This is a guest post by Cassi Lowe
When you’re starting a blog, your to-do list is a mile long. Every day you learn about something new that you want to try. It could be a new Facebook advertising strategy or a tactic for pitching guest posts. It can get very overwhelming, very quickly. You feel like you’re going to miss out on something important if you don’t pay attention to these new ideas. You might also feel like you need to follow what other bloggers are doing to stay popular with readers.
The best thing you can do for yourself, and your blog, is to say NO. It’s time to stop juggling and start focusing. If you try to do everything, you’ll accomplish nothing and burn out fast in the process. You don’t need more tactics, all you need to do is focus on the areas that will bring the best results.
There are three main areas that bloggers should focus on: content creation, social media, and outreach. I’ll go into each of these next.
Content Creation
Great content is vital to your blog’s success. You have a ton of valuable information to put out into the world, and that can feel overwhelming. When you’re first starting your blog, pick one type of content creation. For most people, this is written content, but it could be video, audio, or infographics. Focus your attention on just one type of content until you’re completely comfortable with it. Start with whichever content type feels natural to you. Then, when you’re ready, add in a new one.
Resources for Further Reading:
- How to Get People to Eat Up Your Blog Posts
- 18 Tools for Better Content Creation
- Building a Great Blog
Social Media
The same advice applies to social media. Choose one social network platform at a time and become proficient with it. Do some research to find out which social network has a high concentration of your target market, and start there. You don’t need to be everywhere right from the start. Trying to keep up with every social network will lead to frustration.
Social media marketing is a slow and organic process. No need to rush it. It’s more important to start making valuable connections with potential readers than to pack your follower list with people who ignore you. Once you pick a social media platform, stick with it consistently.
Resources for Further Reading:
- Tell Your Story on Social Media Without Annoying Your Followers
- Most Bloggers Think About Social Media the Wrong Way
- Promoting Your Content with only an Hour a Day
Outreach
Finally, outreach is the method in which you connect with your peers, fellow bloggers, and others in your niche. You could also call this networking. Follow the same process as before. Where do other bloggers in your niche hang out? Maybe it is Linkedin, Facebook, or a particular forum. Join one of those platforms and start connecting. This is important because your network can lead to guest posts, joint ventures, supporting you if you have questions, etc.
Don’t skip this step. Networking with colleagues can lead to some very valuable opportunities. It will also help you continue to learn and stay accountable.
Resources for Further Reading:
- Facebook Groups for Entrepreneurs and Bloggers
- Why Other Bloggers in Your Niche are NOT Your Competition
- Pitch Yourself- Submitting to Other Sites
Create a System
Once you have chosen your one focus area for each of these three topics, create a system to follow. Plan out when you will do each task every day. This takes all of the guesswork out of your week and frees you from extra stress. Plan out when you will create content and how much time you will spend on social media and networking.
The easiest way to do this is to create a content marketing calendar. Buffer has an excellent guide for creating content calendars. Be sure to schedule every activity from the 3 sections above. With a solid (and achievable) schedule in place you won’t feel overwhelmed. It’s much easier to get more done when you know what to do ahead of time.
Idea Generation
One last area that bloggers become overwhelmed is in coming up with content ideas. By strategically choosing your one social network, you’ll learn a lot about your target market. You can see what types of questions they are asking. You’ll quickly learn what types of problems they are experiencing and what type of help they are looking for. Create content around those questions to help them solve their problems.
Another resource for finding popular blog topics is Buzzsumo. This tool shows you which articles have gained a lot of attention. You can model your own posts around similar topics. You can use this same tactic with some of your own favorite blogs. Figure out which of their posts are the most popular and write a new post on a similar topic.
With these two idea generation strategies you will never run out of ideas. Keep a running list of all of your content ideas. As soon as you see a good topic idea, jot it down. Once you’re ready to write a new post, you can go to your list and have ideas waiting for you. A great tool I use to manage my content ideas is WorkFlowy. It’s an outline tool that is super easy to use to organize notes and ideas.
Summary
To summarize, the best way to avoid overwhelm is to make narrow, strategic decisions and say no to the rest of the noise around you. The quickest, and least stressful, path to success is to consistently work on the tasks within your system.
This doesn’t mean you won’t widen your focus in the future. If you see an idea that you like and want to try out, put it in a note for future use. As you become comfortable with your system, you can start to widen it and take on more strategies. Your growth will be natural, instead of frazzled and overwhelming.
About Cassi
Cassi Lowe provides information and inspiration to aspiring online entrepreneurs. Check out her free 7-day email course to learn how to reach your goals and leave stress behind at CreatorMindset.com.
