Stephen R Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People first published in 1989, is one of the most influential business books ever written.
The Seven habits present a “principle-centred approach to personal and business problems.” What can the seven habits tell us about keeping a successful business blog? and just how do you write a business blog?
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Identify what’s affecting your customers/clients/blog readers, and your business. Be a thought leader – share your ideas, comments and suggestions. If you find yourself at a loss as to how to deal with something impacting your sector, be willing to share that and seek ideas. People like to share their knowledge, and as the old saying goes, no-one is as knowledgeable as everyone.
Habit 2: Begin With The End in Mind
All things are created twice: in the imagination, then in the execution. Great business blogs don’t just happen; they are the result of careful and considered planning. Who is your blog for? What makes your business blog a must-read? What’s in it for your readers? What’s in it for your business? What does success look like?
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Without a clear strategy it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the requirements of regular blog posting. It can be tempting to post anything for the sake of posting something. This disrespects your readers, and risks destroying their engagement with your business. A content strategy will keep your priorities clear, and keep your blog posts on message.
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
We have all become sophisticated consumers, who DETEST being “sold to”. We can spot an “infomercial” a mile off. Yet we need to make informed choices, so we need information that is useful to us. Consider what your customers seek to understand, solve their problems, and they will love your blog and your business.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then be Understood
Arguably the most valuable part of any business blog is the comments section. By taking the time to listen to readers’ responses to posts, you gain insight more valuable than teams of business consultants could provide. Be willing continuously to adjust your content strategy to take account of this feedback.
Habit 6: Synergise
A successful blog is a demanding beast. Just keeping up can be exhaustive of time and ideas. Anticipate this and turn it into an advantage: guest posts, building a team of blog writers within your business, or purchasing content from a quality article writing service are great ways to get new ideas and keep your content fresh and engaging.
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
In possibly the best book for writers ever written, prolific writer Stephen King said “Your job isn’t to find ideas, but to recognise them as they come along.” The best way to write engagingly is to read widely and curiously, and share the ideas that spring to mind.
Subscribe to Twitter and RSS feeds in your business arena, they will keep you informed and sharpen your idea-saw.
Were these tips helpful? For some other takes on the seven habits of successful blogging, check out this post. Please share your own tips for successful business blogging in the comments.