 7th grade level. YUP! That’s right, 7th grade. So ditch the big words. No need to be scientific. Write your next blog post just like you was sitting here talking to me. Write as you were having a conversation with me about your business.
3) Share your knowledge
If you are not sure what to write about, this blogging tip is about showing your expertise. Use your blog as a chance to share your knowledge. No you don’t have to give away the store. Create a blog content that shows your creativity, shares your point of view, and provides tips and resources. You want your target audience to view your website as a resource they need to come back to on a daily basis, share on social media and talk about to their colleagues.
4) Watch your “I’s”
Nearly everyone tunes into one station: WIIFM! Which simply means What’s In It For Me. Your target audience will visit your website looking for answers to the question or problem they are trying to solve at that moment in time. Yes it’s important to have information about you on the website but when writing a blog post you want to make the content about your visitor. Write from their perspective. Do an “I” test then see how you can change those I’s to you.
5) Make it relevant
No matter what business or industry you are in it’s important to stay current. Blogging is no different. One thing you can do is, provide your website visitors with information based on current events, trends or time of year. The ALS ice bucket challenge, back-to-school and the start of the NFL football season are great examples.
Yes there are exceptions to each rule however these blogging tips concentrate on getting you started and getting you results fast.
