How to Start a Blog: 7 Steps BEFORE You Blog

I hear it all the time:  smart professionals, who are great at what they do, don’t know how to start a business blog, and probably wouldn’t have time to blog even if they did start one.

Last fall Kris and I spent some time interviewing clients. We really wanted to know how we could best be of service.

What we learned is that while business continues to improve for our clients, and many are having tremendous success with their blogs, others had let their blog lag.  Sure, they had started blogging with great gusto – they put in a lot of time – but somewhere along the line got stuck, and never went back.

I hope this never happens to you. But if it does, or if you are considering starting a blog, please allow me to share this story…

Several years ago, I took up needle work, you know, cross-stitching designs on canvas with yarn. One day as I was completing a big canvas, I was listening to a motivational speaker.

All of a sudden, I heard these words:

“Most people just start doing things without reading the instruction manual.”

Loud and clear. I looked down at my needle work and like a shock, it hit me. I’d been doing them all backwards.

Sure enough, a quick reference back to the user manual clearly showed that I was inserting the needle backwards, and not producing the right effect. I put down my work and never went back to that hobby ever again.

My point is that I see many professionals who are pretty smart at what they do, but they start blogging without reading any instructions at all. Later, when they get stuck, they complain about not having “enough time” to blog.

But the real reason lies in never having started correctly in the first place. Without clarity in the beginning, you risk “doing it backwards.” After a while, you lose steam, it becomes too difficult to find the time, ideas, or energy.

Another blog gets abandoned, and another professional scratches their head wondering what else to do for marketing. They ask me “Can’t I just use Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?”

Well, no. Your blog is the center, the hub, where you communicate your message, where you showcase your expertise, brand yourself and get found, and where you start having conversations with people.

I suggest you go back to square one and think things through. I’ve created a worksheet to help you, The First 7 Steps BEFORE You Create Your Blog. I think this might be helpful, even if you’ve already started your blog.  I invite you to check it out:

Download 7 Steps BEFORE You Blog by Patsi Krakoff

What do you think?  Are you one of the few who read the instructions first? Need help with your blog? Kris and I are here for you, let us know.