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How to Blog: How Much Time Does It Take?

by Jennifer Beever

BlogIf you’re thinking of blogging for your business, a very good question to ask is, “How much time will it take to write and publish a quality blog post?”

It seems that many business marketers and others don’t consider the resource requirements of starting and maintaining a blog. A 2008 Technorati study showed that the blog abandonment rate was over 90%! We’ve all probably had the experience of landing on a blog page only to find out that  the author hasn’t posted for months, maybe years! That doesn’t help a business’s (or a blogger’s)  credibility.

Note that when I wrote the question above, I specifically used the words “quality blog post.” A poorly written blog post is also a detriment to its author’s and the business’s credibility. So, you need to plan enough time to write quality content.

Let’s look at the question of how much time blogging can take.  I also provide some tips for reducing the amount of time spent!

How much time each blog post can take

Each blog post will probably take you at least thirty minutes to write, add a graphic, add tags, keywords, a custom description, assign a category and publish. My blog posts take about an hour to research, write and publish. Note  that I did not include research in the 30 minute minimum estimate. That’s because if you use some of the ideas I mention below, the actual production of each of your blog posts may not require research beforehand!

Tips for reducing the amount of time each blog post can take

There are some things you can do to be more efficient with your time spent on blogging. Here are a few ideas:

1. Re-purpose content – use your books, whitepapers, popular presentations, user guides, articles, videos and other content and re-write it (re-purpose it) into your blog posts.

2. Write about topics that float your boat – choose a topic that you are passionate about. You will find the writing and the process so much easier.

3. Maintain a list of topics – use Evernote, Notepad, a Word document, an Excel spreadsheet (Excel is what I use so I can sort topics in a variety of ways), or a folder to store topic ideas that come to you. This will give you a cheat sheet or list to review and choose a topic you are passionate about.

4. Bookmark cool graphics for your blog – as you surf and view images, graphics and icons, save those that inspire you. With proper credit to artists and photographers, you can then easily and quickly add your favorite graphics on your blog.

5. Have a strategic plan for your blog – last but not least, plan your blog in advance, which includes knowing your customer personas and your marketing persona, the categories of topics you want to blog about, the frequency of blogging, the metrics against which you will measure success, etc.

What else can help bloggers be more efficient? Please comment below. And, if you need help planning or setting up your blog or want to hire a blog ghost writer, please contact me, Jennifer Beever, at New Incite for more information. I’d love to help you be a successful business blogger!

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