How to Blog Consistently to Attract Your Dream Clients
Blogging is an extremely powerful marketing tool for wedding photographers, when done correctly.
We’ve covered why you should blog – 3 Reasons Why Wedding Photographers Need to Blog.
We’ve covered what you should blog – What to Blog to Attract Your Dream Clients.
Now it’s time to put the final pieces together and cover how to blog consistently.
Blogging Consistently
Blogging as a marketing strategy is all about consistency. To blog successfully, you should post at the same time on the same days.
The frequency depends on how much time and effort you can dedicate to blogging. As you determine your frequency, keep in mind that consistency is key.
I recommend blogging at least twice a month; any slower and you won’t see much (if any) SEO benefit. If possible, try to blog at least once a week. The more content you can create, the better for SEO and increasing traffic to your website. Many professional content creators post content at least twice a week. That being said, it’s better to start slow and steady than rush into it and not be able to keep up. You can always increase your frequency later!
Insider tip – If blogging too frequently is creating stress for you and your business, it’s not worth it. I’m a strong believer that whatever marketing strategy you choose should be enjoyable! (That’s why my social media marketing for Peach and Pine Designs is almost non-existent …it’s just not something I enjoy doing.) Do what you love!
Choosing which day(s) of the week to publish your blog posts is more of a personal preference, but I recommend you consider a couple of different factors:
If you want to enable commenting or closely monitor your new blog posts, what day will be easiest to keep a close eye on them? Consider your photography, editing, and home-life schedules.
What day fits well with other marketing strategies you utilize?
If you plan to post on social media about new blog posts you may want to schedule publishing on a day that fits your post schedule.
If you use email marketing, consider if you want to introduce new blog posts in your emails. I do recommend this, as it gets your followers onto your website.
If you set your blog posts to send email reminders when they go live, consider:
What day your followers receive less emails and will be more likely to read it. (For example, I find that my Mondays and Fridays tend to get a lot of emails).
What time your followers would appreciate receiving an email. Do you think your readers are “aggressive deleters” first thing in the morning and purge their inboxes? If so, scheduling it to send later in the morning or early afternoon may be a good strategy.
Bonus tip - if you’re not sure when your followers would prefer emails or blog reminders, poll your followers on social media or through your email marketing!
How to Blog Consistently
I know dedicating yourself to an ongoing marketing task for the foreseeable future can be daunting, so I wanted to share my secrets to make consistent blogging easier.
Keep an “Ideas” List
Keep a list or document of “blog post ideas” and make sure it is easily accessible. If possible, keep it handy on your phone as well. Any time you think of a potential blog post topic, add it to the list. This greatly reduces your chance of writer's block when it’s time to start drafting your posts!
Listen to Your Clients & Audience
Pay attention to what you hear your clients and audience say:
What do they search for when planning their wedding?
What do they struggle with?
What fears or concerns do they have?
What are they excited about?
What choices do they struggle with or debate between?
These are all potential Client Content blog posts — add them to your ideas list! (Not sure what a Client Content post is? Check it out: What to Blog to Attract Your Dream Clients.) Remember - anything your client searches for is potential blog content for you (if it’s relevant to you and your business – be careful not to wade too far into the weeds).
Try Batch Blogging
When it comes to writing blog posts, I recommend “batch blogging.” Batch blogging is when you write and schedule a group of blog posts all at once. This has been a huge stress reliever and time saver for my business.
Why do I recommend batch blogging?
It’s helpful and way more productive to dedicate a large period of time to one task rather than many tasks in that same time frame.
By creating all of your content ahead of time you reduce the risk of inconsistent blogging.
Your marketing is accounted for in case of emergency, sickness, or (spontaneous!) vacation/travel.
You can plan ahead and write content relevant to upcoming events, seasons, promotions, and holidays.
You can write “themed” content that focuses on a specific topic or idea.
Step 1 - Determine Your Time Frame
When you batch blog, you write all the posts for a specific time frame. Decide if you want to write all the posts for a 1-month, 2-month, or quarterly period. What works best for you and your business and will cause the least amount of stress?
I recommend completing and scheduling all of the blog posts 3-4 weeks before they’re scheduled to go live. Here are two examples of how I would do this:
Monthly: If I want 4 blog posts to go live in June (one per week), I will begin drafting the posts in April and have them complete and scheduled in early May.
Quarterly: If I want 12 blog posts to go live in Q4 (October - December), I will write the posts in August and have them complete and scheduled in early September. (If writing that many blog posts at once is overwhelming, consider using a month-by-month schedule instead!)
Step 2 - Determine Your Content
Once you’ve decided your time period, determine what blog posts you will write for the upcoming cycle.
This is where your compiled list comes in handy! Go through and select blog posts that you’re excited to write about. This shouldn’t be a chore - if you don’t want to write about a topic, then don’t! If desired, look for patterns and do a topic series (like this 3-part series on blogging!). Think about holidays, seasons, or events coming up in your next time frame – are there any topics you can tie into those events that will help draw in couples and create a warm market for any promotions you will launch?
Once you’ve selected your topics, pull out your marketing calendar and assign each blog post to a specific date.
Step 3 - Schedule Time to Write
Estimate the amount of time it will take you to draft those blog posts and schedule time to begin writing. As much as possible, try to dedicate a few large chunks of time rather than 20-30 minutes each day.
Step 4 - Begin Writing!
On your first scheduled day, begin drafting! Let your creative juices flow and start getting words on the page. Do not write your blog posts within your blogging platform. We want to let the text dictate the design, and not the other way around. I recommend using Google Drive or your system documents software (Word or Pages) to draft all of your blog posts.
Don’t worry about any editing just yet. This is a rough draft (emphasis on the rough). Draft out as many blog posts as you can during your scheduled time. If you get fatigued, take a break.
Now, I know a lot of individuals say you should always start by sketching a rough outline for your post. If this works for you, go for it! I’ve found that it’s easier for me to just jump in and let it flow where it goes. Consider your own writing style and preferences and do what’s best for you.
As you write, do your best to avoid large chunks of text. Instead, use headings and line breaks to break it up and make it easier to skim. Use bulleted lists when possible to provide different visuals that catch the eye. Utilize bold, underlined, and italicized words as well!
Once all of your posts are drafted, let them sit for a few days. Remember, they don’t need to be pretty at this stage.
Step 5 - Edit Your Drafts
When a few days have passed, begin editing your blog posts, one at a time. If you can, print them and read them out loud from the physical paper you hold … I know it sounds crazy, but you’ll pick up on so many more errors this way.
Trim any unnecessary information, and check for grammatical errors (Grammarly is your friend!). If possible, have a few peers/friends/family read through the posts as well. Extra eyes are always helpful!
Lastly, start annotating what photographs you want to include. Placing photographs in line-break areas are a great way to further break up the text on your blog page.
Step 5 - Upload & Format within your Blog Platform
Once you’re satisfied with the drafts, upload them into your blog platform (this should be on your main website).
**Make sure your posts are in “draft” mode and not set to automatically post!**
As you format each post, let the text (copy) dictate the design. As I mentioned earlier, place photographs in line-break areas to further reduce blocks of text.
If you have Pinterest pinning enabled through your website platform, make sure to upload your cover photo for each post. I recommend placing the pin graphic at the top of your post (see my posts for an example!).
Step 6 - Schedule Your Posts
When you’re done formatting the post, let the blog drafts sit for a day or two and then give them one more once-over. Once again, extra eyes are always helpful. Once you’re happy, schedule each blog to post on its designated launch day.
Viola! You’ve successfully written and scheduled a chunk of your blog posts! Congratulations!
keep reading… ⬇️
Now that you have all of the pieces to blogging – the why, what, & how/when – I can’t wait to see how you get started on your blogging journey! Please send me a message and tell me all how you’re going to use what you’ve learned.
If you’re ready to elevate your entire website to the next level of success, learn more about my Peach and Pine Experience, a comprehensive copywriting and web design project to help wedding photographers reach their dreams.
If you have any questions or ideas for another blog topic let me know!
As always, I’m cheering for you!
~Kylee
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