It’s been two years since I set myself a goal of writing regular blog content here on my business website but like a lot of New Year’s Resolutions, it fell by the wayside.
I knew I needed to blog regularly because it is good for business, helping to build authority and traffic for my website. And I also knew I should practice what I preach.
But it wasn’t until a lightbulb moment in September last year that I was finally on the road to achieving that goal – and as a result, it’s unlocked a new content marketing opportunity for 2021.
Up until last Autumn, my blog post writing was sporadic at best with some months going past without publishing anything at all.
It meant my web content wasn’t delivering with no discernible rise in traffic or engagement. And few business leads came from my website.
Content ideas weren’t the problem as I was publishing regularly on social media – LinkedIn – and getting good results.
So what changed? The spur – or perhaps kick up the backside – was a conversation with a fellow freelancer who refocused my B2B content strategy.
I’d concentrated on social media content first and blogging second. Posts on LinkedIn have to be short because of character limits, so felt easier to do. Blog posts need to be longer as it’s better for SEO, increasing dwell and authority.
My approach had been to occasionally take a LinkedIn post and pad it out to make it more suitable for the blog. Not great, I admit.
What my fellow freelance suggested was writing the long-form blog post first and then repurposing it for social media. I could create bite-sized pieces of content more suited to LinkedIn posts from longer pieces.
It seems ridiculously obvious but sometimes you get stuck doing things a certain way and you need someone to point it out.
So that’s what I started doing. I set out to write a minimum of one post a week. By taking the time to write a longer piece I had something I could cut and splice up for different pieces of social media content during the week.
Fuel two engines – and two different audiences – but with less effort.
I wasn’t a stranger to repurposing, I was already doing it with my social media content, this was about approaching it more efficiently.
It is still early days but I’m already seeing an increase in website traffic and engagement.
Fresh opportunities
And now that I’ve got into the habit of posting regularly, I’m not only building a good archive of material but it’s unlocked fresh opportunities for using my web content.
The challenges of last year brought about by the pandemic focused my mind on how I could strengthen my freelance business.
Working with the ever-fabulous Heidi Medina showed me different ways of doing this, nourishing my existing business base but also broadening the channels for new lead generation.
For example, with regular blog posts, I now have B2B content I can package into email newsletters, potentially giving me another new audience. It also gives me a new marketing channel for some of the business ideas I have for this year.
Be where people are
An email list means I can be where people are rather than trying to grab attention at the right time on social media.
Building an email list was something that had been on my radar but I couldn’t see how I’d produce enough suitable content to make it worthwhile – and something people might want to sign up for. Blogging regularly is a big step towards solving that problem.
So getting that all set up and operational is a key project for 2021.
I’ve always known there is a lot you can do with B2B content but it really starts with writing regularly.
Was there a key lesson for you in 2020 that is shaping your approach to 2021?
If you are looking for B2B content ideas so you can publish regularly this year, here are a few suggestions.
Most recent posts:
- B2B content: Finding your confidence and voice
- B2B Content: audience engagement lessons from the theatre
- Hidden features on LinkedIn to power-up your B2B content’s impact
- B2B content marketing: Navigating the choppy waters of challenging market
- LinkedIn live video events: The what, how and why
