“Use it or lose it!”
It’s a statement that can be applied to many aspects of life – not the least of which is building an online business.
I discovered this the hard way recently with one of my email lists – in fact the newsletter associated with this very blog here at ProBlogger.
Over two years ago I was sending out weekly newsletters to readers of this blog. They contained updates from the site, a few extra tips exclusive for subscribers, the odd competition, the occasional promotion and a bit of behind the scenes information on what I was doing.
The emails were converting well in terms of driving traffic and building community with readers and they even drove some affiliate sales from time to time. It was something well worth doing…..
But then I stopped.
I can’t really put my finger on why I stopped (it was a gradual thing and something I intended to get back to ) – perhaps it was because I started doing some of what I’d been doing in newsletters on Twitter, perhaps it was because I was simply getting too busy, or perhaps I was just getting lazy…. for whatever reason – I stopped sending weekly newsletters. In fact they slowed down to a point where I was lucky if I were sending them out every six months.
The problem is – six months is too long to go between newsletters. If you don’t use it – you lose it.
Six months without contact with subscribers is not a great way to build brand, trust, relationship, familiarity – it means that when you do send something it’s less likely to be read.
People forget they subscribed, people are more likely to view you with suspicion, people could feel slighted.
Some might call it letting your list go ‘cold‘ – I call it a big mistake.
It meant that when I recently restarted my newsletter that a large percentage of those who had subscribed were inactive, unresponsive and a few were quite angry about me emailing them because they had little idea why I was sending them emails out of the blue!
The same principle applies in other places too.
- Blogging/RSS Feeds – I recently spoke with a blogger who decided to take 12 months off blogging – he returned expecting traffic and reader engagement to pick up where he left off – he was surprised to find that while Feedburner still reported him as having subscribers that it was like starting again in building traffic.
- Social Media – people often describe using social media as developing a ‘presence’. Problem is – when you’re not actually ‘present’ for any length of time that ‘presence’ is hard to build. Whether it be on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn – when you let your account become inactive – in time the relationships that you have with those that you’ve previously connected with can go ‘cold’.
I guess it’s pretty much the same as real life – when you disappear unexpectedly from a circle of friends it can be a little awkward coming back to them – it sometimes takes time for the friendships to ‘warm up’ again.
5 Lessons to Help You Keep ‘Using It’ – Not ‘Losing It’
A few quick tips on keeping thing going – whether it be your blog, newsletter, Twitter account etc.
1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew
The temptation in this game is to commit to being active in too many places at once. Newsletters, Twitter, Blog, Facebook, Forums, LinkedIn…. and when you have more than one blog – multiply the accounts that you might potentially have!
In most cases it is better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly.
2. Regularity is more important than High Frequency
When asked ‘how much should I post on my blog’ I generally answer with ‘regularly’ and with ‘regularity’.
In my experience the actual frequency of posting doesn’t tend to matter as much as the ‘regularity’ of your posts. Bloggers tend to get into trouble when they move from posting at one level and then changing their frequency. Going from 3 posts a week to 5 posts a day is going to aggravate some of your readers. Going from 5 posts a day to once a month is also going to have a detrimental impact.
Post as regularly as you are able to sustain and try to develop a pattern to it so that readers know what to expect.
3. Under Promise and Over Deliver
If you’re not sure how much of something you’re able to sustain – pull back not he promises you make.
If you’re starting an email newsletter and you ‘hope’ to make it weekly but wonder if you can keep that up – advertise it as being ‘at least every month’ or every second week.
I guess it’s about identifying what the minimum is that you need to do to keep your list/blog/social media presence ‘warm’ and at least sticking to that as a minimum rather than attempting to do more than you can realistically do.
4. Build a Schedule
I used to be very impulsive in my online business. These days I’m much more reliant upon schedules. I set myself deadlines for blog posts, newsletters, forum interaction, social media interactions…. and more.
I still don’t achieve them all but without a schedule areas of what I do would fall dormant very quickly.
5. Have Someone (or Something) Manage You
Extending the schedule strategy is that I like to be ‘managed’ by someone or something.
This means that I have people around me who ‘remind’ (or tell) me when I need to do certain things.
‘Darren you need to get a newsletter out today’ is something I heard last Thursday from one of the people involved in my photography site.
‘Darren here are 3 threads you need to respond to in the forum’ is something that Lara told me earlier today (we use Basecamp to send these type of reminders/to do tasks).
I also set up systems for these type of alerts.
I use iCal on my mac and iPhone to set up alerts at certain intervals to remind/tell me to do certain tasks. These range from monthly alerts to pay affiliates, to weekly alerts to send newsletters, to daily alerts to have certain articles written by.
I do have some internal alerts too – by this I mean that I know before I go to bed each night that I need to have 3 posts set to go off on my blogs while I sleep. I don’t need to set myself an alert for these because its just what I do each day – they’ve become automatic internalized rhythms.
What do You Do?
How do you keep your blogging and other activities regular so that you don’t let things go cold? Looking forward to reading some of how you approach this.
Hey Darren,
Nice post, as always! ;) Your honesty and reflection are refreshing.
One point to expand on is the issue of content. It seems pointless to have a clockwork regular newsletter barebones of just full of advertising crap.
The key here is to have a strategy, as I always advise clients. Know who your audience is and what you’re trying to achieve with the newsletter. It’s not just a matter of regurgitating blog posts. You want unique value ad that can’t be found elsewhere.
Personally, I think a newsletter is harder than blogging. You need to plan ahead and yet keep the content exciting and fresh. That’s harder to do when you might be developing content over a couple of weeks.
But a sound strategy can help deal with that and other issues.
I’m agree Darren, high frequency isn’t always important. I prefer a blogger who writes a great post every 5 days than another who writes bad post every day.
I suppose that one must always be consistent. Very good point!
Great tips man.
It’s difficult to keep up with blogging, most people lose interesting and find they don’t think it’s really possible to make money with blogs anymore. At that point they let their blogs run dry of content for months, killing their readership and any hopes of actually making money with their blogs
“Use it or lose it!” Totally correct and i also like the point about regularity and frequency of blog posting.
Lots of beneficial points in this article.
I was ‘biting off more than I could chew’ in terms of social media. I was spreading myself too thinly everywhere last year…and simply couldnt keep up. It all got painful and tiring. So now, i’m keeping it to a few avenues and building up slowly.
Thanks for the this post Darren.
I know what you mean about the newsletter subscribers. I had a good newsletter going, but stopped for a couple of months, and my open rates really tanked when I started back up. I’m still trying to get my open rates back up to where they were before.
I try to put out a blog everyday. I publish it at 12:01 every evening – that way it’s ready for morning reading. The biggest amount of traffic to my blog comes in the morning.
Thanks for this! It’s very important for bloggers to remember that regularity, as in life ;) is also the key in blogging.
You definitely need a schedule when it
comes to blogging because it is very
easy to get distracted from what you are
doing.
I have developed a nice routine of what
I do on a daily basis, so I don’t get caught
up with doing things that are not worth my
time
When I was building a new website, I went from post dayly to post once every 10 days, and my stats descended by 68% in a week.
I write a sports blog, so there is always stuff happening all the time during the season. I try to write a post once a day, twice if I can. What keeps me going is the idea that I will lose readers if I don’t comment or report on an event. If nothing is going on or it’s the off-season, I think about topics to write about as I go about my day.
I choose to use it :D
I try to do series every now and again set them up and post them in a realistic manner.
Also I have a regular Friday post that keeps things going.
Daren,
Thank you very much for your advices. I have just started putting all of my blogs online and I just bought myself a domain today and I am ready to get any advices from experts like yourself.
This is great tutorial on how to write regularly.
Thank you
It’s important to post something on a regular basis and keep to that. What I also think is something to look at is involving your readers in your writings. Asking them what they feel is best. What they want.
They will like it when you post on a regular basis, sure. But when you ask them how they feel and involve them in your decision as such, it gives much more power to them and shows them so much more about your blog and who you are as well as how you feel about them and your relationship.
Keep your readers involved regardless of what you do and you’ll go much further, also making sure you’re completely and one hundred percent honest with them.
Great post, Darren! :)
Very good points indeed and I especially liked the first idea because many times while surfing and searching the net you would find some blogs lacking consistency or actually biting about the bushes, incoherent and talking about everything and nothing.
Focusing over the topics you have the knowledge and would indeed love to write about is the key to success as after a while such maintained blog would be receiving targeted traffic on the net.
I feed it 3 tps of fiber and wheat germ a day to keep it “regular” and balanced.
I got problem when trying to make blogging activities regular and I found that your point is so relevant. I’m looking to make a blogging schedule for myself. Thanks a lot!
The excitement of starting a new blog is infectious and one’s creative juices start to conjure up other blogs to develop in conjunction with the first. Before long, it’s easy to find yourself with more than you can handle effectively. I so appreciated this article Darren, and identified personally with each problem.
Regularity is the MOST IMPORTANT AND VITAL FACTOR.
If you will be able to manage it than success will start following you.
I have realized this point 1 week ago.I have decided to post 5 posts a week.
Advice of the decade: “In most cases it is better to do a few things well than to do many things poorly.”
This article is, in my opinion, what separates Darren Rowse from (as far as I can tell) every other blogger in this field: He doesn’t try to come across as walking on water! He isn’t afraid to say, this is where I slipped….. so watch out!
Great post, great reminders – thanks!
Your post came at a most opportune time. I’ve been writing my gluten free blog for four years. I’d very much like to increase my gluten free presence on the internet and be considered one of the most reliable go-to gluten free blogs for those looking for gluten free information (how many times can you write gluten free in one post??!!!).
I wonder if your advice applies, no matter what type of blog. In my case, how much is enough or how much is too much when it comes to posting about gluten free recipes, gluten free cooking and adhering to a gluten free diet? I don’t know the answer and would pose it to your readers. Just exactly how much regularity is appropriate to maintain and even build my subscribers? To build my brand?
Thank you Darren. Your Problogger blog is certainly my reliable go-to blog for information on improving my blogging skills.
Best, Ellen
Great Post! We are redeveloping one of our websites http://ceilingfan.org/ into a blog right now and reading this article helps me start off on the right foot with the blog. We are also updating our other blog http://www.bloglighting.com/ which really has been updated in the past year. That blog kinda applies to your “use it or lose it” title. But our plan this year is it to have scheduled blogs on both sites and keep them up to date.
Thanks again :)
Melissa
Perfect timing. I was just chatting with a blogger friend about feeling overwhelmed. This post is just what I needed. I appreicated everyone’s comments. Nice to learn some new tips to reorganize my BRAIN!
Good tips. I would also add that linking your accounts together is a great way to save time & keep current. I have my blog linked to my Facebook which is linked to my Twitter which is linked to my LinkedIn so when I post a new blog it is automatically posted on Facebook,Twitter & LinkedIn. =)
Thanks for such a transparent post Darren, this really helped me understand a few of the issues I’ve been dealing with. Keep up the great work.
I’m one of those people who, once they make a commitment they stick to it. I’ve promised readers 3 posts a week and that’s what I deliver. But the cost can be high. It can be stressful.
Beyond being stickler on delivering what I promise, I also have a blogging partner. We’re both travel bloggers and we help each other stay on track. We brainstorm ideas and answer questions because, after all, we’re travel people first – not bloggers. Any blogger can get a partner at the Global Bloggers Network.
Great post as usual. Darren!
What I would like to see you make a future post about – is blogs on hiatus. Making sure you leave with notice instead of abandon.
I have recently come across many abandoned blogs. Often the info is valuable and it would be nice to have an official ending or a statement announcing the reason for the “holiday/vacation”.
What do you think?
Since I work with web development and such I’ll need to be working on projects consistently. Plan to blog about what work I do, so I figure that is the best way to stay afloat. I agree that consistency is key and often that applies to many things in life.
Great Post! I really liked the point about “under promise and over deliver”.
I am at the beginning of my blogging career :0) and I am still trying to find the right rhythm.
I started out telling my readers that each Monday I would post a review about a tool (social media/ marketing/ entrepreneurship). Pretty quickly I found myself not being able to keep that Monday deadline. So I went back and communicated that I would post these reviews “regularly” and I am trying to do so weekly.
So what that taught me is to better not commit to a specific day. But to keep it a little bit vague, so that I have some wiggling room.
I have a website that has gone stagnant. I have lost motivation. Recently I started a blog (1 website and 1 blog) and hesitating to write a post. Double trouble now. Thanks Darren for your blog and newsletter because it is urging me on to get moving. A schedule seems like the answer to get a rythm going. Keep the articles and motivating prompts coming Darren. It is most appreciated.
Interesting article.
What I found most interesting was how you can anger readers by going from once a week to 5 times a week.
I would love for someone to elaborate on how you make readers mad by posting too much. I’m new to this, and I don’t see how that works…
I started bogging recently with the energy to write one post every day, but then I held my self back and started writing posts and schedule them for future publication. By scheduling I had time for my self when I am busy and my readers would not miss my posting. I set my expectation to have regular traffic after one year from now, not before that.
I build a blog schedule for my site. I just started doing that & so far it worked!
As you’ve now heard about a million times…..”Thanks for this post”. I’ve been having a hard time figuring out why I’m dealing this recent lag. I have posts (good ones, I think) but for some reason I haven’t felt good about publishing. I’m motivated when I started these post but as I’m drawing to a close, I start doubting them.
My blog is only a few months old as well and I think my biggest problem has been comparing my blog to others and, like you mentioned, implement too many things at once. I think I started trying to promote my blog too soon, adding unnecessary stress. After awhile, blogging started feeling like another job.
Like many, I take a pen and pad everywhere so writing isn’t the problem….posting is. I think blogging first thing in the morning and scheduling my posts to publish at a later time will take the pressure off a little. Working from a “blog today/publish today” mindset leaves little room for drafts, do overs and life. Having blogs waiting in the wings might just work for me.
There appears to be a number of ways to get consistency under your belt. Thanks to all for sharing the “hows”.
Great Post!
This is something that I do regularly. When it comes to blogging we can very distracted by the many different things we can do when it comes to internet marketing.I have very narrowed down approach when it comes to marketing my blog and participating on my blog. I have also learned the importance of “use it or lose it”. I am constantly sending out FREE goodies to my list to make sure I keep them focused.
http://www.blogmarketingdiva.com
There’s nothing wrong with having a lot on your plate. You just have to prioritize and schedule tasks so the readers don’t lose interest or forget about you altogether. Good luck.
I have identified 4 days that are best for me and try to post then every week. There’s usually an additional mini-post at some point over the weekend as well. It’s a nice pattern that’s become quite ingrained even after only 3 months of blogging.
Hey Robert! Good info, thanx! I’m brand new to blogging (have not yet done my first post) and appreciate the ‘real world’ advice. I find a number of the comments to be most useful as well…thanx again! BTW…yours is a great blog too!
All the best,
Dan
Nice tips. One of my regularity is visiting problogger and learn new stuff. I love this site :)
One thing is certain, you cannot rehash your content or quote others. Readers have a way of seeing through that. You need to be new and bright and unique all the time.
Peoples are really getting intrest in Blogging today. Many of them actually dont know how to update it and how often update it. I almost update my blog on regular purpose. But your points are seems to be effective for newbie bloggers. Really appreciated!
Good advice. I should take your tip and try to have more regularity with my blog postings.
(As an aside, I noticed some typos in your writing; what’s the first thought that comes to your mind when you notice it on blogs you read?)
Darren,
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve recently decided to dedicate myself to building a successful blog. Problogger and you are one of my main sources of inspiration and information. I greatly appreciate your willingness to share your expertise, knowledge, and experience.
I am constantly trying to build traffic to my blog, but have fallen short. For a good while, my posting was sporadic, and so was my traffic. For the past several weeks, my posting has been fairly regular and it seems my traffic has seen a boost as a result. So I definitely agree with being regular. Even if it is more difficult to keep up with, it is worth it.
Whilte I feel keeping the readers in check with newsletter outflows is good but some perceive too much as too spammy.
Great post! Unlike many of your other commenters, I am just starting out blogging. I finished my Master’s last semester, and decided to take on a new crusade: blogging about educational technology trends. With a full-time job, and a small business, it has been really hard to find that “regularity” you speak of. I’ve determined that I have time before work every morning that I can use- and so I do. I now split my time between working out, writing and blogging. I don’t have any subscribers or readers yet- but I’m working on it (hence my recent 31 days download that I am so excited about!!). I’ll have my schedule down when they do start showing up. :) http://www.leahmacvie.com
I started up a work calendar again, after the hit and miss of last year. I’m listing the word count accomplished for the day, the amount of reading done, and projects tackled. I think it will help me get back on task. I appreciate the tips for ideas to get organized…much needed here!