Do you have a business plan for your blog? I didn’t for a long time, but I realized that without a business plan my blog was never going to become a business. Today’s guest poster is Kayleigh Hannon from Let’s Talk Lady Biz. As a marketing and business expert, Kayleigh is the perfect person to share tips on WHY you need a business plan for your blog and HOW a business plan can help you grow your blog strategically. Check out her advice, and don’t miss her free ecourse, 10 Days to Your Version of Success.
Online business owners tend to think a business plan doesn’t apply to them.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you don’t need to write a typical, corporate-y business plan. I want you to think of it as a roadmap for your business, where you set goals, figure out how to reach them and implement strategies that get you the most results. Sounds like it applies to you now, right?
I remember creating a business plan for a client back in college and we had to follow distinct guidelines - include an executive summary, research articles on why your business is needed and write a page to go along with each article.
It was a total snoozefest and something that would be pitched to investors, which wasn’t what the client was looking to do. The client obviously never read the 60+ page business plan we created for him. Why? Because he didn’t have a “typical” business. He was an entrepreneur with a startup solely based online.
One thing he did on his website was blog. Now, in college, blogging was never talked about. Crazy, right? I don’t think people outside of the blogging world realize how powerful blogging can be for a business. Blogging can totally transform a business if used the right way. I know you’re probably thinking, “Of course I blog the right way! I stick to a schedule, create content upgrades and provide helpful content.” And those are all great things to do to grow your blog!
But, when you create a business plan, you dive deeper into the “why” behind each post, have clear goals for your content and strategize how to grow your business through your blog.
Have a clear “why” for your blog
Your business plan helps you identify the true “why” behind everything you create. What’s the purpose behind your blog? I know you want to create content for your audience and it’s great for SEO purposes, but what’s the real purpose of your blog?
Mine is to educate and empower women to build a life and business that flow effortlessly together. Before I write a post, I ask myself if it fulfills that purpose. If the answer is “absolutely!” the post gets written. If it’s more of an “ehh, it somewhat fulfills my purpose,” I focus on turning it into something that better suits my audience or move on to the next blog post topic.
Create goals for your blog
Instead of posting the first topic that comes to mind, create a set of goals you want to accomplish with each post. One of your goals may be to help your audience get results from your free content (blog posts, content upgrades) so they trust you enough to buy your paid products.
Just from this one goal, you’re guiding the topic of each post to better suit your audience.
Promote your blog
When you create your business plan, you’re going to research the best ways to reach your audience. Figure out where their party is and put yourself on the invite list - no shame! Test, tweak and strategize how to promote your blog until you find your groove.
Create a promotional strategy for your blog and stick to it so you can see what’s working, what needs improvement and what isn’t for you. Testing what times are getting the most favorites, re-pins or likes helps you figure out when your audience is online and when they’re the most active, so you can promote your posts accordingly.
You may send out a newsletter each week linking to your blog post but haven’t been getting a ton of traffic. Your business plan may help you realize that when you send out your newsletter on Monday instead of Tuesday, your audience is less likely to click the link or even read your email because they’re so busy and swamped with other emails on Mondays.
If you want to use your blog to grow your business, start by defining success on your own terms with my free email course, 10 Days To Your Version Of Success. You’ll figure out your why, how to reach your audience using platforms you love and how to incorporate more “you” into all of your content.
About Kayleigh
Kayleigh is a Marketing & Business Strategist helping savvy small business owners build purpose filled businesses. She believes that by staying true to your authentic self, you can build a life and business that flow effortlessly together.
You can connect with Kayleigh in her Facebook group, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.
Hi Kayleigh,
Great advice!
I agree that having a blog without a business plan, or any plan in general, isn’t going to do you much good. Unless you just want it for personal reasons. I found that since having a clearer vision with my blog, I have seen more traffic and more progress.
Thanks for sharing!
Melanie
I totally agree Melanie! I had a blog previously with no plan, and it was pretty obvious that I had no plan. 🙂 I wrote about all sorts of unrelated topics and once I hit a certain level, my blog just never grew any more. I think business planning is one of the most important, but perhaps most underrated growth strategies for bloggers!