Effective blogging takes a lot of time and effort. Over 90% of blogs that get started are abandoned. One solution can be to hire a blog ghostwriter. Here are three important things to consider if you hire a blog ghostwriter.
1. Your blog should reflect “the voice” of your company.
Any business-to-business blog must reflect your business’s marketing persona. The marketing persona is important whether or not you outsource your marketing. You should know what style, tone and voice you will use when you “talk” to your customers and prospects. The persona is even more important when you outsource marketing tasks to writers or consultants. (If you want to learn more, I’ve blogged a lot about marketing personas – perhaps the post I wrote that best explains what they are is Why B2B Marketing Buyer Personas Rule.)
2. You need a strategy for your blog.
What other blogs exist within your industry? How will your blog be positioned? What are you going to say? Who is the audience? What are your topic categories? What kind of graphics or images will you use? (Note I did not write that question as, “Will you use graphics or images?”!) These questions should be answered before you start the blog, or it won’t be successful.
3. You should have a plan and timeline for the blog.
With a written plan and timeline, you can map the process of blogging. How frequently will you blog? Can you re-purpose content from other marketing or company materials? Who will write the blog posts? Does someone need to approve them? Who will respond to comments? Who will comment on other blogs in your industry? What topics will you write about ? (You should brainstorm topics on a regular basis, and keep a list – the longer the better. I keep my list on an Excel spreadsheet that now has 165 topics – 83 of which were published. As of today I have 167 total blog posts on my blog. )
It’s my opinion that as long as someone in your business or organization reviews and approves the blog posts, a blog ghostwriter can be highly effective and an authentic reflection of your business. B2b bloggers, what do you think? Please comment below.
If you are a business owner and want to start a blog, please contact us at New Incite. We provide blog strategic and tactical planning services as well as blog ghostwriting.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
What do you think of the idea of a ghostblogger writing a blog and having someone in the company edit it, inserting tidbits that are personal for the company. I recently hit upon this idea and think it could work, as CEOs might have time to edit a post, if they don’t have to create it from scratch.
HI Laura, absolutely. I saw your website and love your model. When I saw a few years ago that the blog abandonment rate was over 90% (primarily because people don’t have time to write), I started telling people that a blog ghostwriter would be a great job for a writer! I’m glad you found this post, and thanks for commenting!
This is a great idea, and as a ghostwriter my self I obviously see the value in it. It is just really important to make sure you communicate effectively with your ghostwriter so you both know exactly what to expect.
Hi Teena, great point about the importance of communicating well with your ghostwriter. I’m sure there is a lot to striking a good match in personality, working styles, responsiveness, etc.
By the way, I love your website. Very creative headlines / menu options. I should not be surprised, since you are a ghostwriter!
As you’ve rightly pointed out, these people are professional writers, so you would be getting the highest quality service. Not only this, ghostwriters write for you when you otherwise might not have the time. It’s win/win.
Thanks, Teena. It’s true, so many people don’t have time or don’t like to write! It would be nice if all writers are professionals. I recommend that businesses review a ghostwriter’s sample work and talk to references before hiring!