Good Morning,
Tim sent me some files to edit yesterday, and mentioned he’s having a hard time committing to writing every day. Maybe the advice I gave him will help you, too.
The writing Tim is doing gives him content for articles, an e-zine and blog posts. It seems to me that all this work is a lot like a vegetable garden.
There’s a lot of work in the beginning to break up the soil, mix in some fertilizer and get ready for planting.
Developing the habit of writing, finding places to collect ideas, and putting together the blog, and e-zine and finding article banks – that’s a lot of work, too.
Then after the garden is planted, you still have to keep it watered and pull the weeds. You also get to lean on the fence and admire the sprouting plants with your neighbours. Maybe even sip a cold beer while you imagine the harvest to come.
Tim’s getting close to this point. The weed pulling in writing is called editing – that’s what I do for Tim. I edit, answer questions, and chivvy him along in his writing.
As soon as you start putting articles, blog posts and other content out “there” – into the internet – people notice. Even if you do nothing to PUSH your content – no PPC or other traffic generation – people are going to notice what you’re doing. Just like people notice your veggie patch when they walk past your house – even when it’s in the backyard!
Then as summer moves along, you start to pick a few veggies and enjoy some of the fruits of your labour.
Writing is the same way. The benefits accumulate over time. As the you instill the habit in yourself, and your writing improves, more people notice.
More of your articles get picked up, more folks hear about your blog and visit.
By the time you have firmly entrenched the habit of daily writing, you’ll also notice traffic increasing at your site and more inquiries coming in.
Now here’s the important part: This works for EVERY business.
It works for hairdressers, accountants, carpenters, landscapers – everyone. When you give people useful information without trying to sell anything, you are proving your desire to help them succeed. That translates into trust. It means they are willing to give you their attention.
When they do see a “selling message” from you they will be willing to listen.
It takes time to enjoy the bounty from your vegetable garden. In time, your daily writing will become the words in your customers’ mouths.
Conrad