Tag: blog writing

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How you can create a successful small business blog

Successful small business blog

It’s one thing to know that you want to create a blog as part of your marketing strategy. It’s quite another to actually do it. Maybe you’re feeling a bit daunted at the thought of starting a blog or have created one that’s fizzled out. If you’re reading this wondering why you’d want to blog for your small business, read this. On the other hand, if you want to blog but don’t know how to make a success of it, read on.

Be consistent

A blog that starts then stops again won’t do your business any favours. A regular blog tells Google that the information on your site is more likely to be relevant so you’ll rank higher in searches. Also, if a potential new customer lands on your website to find one blog post written over a year ago they might think you’ve stopped trading. It doesn’t really matter how often you blog as long as it’s consistent – once a month is fine for most businesses. The important thing is that you keep it up.

Think about your blog keywords

Keyword research is one of those terms that has a lot of small business owners running for the hills. You can get really technical about it if you want to (or you could get an SEO expert to do it if you have the resources). When you’re first starting out the main thing to focus on is how people will find you in an online search. That could be something as simple as what you do and/or where you do it. For example “Manchester florist” or “Leicestershire hairdresser”. If you’re not location specific you can focus on your services instead.

Talk to your customers

If your blog talks about things that your current customers care about it will also attract new ones looking for the same things. The most important thing about any business blog is that it talks to the right people. If you work with industry experts they’re not going to read a beginners’ guide so you can deal with more complex issues. Maybe keep them up to date with industry news in a digestible format. Alternatively, if your customers regularly ask you the same questions, write blog posts that answer them. That way when someone is searching for the answer online they’re more likely to find you.

Choose great images

This isn’t just to make your blog look pretty (although it helps). It takes a while for any new blog to start ranking in search engines, especially if you’re competing with bigger businesses. Sharing your blog on social media helps you to send people to your newest posts. A great image means that your potential readers are more likely to stop scrolling and read your posts. I’d also recommend creating a quick video or doing a Facebook Live to trail your blog post too – even if people don’t read it the video will give them the general gist.

Invite guests

I’ve just started getting organised with guest blogging and inviting people to contribute to my site. Inviting guests to write a blog for you is a great way to extend your reach. You both share it on your social media channels which means you reach each other’s audiences. It’s also a way of bringing your audience new specialist knowledge that will benefit them. My first guest blogger is a social media specialist whose knowledge is more in depth than mine. I’ve also written about blogging for a graphic designer. Exchanging guest blogs mean that you start to build links between websites, which is great for – you guessed it – SEO.

Further information

My guest blogs about blogging for Hollie Ellis design are here and here.

Or read about outsourcing social media with Anita Popat here.

If you’d like to know more about how blogging can fit into your marketing, sign up to my mailing list for lots of hints and tips. Alternatively, if you’d just prefer to hand your blog over for someone else to do, email me at info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk and we can have a chat.

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When not to blog for your business

When not to blog
Don’t give yourself a blogging headache

I know, I know. I’ve been urging you on to write a blog for your business since the last decade (feels weird to be able to say that) and now I’m telling you not to?! Well, no. Mostly, a blog is still a really good idea for most businesses. If you need a quick primer on why that is, here you go. Despite that, there are times when a blog just won’t be the right choice for you, either because of the industry you’re in or just because it’s the wrong time. If you’re thinking of writing a blog but any of the following apply to you, think again…

A blog won’t work for your industry

There aren’t many businesses that I would actively advise against blogging, but there are a few. If your business is scientific or sells something technical that’s on sale to the general public, a blog can be great. It helps you to demystify your product or service and make it more accessible. If, on the other hand, you only deal with other members of the scientific community a blog is pretty pointless. Blogs are chatty and conversational. If your audience is already very well informed and your articles need to set out technical data, a blog is just the wrong format.

It should (hopefully) go without saying that the same applies if your work is subject to a blanket NDA or national security level secrecy. If you want a blog to work you need to be able to share something about your background or life in general. If you can’t do that, a blog probably isn’t for you.

You don’t have time

Lack of time is one of the main reasons people tell me that they haven’t started a blog. It’s understandable. When your blog isn’t a core part of your business it’s one of those things that you can easily put to one side. While it’s great for marketing it doesn’t earn you anything on its own. Focusing on activities that generate income is far more important and I know you’ll have your own list of tasks that take priority over writing.

If you think you haven’t time to blog, this gives you some ideas for fitting it in. But what if you really haven’t got time? Either hand it over to someone like me or don’t do it. If you don’t have time to commit to writing and publishing a blog at least once a month, it will fizzle out before long. It won’t help your SEO and if potential customers come across it they might even think you’ve stopped trading.

It won’t be any good

This might sound a bit harsh. One of the advantages of writing a business blog is that anyone can write one. Of course, this also means that absolutely anyone can write one. For yours to work you need to put a bit of effort into making it good. Otherwise, it’s just going to disappear into the mass of boring, badly written blogs out there.  The good news is there is lots of advice and guidance out there to help you. (Including mine.) You just have to make time to
absorb it and put it into practice.

To put it bluntly, there’s no point writing a blog that no-one wants to read. If you’re already struggling for time, put the effort into creating something that your audience will find useful.

Do you need some help?

Sign up using the form below for monthly blogging tips (and lots of other useful stuff) straight to your inbox. Or, if you’d rather get some personalised help from me, whether that’s blog writing training or outsourcing, please get in touch.

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You can find the time to blog (honest!)

Time zone clocks

OK, I know that’s a sweeping generalisation. There will be plenty of you who really can’t find the time. If adding another thing into your week means giving up sleep or spending time with anyone you care about, don’t do it. Maybe you don’t even want to blog, and that’s fine. That’s what I’m here for. Writing a business blog isn’t right for every business. There’ll be more on that in a future post, but if you’re a small or micro business a blog is still a great marketing tool for most businesses.

The problem, in most cases, is that you think you need to find masses of time all at once. You will need to sit down in front of a screen at some point, but that’s the most time consuming bit. With the right approach everything else can be fitted in around your other daily tasks and will even make the writing part easier. Here’s how I break everything down.

Preparation

Nothing kills inspiration faster than sitting down in front of a blank screen and wondering what to write about. Having your topic ready to go before you start is a major time saver and you can think of ideas while you’re doing other things. You can write answers to your frequently asked questions, share insights on your services and learn about your customers’ struggles at networking events.

After that, create a quick outline plan by breaking the topic down into smaller sections and giving each one a subheading. I often do this when I’m making my lunch. Then when I start writing there’s a guide ready to go.

Writing

I can’t lie, this is the most time consuming bit, but there are ways to make it easier. When you make your plan, if any key phrases spring to mind, write them down. Make voice notes if you like. Recording yourself can also work really well if you find it easier to talk through your topic. Even just talking to yourself could help you to get the words flowing. 

Once you start writing, keep going. Your blog will be better if it sounds like you and that will come more easily if you aren’t constantly worrying about your grammar. That’s what the next stage is for…

Editing

The editing stage is every writer’s best friend. My mantra is ‘you can edit a bad page but you can’t edit a blank one.’ When you’ve written your post, leave it for at least a day then go back with fresh eyes. Run it through a spelling and grammar checker if you like (or visit Grammarly.com). Then, read to see if it makes sense. The best time for this is when you’re (relatively) relaxed. If you’re not already in the habit of taking proper meal breaks or stopping for an afternoon cuppa, this is the perfect excuse.

If you’re feeling brave give your blog to a friend and ask them if it makes sense.

Time for the finishing touches

The finishing touches on your blog are actually a series of tiny tasks that become much more straightforward when you break them down. Finding a good header image, on page SEO and sharing to social media can all be done separately when you have a few minutes. I put an appointment in the diary to find images for future posts, but do what works for you.

It can be a bit of a shift but when you stop viewing a blog post as one solid chunk of work and think of it as a series of smaller tasks, it makes it much easier to work out where you can fit it into your working week.

This is a lightning run through the things that go into a good blog post. If you’d like a bit more detail, sign up to my mailing list for monthly hints and tips on blog writing and all manner of other business marketing stuff. You’ll also receive a copy of my free guide ‘Stop hiding your business’ as a thank you from me.

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How you can write a blog stress free

Stress free blogging
The look on your face when blogging gets easier…

I’m going to hazard a wild guess that since you’ve clicked on a link about stress free blogging, you find blogging stressful. Is that a fair assumption? The source of your stress could be the idea of getting your blog started in the first place. It could also be that you’ve got started but are finding it tough to keep going. I get it. I’m fundamentally lazy and will only work hard at something if it’s absolutely necessary. For me, the only things that fall into that category are strategic planning, client work and keeping my accounts straight. Even writing for clients gets easier as I get to know them better. Writing my own blog is about as stress free as you can get.

The thing is, if something causes you stress you’re more likely to dump it sooner rather than later. (At least, I hope you are.) But blogging doesn’t need to be stressful. You might never love writing blogs as much as I do but there’s no reason why you can’t have some fun with it.

Remember who you’re talking to

Knowing who you want to reach with your blog makes it about a million times easier than going in without a clear idea. The reason I refer to it as ‘talking’ is because it is a bit like a conversation, if a very one sided one. Writing a blog when you know what your audience is interested in is like having a chat with someone you already know. Compare that to doing a talk to 500 people you’ve never met before = loads more stress.

If you can relax and imagine the kind of person you’re talking to, your stress level drops. You can write in a way that feels natural to you. 

Pick your topic

It’s a good idea to come up with a few potential topics before you plan to start writing. You can find some suggestions for ways to do that here. Then just mull it over for a bit. Which topic would benefit your customers? Is there something you particularly want to tell them about? Could you remove an obstacle that’s preventing someone from becoming a customer?

When you’ve chosen a topic, break it down. Take your time and put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What knowledge do they already have and what don’t they know? Break it down into smaller subsections. Doing it this way means you can tackle each section at your own pace, which means, you guessed it – less stress.

Get fired up

When it comes to actually writing, stop being logical and just write. Your blog is your chance to talk about something that really matters to you. Enthusiasm is infectious so get excited and let people know why they need to know about this stuff. You might be thinking that the results of writing from your gut might not be too professional. I won’t say it doesn’t matter, because it does. If you want people to trust you as a professional you can’t be completely chaotic. But professional, or even formal, does not mean dull. Churning out bland content will only get boring for you and the reader. You don’t get the results you want and wonder why you’re going through all this stress for nothing.

The key thing to remember is that you can always edit. Write your first draft without putting any restrictions on yourself, then read it back. If there’s anything that won’t work for your audience, you can change it and no-one else will ever know.

If you want to get started blogging put need a push in the right direction, you can sign up for my blogging challenge using the form below. Over 5 days I’ll take you through 5 simple tasks that will leave you with a stress free, finished blog by the end of the week.

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How you can get started blogging

Blogging for beginners

If you run a small business it’s likely you’ll have been
bombarded with marketing advice from various sources (including me). It would
be completely incredible if blogging hadn’t featured somewhere. Blogging isn’t
the only way to market your business but it’s a good one. There aren’t many
businesses that a marketing blog wouldn’t suit. (There are some, but that’s for
another post.) A blog helps you to build trust with your audience and offer
useful information that shows you know what you’re talking about. It’s also
recyclable – you can take one blog post and use it in lots of different ways.

If you think this all sounds great but you have no idea how
to get started, this post is for you.

Choose your blogging platform

Technically, you don’t have to have a website to blog. You
can write mini blogs on Instagram or Facebook or articles on LinkedIn. The risk
of doing it like this is that those social media platforms don’t belong to you
and could, in theory, be taken down. When you blog on a website you’re in control.
If visitors to your site spot something else interesting you still have their attention
but that won’t necessarily happen on social media.

There are loads of website providers to choose from. I’m on
WordPress as it’s easy to maintain and the self-hosted option means I have my
own website address rather than one with WordPress in it, so it looks more
professional. Choose something that works for you.

Choose your blog topic

There are loads of different ways to choose topics for your blog. There are a few ideas here. One of the simplest ways to start if you’ve already had some customers or enquiries is to write a blog answering a frequently asked question. This works on the principle that if prospective customers are asking you when they get in touch, they might be searching for the answer online as well.

Keep your topic quite specific so you’re not overloading
people with information. If I were to include every possible way of coming up
with topics in this post you’d be reading all week. Choose a few simple ways of
answering the question and break it down so you cover a little bit in each
paragraph. That helps you to keep things structured and to the point as well.

Start writing (or talking)

Blank pages can be completely terrifying. If you sit down
and find that your mind empties at the sight of a blinking cursor, there are a
couple of ways to deal with it. If you want to stick with the paper, type or
write your paragraph headings then jot down some notes about what you want to
cover. They don’t have to be perfect sentences, just enough to give you
something to work with.

Alternatively, record yourself. This takes practice, but
works if you find it easier to explain your subject when you talk to people.
Record what you say and get it transcribed, then you can edit the notes to turn
it into a blog.

The finishing touches

When you’ve got a blog post down on paper, read it back. You
might cringe but you can spot typos and it will also help you to see bits that
could work better. Getting feedback from someone you trust can also be really
helpful. I’m in a few Facebook marketing groups and they can be a good place to
share for support if the rules allow it. The main thing is to get it out there
as you only start improving once you do.

If you’d rather get a professional involved, I can help too.
I polish and edit blog posts and other stuff for all sorts of businesses. Of
course, if the whole thing is making your head hurt I can write them for you as
well.

Have you already written a blog? Share a link in the
comments if you have, I love to share!

Further reading

For more about putting the finishing touches to your blog posts, read this.

If you’d love to get some brilliant marketing and blogging tips straight to your inbox, sign up to my mailing list using the form below. I don’t spam and I will never share your information with anyone else. (Guide’s honour.)

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Is your marketing plan ready to go for the New Year?

Marketing plan

When you’re a small business owner the fact that you make your own marketing plan can be both a blessing and a curse. It’s always a good idea to give a new marketing plan a few months to bed in before you look back and assess whether it’s working. When you’re the one looking at the figures (you are looking at them, aren’t you?) it’s easy to tell what people are responding to and what they’re ignoring. Then you can change things quickly if you want to try something new.

The problem is, when you’re doing your own marketing as well as wearing every other hat in your business, you start to run out of time. Where does your marketing plan come on your list of priorities? If you’re reading this without a clear plan for your marketing in the New Year, here’s where to start. I know you’re probably busy right now but I promise that creating your marketing plan won’t take too long.

Do the groundwork

The first principle of marketing is knowing who your customer is. Who is most likely to buy from you and where will you find them? (If you need a bit more help here, read this). Focusing on your ideal customer helps you to decide which online platforms to post on and what offline marketing you can do.

Next, think about what products or services you want to promote. This can be seasonal but it isn’t always. I can write blogs all year round, but if you’re a florist there are likely to be key periods when people are thinking about wedding flowers. Think about the seasonal elements in your business and use those as a focus. Keeping your message consistent means it’s much more likely to sink in with your customers.

Choose your blog topics

I’m a big advocate of blogging when it comes to making a small business marketing plan. A blog helps you to talk to your customers about the things that are important to them and tell them how you can help. This isn’t the only benefit, there are loads – here are just a few of them.

You don’t need to write loads of blogs (I do, but that’s because it’s what I do). One a month is absolutely fine for most businesses. If you want an outline marketing plan with blog topics for the whole year that’s great. If not, choose three topics to take you through the first quarter. What’s your marketing focus and what questions do people ask about it? A good blog topic can be as simple as answering an FAQ or giving a brief introduction.

Build the rest of your marketing plan around it

One of the reasons that I love blogs is that you can use them to inspire the rest of your content for the month. After all, if you want to make sure that your message is consistent why not talk about the same thing in different ways? You might think that it’ll get monotonous but it won’t. For one thing you don’t have to use exactly the same language and you can vary the types of post you use. It’s also worth remembering that no-one will see absolutely everything. (Unless you have a stalker.)

To make it even easier to create your marketing plan you can come up with themes for each day (for example #MotivationMonday or #WisdomWednesday). There’s also no harm in throwing in something fun but off topic to get your audience talking.

Do you need some guidance on creating your New Year marketing plan? Email me: info@kirstyfrancewrites.co.uk. I’ve opened up a few 20 minute slots in my diary to support busy business owners with their end of year content creation and New Year planning. Let’s jump on a call and see what I can do to help you.

Further reading

If you’d like some ideas for ways to reuse and recycle your blog, this is for you.

For more help on coming up with topics, read this.

Or this perennial classic from Orbit Media.

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Christmas blog: Can you write one when your business has nothing to do with Christmas?

Firstly, an apology. I know that now we’re past Halloween the floodgates have opened and your social media feeds are full of Christmas. I can’t be helping with my Christmas blog posts and festive marketing tips either. To be perfectly honest, I should be talking to you about Easter marketing by now. I’ve spoken to two people who are already working on Christmas 2020.

If you’re fed up of Christmas marketing because your business isn’t Christmassy, I’m actually here to help. You might not think that your business has anything to do with Christmas, but you’d be surprised. Even if you don’t sell gifts, decorations or Christmas food, you can still write a Christmas blog. It’s the season of goodwill and you can raise your business profile by joining in. Without further ado, here are 5 ideas for your Christmas blog.

1.  Family focus

Christmas with our loved ones can create both warm fuzzy feelings and total panic and your Christmas blog posts can tap into both. I once wrote a Christmas blog for a bathroom company about stress free ways to share your bathroom with guests. Do you have some house sharing wisdom to offer?

If you’re a counsellor, a tips post would be perfect. Show people how they can minimise stress or avoid arguments. After all, even families who get on well can feel the strain at Christmas.

2.  Looking forward to New Year

If you help people to transform their lives long term, why not encourage their friends and family to support them? You might think that a voucher is a bit naff at Christmas, but what if it’s for personal training that could improve their health? A blog post about Christmas gifts that could change your life gets people thinking – plus they’ll remember you when they make their New Year’s resolutions.

If you help small businesses*, a blog with gifts for business owners could help you find a new audience.

3.  Christmas emergencies

If you can help with an emergency that doesn’t need a 999 call, tell your customers. Your Christmas blog post could show people how to avoid emergencies. Can you advise on home security or fire safety checks? If you run a garage, talk about vehicle maintenance so they won’t break down on a Christmas road trip.

Oh, and if you’re open on Christmas Day, put it on Facebook. Our local garage saved our roast potatoes when we ran out of cooking oil and didn’t notice until Christmas morning!

4.  Wellbeing in your Christmas blog

My self-care is a bit hit and miss generally and goes completely out of the window in the run up to Christmas. If you have a wellbeing business, your Christmas blog can offer people ways to look after themselves when they don’t have time.

You could even take a different approach. I love supporting small businesses and hate city centre shopping so I’ve had a shopping party at home and am going to a couple of local fairs. Could your Christmas blog talk about ways to shop stress free?

5.  Christmas preparations (or the aftermath)

Professional cleaning tips go down well all year round, but especially at Christmas when you’re expecting guests. You could also write about the benefits of a professional clean at Christmas.  When I planned this blog I mentioned it to my cleaner, who was hoovering near my desk. She told me that it’s a sign of a good cleaner if they can clean properly without disturbing your decorations.

Use your Christmas blog to tell your customers how you can help them get ready and throw in a few surprises if you can.

*Like I do with great value blog packages. (If you’d like to buy the small business owner in your life a month’s worth of blog posts from me, I sell gift vouchers. Click here to find out about my packages or email me if you’d just like to send them a few quid to use as they like.)

If you want some ideas for posts to take you through December and up to Christmas Eve, sign up for my mailing list using the form below. You’ll get a copy of my free guide to creating your ultimate Christmas marketing plan.

Further reading

If your business does have something to do with Christmas and you’ve missed my earlier blogs, here they are:

This one is for you if you sell great Christmas gifts.

This one is for those of you who help your customers to create the perfect Christmas celebration.

Here’s another take on blog post ideas for a non-Christmassy business from www.business2community.com

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5 Christmas blog post ideas for businesses that create the perfect day

Perfect Christmas blog post ideas

There are lots of fantastic businesses selling perfect Christmas gifts, but what about the rest of you? What if your business helps your customers to create the perfect Christmas? There are a whole range of businesses that offer everything from Christmas essentials to the finishing touches. Food, drink and Christmas decorations are obvious examples but there are lots of areas where people need some help to create the perfect Christmas. There can, of course, be plenty of overlap. I always feel as if I’m preparing for the apocalypse when the Christmas food delivery arrives, but there are always a few bottles of wine heading out as gifts too.

If you sell fashion or beauty it’s easy to focus on gifts but do your customers also need help deciding what to wear to the Christmas party or while they’re serving up turkey? Think about what will go into your customers’ perfect Christmas and talk about that. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

1.        Making the perfect Christmas easier

Creating the perfect Christmas sounds like a great idea but it can get stressful pretty quickly. If you offer something that helps to take some of the stress away, tell people about it. It could be anything from a handy short cut to Christmas on a plate. Do you offer pre-stuffed turkeys or a gift wrapping service? Can you deliver to their door to save them yet another trip to the shops?

If you give Christmas preppers one less thing to think about, let them know.

2.        Feeling good at Christmas

Are your customers are people who generally feel frazzled by the time Christmas is over? Help them out with a blog post that helps them make things better. It could be anything from advice on taking time out and still getting everything done through to nutrition to stop them getting ill.

Maybe they want to feel dressed up but not overdressed for Christmas dinner. I know there are people who feel perfectly comfortable dressing up to the nines to scoff sprouts – personally, I’m not one of them.

3.        Perfect Christmas entertainment

We’ve all been there – Christmas dinner is over and everyone just wants to slump in a chair. Christmas telly sounds like a great idea until the arguments over who wants to watch what get going. Either that or the kids have opened all of their presents and are bouncing on your last nerve whilst you’re trying to cook.

If you have the solution to either of those challenges, tell your customers about it. I promise they will love you for it.

4.        A green Christmas

Environmental issues are on everyone’s minds. The drive to reduce the volume of single use plastics we throw away every year is now a key influence in lots of people’s buying decisions. Of course, you’re not restricted to talking about plastic. You can tell your customers about anything you do to help lessen your (and their) environmental impact.

Give people 5 ways that they can use your products to have a green Christmas and you’ll be on to a winner.

5.        Christmas tips

Tips posts are a great way to catch your customers’ attention at any time of year, but they’re especially valuable at Christmas. This type of blog post works because it gives people information in easily digestible chunks. They’re perfect for busy people (which is basically all of us at Christmas).

I’ve talked about helping people who want quick fixes, but there is just as big an audience for advice on how to do things properly. If you have advice on preparing the perfect Christmas dinner, expert wrapping tips or the best way to decorate your tree, share them.

If you haven’t planned your Christmas marketing yet and want some ideas for posts to take you through December and up to Christmas Eve, sign up for my mailing list using the form below. You’ll get a copy of my free guide to creating your ultimate Christmas marketing plan.

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5 blog post ideas to help you sell more Christmas gifts

Sell Christmas gifts

If you run a business that sells perfect Christmas gifts, this is probably peak season for you. I’ve already started my Christmas shopping and I’ve got a list of local businesses that I’ll be buying from in the coming month. I know that you’re already doing loads of marketing to show people what you have to offer. If you’re not already writing a blog it can be a great way to showcase your products and build your profile.

A Facebook or Instagram post can be amazing at getting an immediate response. I’ve already bought presents for two people based on a photo the seller posted on Facebook. However, one of the reasons for my quick decision was that I already knew the business. Building relationships is incredibly important when you have a small business. You might already be doing that at events or online and a blog can be a big part of that.  A blog can be chatty and helpful which makes people more likely to trust you when you post about something you’re selling.

So without further ado here are my top 5 ideas for blogs that will help you to sell more Christmas gifts.

1.    Your ultimate gift guide

This one does what it says on the tin – write a monster post with your best ideas for every family member and interest group that you could possibly sell to. It’s the kind of thing that people will save for reference. This could take you quite a long time depending on how many products you have, so you might prefer to break it down into…

2.    Christmas gifts for…

You can write as many of these as you like and tailor them to your business. If you offer perfect gifts for women, children or a particular interest, break it down. You might write about choosing jewellery or your best gifts for kids who love dinosaurs. Your audience will find it really helpful and you can include pictures with product links to make it easy for them to buy.

3.    How to buy for the awkward one

We’ve all got one – the person we struggle to buy for every year. What have you got that’s a bit out of the ordinary? This could also be a great opportunity to educate people about your products. For example, a gift buyer with a newly vegan relative might think of them as ‘awkward’ – you could be the one to offer a gift that will change their view.

4.    What to buy for the person who has everything

Do you sell gifts for people who don’t want more stuff? Experience gifts or charity donations? You could also give ideas for interesting budget gifts for when you’re skint but need to buy for wealthier relatives. What do you sell for the person who doesn’t want to buy their mum more jewellery or yet another scarf?

5.    Are you a Secret Santa?

The dreaded Secret Santa can be a real challenge. Your customers might be buying for someone they don’t know very well or have a tiny budget. Can you help them to come up with something interesting and avoid falling back on an Amazon voucher? (Yes, I’ve had this – the perils of being a temp who still got invited to the team Christmas lunch.)

If you’re planning your Christmas marketing (or your non-Christmas marketing) and need some more ideas, head to my shiny new online shop where you’ll find ’50 blog post ideas for your business’ and my guide to Christmas marketing which gives you ideas for social media posts from 1st December all the way to Christmas Eve.

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Microblogging: why you need to start small

Microblogging - small is beautiful.

The idea of writing a blog can seem a bit daunting. Maybe writing doesn’t come naturally to you or you’re just out of practice. Sitting in front of a blank screen trying to come up with something good to blog about could be your worst nightmare. Either that or you try it and end up spending a whole day getting it to sound right (or giving up because it doesn’t). If that sounds familiar, microblogging could be your new best friend. Read on to find out what it’s all about…

What is microblogging?

Microblogging is basically a mini blog (sorry for stating the bleeding obvious). If you’ve never heard the term before, you actually see microblogs all the time. Tweets, Facebook updates and Instagram posts are all microblogs. The essence of microblogging is about sharing a quick snippet of information. It could be anything from a link, to a photo, some text or a video.

The key thing to remember about microblogging is that it’s relatively short and to the point. A standard blog post could be anything from 350 words up – generally a microblog should be shorter than that. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules. If you’ve got something to say and you want to put it on Instagram, knock yourself out. You’ve got over 2,000 characters to play with so you can say quite a lot. As always, the key is to think about what you have the time and skill to produce and what will be helpful to your audience.

How you can use microblogging

Microblogging is a brilliant way to get used to writing because you can be brief while still saying more than you usually would. I know that sounds as if I’m completely contradicting myself, but bear with me. If your standard Facebook post only runs to a couple of sentences, is it because the things you talk about don’t need more than that or because you feel you have to keep posts really short? If it’s either of those, think about what that’s telling your customers. As small businesses we need to build trust with our audience. That only happens when you offer useful information or let people get to know you.

The next time you go to a business event, try posting more than ‘here I am at X for networking’. Relax and talk about what you get out of the event as if you were telling a friend. You don’t have to write loads but it gives people a bit of insight. Also, because it’s social media you get immediate feedback.

The downsides

Of course, there can be downsides to microblogging. One of the main potential pitfalls is if you don’t establish clear boundaries when you start. I’ve talked about maintaining your privacy when you blog before but it bears repeating. Letting your audience get to know you is great, but not if you let it intrude too far into your life. For example, would you want some random person to see your Facebook posts and be able to work out where you live or where your kids go to school? There has even been debate about whether the availability of information on Twitter made super injunctions pointless.

From a practical point of view, microblogging on social media has one major drawback. It doesn’t help your search engine rankings. A website based blog, updated regularly, helps you to get found on Google whereas social media just builds your profile. That’s why I’d suggest building your confidence with microblogging then moving on to a blog. Then you get the best of both worlds.

Further reading

You can choose subjects for microblogs in the same way as you would for a traditional blog. Here’s how to get started.

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