1. To blog or not to blog…

You’re probably here because you’ve asked yourself, your co-workers, or your boss this question once or twice already. You’ve found a few useful blogs to follow and even noticed a few of your competitors have launched one, so you’ve thought, “Hey, I can do that! I’ve got something to say!”

So, what’s next?

The reality is, “To blog or not to blog” is only the first question. To blog means to deliver great value to your audience, earn a boost in SEO, and enhance your inbound marketing. While that’s all well and good, this isn’t something you should jump into head first; you have to plan and prepare for these kinds of results!

So if you’ve already answered, “Heck yes, let’s do this,” to the first question, be sure you can answer these questions, too.

2. Define your goals. Any decent blog requires a certain amount of effort to be put into it. So what do you want to get out of it?

3. Determine the value you can offer. Why would people want to read your blog, anyway?

4. Identify your audience. Who do you want sitting on the edge of their office chair waiting for your next post?

5. Brainstorm promotion ideas to drive readership. How will you make sure people are actually seeing your content?

6. Evaluate your available bandwidth. Who’s going to be creating all this great content? If not you, who?

7. Consider creating a content calendar. How often can your audience expect to see new content from you?

8. Think about hosting logistics. Where will your audience find your blog?

9. Examine your brand identity and how you can help that personality shine through in the voice, tone, and style of your content. Are you cool and casual, or more formal or frank?

10. Plan to track engagement. How will you make sure your hard work is paying off?

Stay tuned for future blogs where we’ll take a deep dive into each one of these questions and help you find the answers that are right for your company!