The Lazy Blogger

There’s a saying that suggests if you want the most efficient way to do something ask a lazy person - they’ll find the shortcuts and remove time-consuming activities along the way.  This is my lazy blogger’s guide.

Firstly, are you a talker or a writer?

If you’re a talker then record your blogs as MP3s (you can do this on your phone) and have them typed up - or use voice recognition software.  Better still upload the MP3 to your blog as a pod-blog.

Remember your blog doesn’t have to be long - 300 words is enough. 

In either situation- writing or talking - the challenge is often more about what to write (talk) about - and there are many ways to generate ideas.  Here are my top five:

1: Questions clients ask - use a question as the focus and simply explain:

• Why the issue is important
• What the impact of the issue is on the client’s business
• How to solve the issue
• What the outcomes will be from fixing the problem

2: Case study - outline a client’s situation, what the problem was, how you solved it and what they said about the solution.

3: Top tips: your top tips on something relating to your business.

4: Biggest mistakes people make: something people do that you know how to fix.  Usually this kind of blog can be titled The 3 biggest mistakes business owners make’ with the subtitle ‘and how to avoid them’.  It can be 3, 5 or more (odd numbers work better than even numbers).

5: A checklist or guide: A step-by-step process through something useful for your potential clients.

Have a system

Part of the challenge is making the time so my checklist is:

• Write in batches so you get in the flow
• Allocated time in your diary to write/record once a month 
• Have your subjects planned in advance to avoid ‘blank page’ syndrome
• Bullet point each blog - for a podcast it will ensure you stay on track, for writing you’ll have a skeleton plan to work round.

If you really don’t want to record or write, get a good copywriter who will discuss your proposed blogs and write them up from your discussion.

What are your systems?

As a self-confessed left-brain control freak - I like systems and processes - they keep everything organised and make life easier.  So what systems does your business have?

Most of us have some kind of accounting system, these days that has to include online software as HMRC require tax data to be processed through a digital system.  But what’s your system for getting the data into the digital system?  Is it something you do daily, at the end of each week or month - or only when you have to?

It will depend on the volume of transactions you need to enter.  If it’s only a couple of dozen a month, once a month may be enough, but if you have lots of transactions every day, leaving it even to the end of the week, could present you with a daunting task. 

What about customer records?  Do you have a CRM system or are your records kept manually?  When I first started out in my own business I used A5 index cards.  Every time I spoke to a potential customer, I jotted down notes about our conversation on the card, that helped me to remember the customer and what they were doing and made for much friendlier conversations - which often turned into business.

If you have more than one person in your team and you’re all working directly with the same customers, a CRM system of some kind makes sense.  It ensures that the wheel isn’t being reinvented!

Systems aren’t just the software you use; they can be simple things to keep things on track and keep your desk clear.  It might be a spreadsheet planner for your social media that you update weekly or monthly.  This means that you can schedule posts ahead on days when you’re busy and never get to that last minute ‘I don’t know what to post today’ situation, which can quickly turn into ‘I haven’t posted anything for weeks’.

It could be a weekly stock check to ensure you have enough supplies, whether of saleable stock or office consumables.  Never run out of tea, coffee, milk - or you’ll have a mutiny on your hands!

Your accounting software can give you much more than just your tax return information.  How often to your review your regular bills?  Are you paying more than you need for anything?  In today’s world where prices are escalating fast, it’s good business practice to do a regular check on your outgoings and do price comparisons.

Do you have a process for price increases?  When do your prices go up - annually, in response to inflation or when you remember?  It’s a process and like all good processes, if you have the necessary bits in place, it makes life easier.  For instance, if you write to clients to advise them of forthcoming price increases, a standard email message or letter template, where you can just change the details will safe time and effort. 

Every business is different, but it’s worth examining yours and looking for where a simple system could streamline how things are done and set you free to focus on what you do best.

Research your market

Before you invest your valuable time in writing a book, it’s wise to research your market place first.  It could save you a lot of time, editing and rewrites.

These are some of the key questions that will guide your research.

Which section would you expect your book to be in a bookshop - or categories it would be listed under in an online book store?

Knowing where your book sits will make it easier to research what’s already available in the category.  It’s important to know where people will be looking, both in a bookshop (or in your local library) and also online.  This is where people will find your book when they’re looking at other books in this category and so have already established they have an interest in this subject.

Which publishers are already publishing books similar to yours?

Not all publishers publish all types of book; some specialise in business or non-fiction, others in fiction or romance.  If you plan to write a book and you are looking for a publisher, you need to pick the right one.  If they haven’t already published your type of book they will either not be interested or be hard to sell your idea to.

How recently have they brought out a book in the same category?

This is the flipside of the coin.  If a publisher has brought out a book that is a direct competitor to yours - or is planning to - you’ll find it harder to get them to publish yours alongside the existing book.  However, if you’re willing to be flexible about publishing dates, this may not be a big deal.

If you’re planning to self-publish this is less of an issue.  However, it’s worth knowing what’s in mainstream publishers’ catalogues so you’ve got an idea what you’re up against.

Which authors write books similar to yours?

Knowing your genre is really important so your book isn’t just the same as someone else’s.  People with an interest in a particular subject will buy several books on that subject, but they don’t want to read the same thing twice.  You need to have your own spin on the subject.  Knowing what’s already out there is important.

Given your intended publishing date, do you know what other books will be competing with yours?

Know your competition!  Publishers have catalogues that tell you what’s being published and when.  This can be a useful source of information to ensure you don’t launch your book at the same times as a well-known author’s next project comes out.

Which books do you admire - and why?  

What has attracted your attention?  Is it to do with the actual content or is the tone, the layout, the length, the humour or something else?  If you are self-publishing you’ll be in the driving seat when it comes to how your book looks.  If you have a layout or cover style you particularly like, it will make life much easier for your designers.  Even if you have a contract with a publishing house who will do all this for you, it’s sensible to tell your liaison about your preferences so you don’t end up with a book you hate the look of.

When it comes to content, you need to develop your own style, but we are all influenced by others, not to copy, but to guide our own efforts.  

Who will read your book?  Where do you find groups of people that fit your reader profile and how will you attract them to want to read your book?

This is important - whether you’re self-publishing or have a publishing contract.  You need to actively market your book if you want to see it gain any momentum.  If you have followers on social media that’s a great place to start, but you also need to start thinking about where your target audience hangs out - online and offline - and have thought about how you let them know about your book.

Don’t expect your publisher to do this kind of marketing - most won’t.

What is your book’s WOW factor?  

When people ask ‘what is your book about?’ describing the subject category isn’t exciting.  When you know what the WOW factor is - you can say that and they’ll be much more likely to go out and buy it.  It’s also what sets your book apart from the competition and makes you stand out from the crowd.

Make sure you craft your book’s WOW factor statement before you even think of submitting it to a publisher - it may be the deciding factor that gets you that contract!

What is your website doing for you?

I’ve seen some rubbish websites in my time - there are many still sitting around the internet.  I do wonder if they’re actually any use at all. 

If your website isn’t getting results you need to decide if it’s worth paying your hosting fee every month/year.

I’m not suggesting you dump your website, but it’s worth reviewing the analytics to see if it’s getting visits, where from and how long they stay on your pages.  Google analytics is free and will give you a good basic picture of how your website is performing.

SEO

I’m not an expert in search engine optimisation (SEO), but I do know that you need a key word or phrase that is the focus for each page.  This helps the page turn up in searches and the more content that is on the same subject the better it will perform.

This doesn’t mean your copy needs keyword stuffing - the search engine bots are smart these days and read almost the same way we do.  As long as the copy is related to the core search term, it will work.  In fact, if you stuff your copy with keywords the bots will penalise you - and the humans will find it hard to read.

Bounce rates

Your bounce rate is calculated based on how quickly people leave your site.  The quicker they go, the higher your bounce rate.

The problem is usually that they can’t see what they want, or don’t get what you’re offering and can’t be bothered working hard to find out.  

If you’ve got a high bounce rate these are my tips:

• Ensure you have a good headline above the fold (on the top where people are looking when they arrive on your site)
• Ensure the image in your banner is relevant and helps to get the message across.  Pretty pictures aren’t helpful - especially if they don’t appear to have anything to do with your products or services.
• Make your navigation easy to understand.  No quirky page titles or anything that requires the visitor to think about it.  Stick to About and Contact, not Company Profile and Get in Touch.
• Make it easy for people to find your core offerings.  So after a short (100-200 word) introduction with it’s own attention grabbing headline, provide easy links through to your top 3-4 products, categories or services.  Remember, if people have had to scroll this far, they may not want to scroll back up to the menu.
• Better still ask your web designer to have the menu ‘float’ so it stays visible as the page scrolls down.
• Check that your copy is focused on the reader and their problems, not on you and your services.  If you can get them to relate to how you can help them, they’ll stay around longer.
• Put your phone/email contact in your brand banner, top right.  Don’t make your visitor have to find the Contact page or scroll all the way to the footer (they won’t) to get in touch.

Keep up-to-date

Every couple of years, if not more often, give your website a refresh.  Website design styles change and there’s nothing worse than a website that looks ‘old’.  There’s a subliminal message that your business is out-of-date.

A smart website that’s easy to navigate says a lot about your business.