How to Start Blogging

Last week one of my clients asked me a really good question about sales conversations, and just like I did with another client's question a week or so ago, I turned my answer into a blog and sent it to my email list. 

Blogging is great for marketing for lots of reasons - keywords and SEO, repurposing content into social posts, something to email your clients etc.. But if you're new to writing, or if you don't consider yourself much of a wordsmith, then you probably find that you don't really know what to write.

When I had my bookkeeping business, and everyone was going on about blogs, blogs, blogs, yadayadaya… I thought to myself, “I’m a bookkeeper, what on earth could I possibly write about that’s not going to bore my clients and send them straight to the unsubscribe button”.

But turns out, I got sh*t to say.

And I guarantee that you do too.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

As I have demonstrated for you, a good place to start is by taking those questions that you get asked by your clients, and turning them into blog posts.

Think about the frequently asked questions that you get all the time. Those ones that you just rattle off an answer off the top of your head. That's a blog right there.

You often end up writing them an email response anyway, so it's already almost written. Easy from there to copy into your blog, tweak slightly to make it relevant for a wider audience, and add an image or three (search free stock photography to find sites where you can get images for free - Pexels and Unsplash are a couple that I use)

Another place to look for inspiration is your Facebook and other social media posts, or your comments on other people's posts.

For example, THIS blog post stems from a post I wrote in my private Facebook group for the From Bookkeeper to Business Owner members.

Think about your clients and what they need to know. Talk to them in your blog. What you write doesn’t have to be just about bookkeeping, your clients are business owners; what do they need to know about business that you can teach them?

For me this meant that my blog topics didn't have to be limited to the latest in IRD news, but could also range into topics such as HR, time management, the benefits of sharing your workspace, etc.

Basically anything that I, as a small business owner, was interested in, was also something that my clients would possibly be interested in.

Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash

For my bookkeeper and accountant clients I recommend BOMA for a great tool to help you to be consistent with your marketing. You have ready access to a great library of articles for social and email marketing, and it makes the whole process very easy.

You're also welcome to share any of my blog posts if you think they're relevant for your audience.

But other people's content doesn't go onto your website, and so it doesn't help with your SEO, which helps your website get found.

And it doesn't give you a voice. And I believe that your voice is important. You've got sh*t to say too.

So, I challenge you to write your own blogs. Start with one a month.

The next time you find yourself answering an email query, copy and paste it into your blog. When you've done that, let me know. I'll read it, I promise.

The challenge is on. Who's up for it?

FREE GUIDE: Blogging for Bookkeepers 

In 2020 I ran a blogging challenge in The Business of Bookkeeping Facebook group and as a result of that I ended up writing a free resource for bookkeepers who are interested in starting a blog, but have a bunch of questions about what to write and where to start. 

You can download that free guide here.