Do you ever feel like you’re going through the motions with your blog? You churn out posts because you know you should, but you‘re not really sure what you’re hoping to achieve or what the articles are doing for your business.

If so, you're not alone!

In this article, I’ll explain why blogging like this is ineffective and a huge waste of your precious time. But, I’m not mean, so I’ll also share how to get the most out of your content creation time and make each post count.

Are you wasting your time?

As small business owners, we wear all the hats; we have to do customer service, product creation or service delivery, accounting, admin, marketing, and sales. We’re doing the jobs done by multiple people, or even multiple teams, in bigger businesses - and this all takes up a lot of time. Though, I don’t need to tell you that!

If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to spend every waking minute working, so it’s important to be mindful about how you spend your working time. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got a long way to go with this myself and am the queen procrastinator at times, but by making sure each piece of content I create is designed to get me specific results I can rest assured the time spent creating it is well spent.

Plus, what’s the point in spending time creating blog posts that aren’t serving a purpose?

How to stop wasting your time by creating inefficient blogs

Thankfully there’s an incredibly straightforward solution to this: set clear objectives for each blog post you create.

Think of your blog as a powerful marketing tool, not just a place to vent, share random thoughts or write aimlessly about what you do. By thinking about what you want to achieve and defining goals for each individual post, you ensure every piece of content you create has a specific purpose and contributes to your overall marketing strategy.

It's the difference between shouting aimlessly into the void and talking directly to your target audience.

Here’s how to get started:

Define your overall marketing goals

What do you want to achieve from your marketing at the moment ? Increased brand awareness? Driving sales? Generating leads? Having these goals in mind will guide you when setting objectives for individual posts.

For instance, if your overall goal is to increase brand awareness for your yoga studio, your blog objectives might focus on establishing yourself as a yoga expert. You could write posts about different yoga styles, the benefits of yoga for beginners, or interview local yoga instructors.

I revisit this with my clients each month when creating their content plan, which allows me to tailor their content for that month to what they want to achieve.

Know who you’re speaking to

I feel like a broken record repeating this all of the time but it’s incredibly important you know who you want reading your blogs. Effective content marketing reaches the right people with the right message.

Setting objectives for each individual blog post that you create helps you to tailor your content to your readers’ needs and interests. Is this article geared towards new customers who are just starting their buying journey? Or are you aiming to engage existing customers who are looking for advanced product usage tips? Knowing your target audience fosters stronger connections and conversions.

For example, let's say you're a financial advisor. New clients might be interested in a post outlining the basics of investing, while existing clients might benefit more from an article about advanced investment strategies. By understanding your audience and their needs at each stage, you can create content that speaks directly to them.

Keep your objectives in mind while writing

Once you’ve set your objectives don’t forget about them! Refer back to them throughout the writing process to ensure every element of your content (sentences, images, calls to action) is aligned with your goals. Think about what you’re writing about, the tone of voice you’re using, the images you choose to go with the blog and, crucially, the calls to action you include.

Imagine you're writing a blog post about the environmental impact of traditional cleaning products. Your objective might be to educate readers about the issue and encourage them to switch to eco-friendly alternatives. Keeping this objective in mind, you'd use statistics and facts to highlight the environmental damage caused by harsh chemicals. You'd also include clear calls to action, encouraging readers to learn more about your organic cleaning products or download a free guide on "Going Green with Your Cleaning Routine."

Keeping your objectives in mind also helps you ensure you stay on topic and avoid waffling. Something we’re all guilty of from time to time!

Decide what success will look like

Without knowing what you want to achieve, how do you know if you’ve been successful? Setting objectives for your blog posts provides you with the opportunity to track real progress.

When you set your objectives think about how you will quantify whether you’ve achieved it. This could be a desired number of qualified leads, website conversions, or email signups? Ideally use SMART objectives if possible as they’re the most effective way to set goals. Here’s a reminder of how in case you need it:

• Specific: Don't just say "get more traffic." Aim for a specific number of website visitors or a targeted increase in traffic from a particular demographic.

• Measurable: How will you know if you've achieved your objective? Define clear metrics to track your progress, such as website traffic, lead generation forms completed, or social media engagement.

• Attainable: Don't set yourself up for failure with unrealistic goals. Be ambitious, but ensure your objectives are achievable within the scope of your resources and content strategy.

• Relevant: Make sure your objectives align with your overall blogging goals and target audience.

• Time-bound: Set a timeframe for achieving each objective. This creates a sense of urgency and helps you track progress over time.

Analyzing these metrics allows you to refine your content strategy for even better results, by understanding what works and what doesn’t.

If you’d like help creating a strategy for your blogs that will make your marketing more effective (and easier to do consistently!) then click here to send me an email.