6 Content Marketing New Year’s Resolutions To Make This Year | SMB Forum by Web.com

The new year is approaching, and it’s time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. You might generally center them around things like working out more often or eating a healthier diet, but maybe you should try setting a few New Year’s resolutions in regards to your content marketing strategy instead. Just make sure that you don’t give up on them before January is over!

To save you some time, I’ve put together a few resolutions that will make 2016 the best year your marketing has ever seen.

I Will Post on My Blog More Frequently

If you’re like many blog owners, you might find yourself slacking off on your blog posts every now and then. Even though it can be challenging to post on your blog even just once a week, you really should post at least that often if you want to keep people engaged and coming back.

Posting less often or skipping a week every now and then might not seem like a big deal, but the truth is that not being reliable about your blog posts can let down your readers and encourage them not to come back. Eventually, they’ll get tired of coming to your blog and not seeing anything new, so they’ll stop checking as frequently. One day, the same readers that you have now might stop checking altogether.

It’s tough to get in the habit of posting more often, but once you get used to it, it’ll be much like getting into the habit of working out — you’ll do it without thinking about it, and you’ll really miss it when you don’t do it.

I Won’t Wait Until the Last Minute to Come Up With Blog Post Ideas

You’re not the only one who has waited until the last minute to come up with a blog post idea. Although some last-minute content ideas can be brilliant, this often isn’t the case. If you come up with something on the fly and write it in a hurry, chances are good that it won’t be as well thought out or as engaging. Since blogs are a balance of quality and quantity, you can’t slack on the quality of your writing. Try keeping a running list of potential blog post ideas at all times so that you’ll have a good pool to draw from, or come up with a content creation calendar so that you’ll know well in advance what you’ll be writing about.

I’ll Make My Blog Posts More “Meaty”

Many New Year’s resolutions center around less meat, but it’s important to have more meat when it comes to your blog posts. Quick, short posts can be easy to throw together, and sometimes, short blog posts can be quite interesting or informative. However, short and sweet isn’t always better when it comes to your blog posts. Longer posts that contain more information can be more likely to be read and shared, particularly if you break them up with subheadings and bullet points. Make it your goal to craft blog posts that have a little more substance this coming year, and you won’t regret it.

I Won’t Slack Off On My Social Media Promotions of My Blog Posts

When you get on social media, you might be more likely to get into debates with your friends or to post silly pictures of your cat. However, you need to take the time to promote your blog posts.

Social media is perfect for promoting your blog posts. Your followers are obviously already interested in what you and your company have to offer, so they are sure to check out your blog posts if you plug them on your social media sites. Plus, people will often be more likely to click the “share” button on their social media pages if they see your posts in their newsfeeds, which means that you can expand the number of people who see your posts.

Like with your blog posts, you should consider doing a little bit of pre-planning and scheduling. Then, you can post blog post plugs on your social media pages at certain times throughout the week. Eventually, your followers might get used to you posting these posts and will look forward to them.

In addition to simply posting your blog posts, you can incorporate them into a paid campaign. In a previous post, I explain how this strategy works and the results you can create with a clever content promotion initiative.

I’ll Try to Make New Friends

This might seem like a personal New Year’s resolution, but the truth is that making new online friends can help you improve your brand’s content marketing strategy.

Contrary to what some people seem to believe, guest blogging is not dead, even after Google’s most recent algorithm changes. Posting guest blogs haphazardly on any website isn’t a good strategy for your search engine optimization, but posting guest blogs on industry websites and relevant blogs can be a good thing. Along with helping with search engine optimization, it can also help with establishing a good name and bringing in natural traffic from a well-targeted audience.

Plus, if you return the favor and let other people post guest blogs on your blog, you can take some time off from posting every now and then and can bring some refreshing content onto your site, which is always a good thing. This is also a great incentive for some of your partners or companies you’d like to be associated with. Try reaching out to them and offering them the chance to have their content published on your blog.

I’ll Recycle More

As I just mentioned, coming up with fresh content can be a chore. That’s why I am a huge proponent of recycling your content into different formats. Instead of writing a bunch of unrelated blogs, focus on putting together a blog series that follows a common thread. Then, once they’ve all been published, gather those blogs together and combine them into a handbook or guide. You can then use that guide to gather emails and contact information in exchange for the ability to download it from your website.

And don’t stop there. Blog topics can be turned into slide decks, infographics, and datasheets. Instead of creating the same types of content over and over again, branch out and try your hand at several different mediums. You’ll notice that the concept creation process gets easier and easier the more you tie it into previous pieces of content.

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