Get into the writing habit

You’ve seen it before: the new website goes up, and the company owner begins with a bold stride, writing an article every week. Then he’s writing every month, and before you know it, a year has lapsed since anything has been written.

Good habits are hard to form, and whether it’s jogging or writing a blog, it’s sometimes like pulling teeth to motivate yourself to keep at it. And of course, you have to write helpful and interesting stuff, not what you ate this morning. Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with something to say. My dad, who taught college English for forty years, said that instead of staring at a blank piece of paper, write something — anything, even the word “anything.”

Soon the words will flow like a river. And when you get into the habit of posting something every week, you’ll find yourself coming up with an idea while you’re brushing your teeth, or even walking the dog. You must have some expertise to offer others. After all, you know more about your business that your customers, right? Regular postings about the products or services of your website will attract the search engines. That’s called search engine optimization (SEO). Even potential customers will get used to your schedule and look forward to your next post. If you don’t have a gift for writing, hire a professional.

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.  ~Anaïs Nin