As all of us know from years of life experience, it is much easier to make a personal commitment to a long-term project or initiative than it is to follow through and sustain it for the long haul. Although failing to follow through on our commitments can be disheartening, it’s usually more difficult than we initially believe.
Commitments Aren’t Always Easy
If commitments were easy to fulfill, then every diet, fitness regimen, and self-improvement plan would be a resounding success, but we all know that’s not the case. It’s easy to commit to making daily social media updates and writing monthly or even weekly blog posts, but the Internet is literally littered with blogs and social media pages that are abandoned and essentially dead. Some experts believe that the rate of failed blogs is as high as 95 percent!
You Won’t Fire Yourself For Failing To Update Your Blog
Entrepreneurs and small business owners who commit to managing their own content marketing often fall into the trap of overestimating their own ability to maintain a sometimes grueling content marketing schedule. Larger companies and corporations have dedicated marketing and social media teams that share the burden of updates, and these professionals would normally face disciplinary action or even termination if they were to abandon a blog or social media accounts. When you’re working as your own boss, you’re not going to penalize or fire yourself for failing to create content marketing, so what are some other ways to motivate yourself to create content on a regular basis? Some entrepreneurs and managers choose to post content less often, but how frequently (or infrequently) should you update your blog and accounts?
How Often Should You Update Your Blog?
Many Internet marketing experts believe that you should update your blog at least once a week. It is true that search engines will usually rate your blog as less relevant and useful if you don’t post an update at least once a week, as search engines like seeing fresh content. So if you are planning on using your blog and social media accounts as primary tools for marketing your business, or as a primary source for funneling and converting readers, then you should strive to update your blog at least once a week.
What Is The Industry Standard?
Another factor to consider is how many updates your readers may be expecting, which is primarily determined by industry. Some industries are more established and conservative, and interesting or relevant industry news or even news about your own business may be too rare or inconsequential to regularly report to your readers. Other industries that are relatively new and active may require more frequent blog posts in order cover all of the exciting and innovative new products and services that are of interest to your readers.
Stick To A Schedule
No matter how often you commit to updating and creating content, as we mentioned earlier, committing to updating your blog once a week is easier than actually following through and doing it. The only thing worse than not updating your blog often enough to satisfy both your readers and search engine crawlers is to abandon your blog and social media accounts out of frustration, disinterest, or simply because you’ve chosen to give up and direct your time, energy, and attention elsewhere. You have likely encountered an abandoned blog, and if it was abandoned by a professional or a small business, your opinion of them may be drastically affected. You may end up questioning the individual or company’s commitment to their projects or even their ongoing viability in a professional capacity! No matter how often you decide to update your blog, you must determine a system and schedule that is both manageable and sustainable.