Blogging, blogging, blogging: a marketing essential for business. What happens when you hit a blogging slump?
I’m in one right now. My usual routine of blogging has stopped. I don’t have the energy, inclination, or motivation to sit down each week and develop a new post.
It’s been like this for a few weeks now. So, how do I get myself out of it?
Beating the blogging blues
As a copywriter, you would think writing blogs is second nature. To some extent, that’s true. However, occasionally, my usual well of ideas dries up, leaving me looking at a blank Word document and wondering what I’m going to say.
Usually, this state passes, and I’m back to normal. There doesn’t seem to be an end to my ideas drought this time, hence writing about it.
Generating blog ideas
OK, I’m going to cheat a bit now and revisit one of my old posts in which I identified five ways to generate new blog ideas:
1. Harness criticism
When running a business, it’s important to be self-critical and anticipate your customers’ potential criticisms before they make them. That way, you can create a blog post that counters them and shows how your product and service can be used effectively.
2. Be someone else
All business owners share a common problem: they’re too close to their business.
It’s easy to become complacent about how your products work, taking things that may not be so obvious to others for granted. Perhaps the answer is to go back to basics and write blogs that clarify the purpose of your products and services and suggest using them in ways your readers may not have thought of before.
3. Metaphors
Create titles that use metaphors – such as ‘Starting a Business is Like Childbirth’. It will help create eye-catching titles that make readers want to click and read more.
4. Drive curiosity
Don’t become too blinkered by your knowledge. Be curious and read around your subject. Learning new ideas and techniques will help strengthen your writing and, potentially, your product or service.
5. Ask your sales team
If you have a sales team, ask them what your customers are talking about: are there any recurring questions you could make into a blog topic? Your customer service team should also be able to give you a similar insight.
6. Get out
Sitting in an office, staring at a blank computer screen, is not the best way to spark creativity.
Get out and about, talk to people, and get some fresh air – a change in your environment will help trigger ideas and add a new dimension to your blogging.
Has your blogging block shifted yet?
Hopefully, after trying a few of those ideas, your writer’s block has dissolved, and you’re back on top of your game once more.
So, how do you stop it from coming back?
You could build a swipe file. No, I’m not condoning plagiarism. A swipe file is a great way to store ideas. It could contain articles that have inspired you, sales letters that have impressed you, and anecdotes from your daily work that could be developed into informative blogs or magazine/newspaper articles that you can comment on and make your own.
The main thing is not to worry when you hit a slump. You will get out of it sooner or later, and then it will be full steam ahead.
Sally Ormond, copywriter, blogger, mother, cyclist.