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I’m sure that question is asked nearly every day by many people who have a blog! And of course, there’s the constant concern of finding the time to produce new posts often enough to encourage readers to return or subscribe.
While forward planning eases some of the stress, there are other ways of producing good content than having to write all the time.
Invite other people/bloggers to submit articles. Obviously check their writing style is suitable and the content interesting. They’ll be pleased to get the extra exposure and link back to their own blog. Ensure you show this and the author’s name.
Post an article written by someone else. Slightly different to the first point, as this person is probably already quite well known and you’ll need to ask them for permission to use their material. In this case, they will expect you to also publish their resource box.
Use a video or audio clip. When you come across a video (or audio) that fits in well with your blog’s theme, it’s OK to either embed it in your post or link to it. Always check for copyright issues before you publish – and attributing the source is good blogging manners.
There are some blogs which use other people’s content exclusively, in other words they don’t write any posts themselves. This is fine if the blog is intended to be a sort of directory, or collection of articles.
However, if you want your blog to be part of your small business brand and be a tool to let people get to know you, then ‘guest’ posts should only be used occasionally, so that your voice and personality are the first and main impressions visitors get.
You still can’t beat planning out your blogging calendar in advance and it’s also a good idea to write a few ‘evergreen’ posts to keep in reserve for those really busy days – or when inspiration is in short supply!
Do you use content from other sources on your blog? Feel free to let us know about it below.
About Louise
Louise Barnes-Johnston has been working in social media marketing since 2007 after realising that it was a powerful marketing tool which would enable her clients to raise the profile of their businesses on the internet, even when working to a limited budget. Her specialism is in researching social media practices; trying out the most effective online tools and then sharing the best of them with her clients.
