How to Manage Your Trenchless Blog Content

There are several reasons to start and manage an on-site blog when you own and operate a trenchless business. One of the most important is to provide opportunities to post new content that you can optimize in order to increase your web presence, visibility, and reach.

Of course, you also want to provide value to current customers by offering them relevant and timely information. This content proves your expertise and helps readers answer questions and overcome difficulties. Naturally, you also want to attract new customers seeking your services and form a rapport with them so as to generate more leads and grow your business.

In order to reach your goals, however, you’ll have to manage your blog effectively. This requires you to have a handle on content creation as well as the ins and outs of properly posting and promoting your content. Here are a few strategies you can employ to ensure the best results from your blogging efforts.

Create an Editorial Calendar

An editorial calendar is like a business plan for your blog. It lays out when and how often you will post, and can even go so far as to include potential topic ideas. Your editorial calendar can help you structure and manage your blog in a way that makes sense for your schedule and for the trajectory of topics you want to present to your audience.

You don’t necessarily have to fill in all the blanks from the beginning, either.  Planning an editorial calendar is a massive undertaking and a constant work in progress. However, you should at least pencil in themes, events, and any series you’ll cover throughout the coming year. Once you create a rough sketch you can start to populate your calendar with more concise ideas for topics and posts.

Evergreen Content and Updates

Don’t make blogging harder for yourself and assume you have to post a brand new article every day. This can quickly burn out even seasoned writers, much less business owners with other concerns to attend to.

Save time without skimping on quality and stockpile evergreen content that you can repost annually, or update slightly for renewed relevance. This tactic can help you get through busy seasons when creating fresh content simply isn’t an option.

Timely/Trending Topics

You no doubt pay attention to industry news. Take, for example, the recent crisis in Flint, Michigan over their failing water infrastructure. This topic has received national and ongoing attention.

When a story related to your industry breaks and garners the public’s attentions, you have to be prepared to enter the fray.  These circumstances provide you with an opportunity to contribute valuable information and insights born of your expertise.  When you join the conversation you’ll show your customers and potential customers that you have your finger on the pulse of your industry.

Even with an editorial calendar in place, you should have some flexibility to substitute topics that are of the moment. This will help to keep the attention of your audience, prove your authority, and even bring in new visitors following trending news items.

Add a Social Agenda

You can’t run a successful blog (or business) these days without incorporating some element of social media. When planning your editorial calendar, schedule in time each day to promote new posts via social media platforms and interact with your followers. This is a necessary part of adding value and engaging with your followers.

Automate Posting

If you are like most busy business owners, you don’t have a lot of time to keep track of your blogging schedule. However, it is important that you stick to a regular posting schedule. This will set a reliable routine for your followers.

Luckily, you can automate the process. You’ll first want to conduct tests to see which days and times show the best conversion rates. From there you can set up automation tools to post content at scheduled days and times when it makes the most sense for your business and your audience.

Find the Right Tools

Managing your blog and social media content is easier if you have the right tools for the job. In addition to automation tools, you should find software to help plan your editorial calendar, SEO plugins for easy optimization, and tools for social promotion, tracking and analysis. A bit of comparison shopping and trial and error will help you discover the tools that best suit your needs.

Monitor, Measure, Manage

Tracking and analyzing blog performance will provide the quantitative metrics you need to continually improve your process. Even if your complaint is that you don’t have time, there are programs and services available to help you monitor performance, measure conversions, and manage the ongoing demands of running a blog.

Once you decide that blogging is necessary for your trenchless business, you’ll make the time. With the right tools and a solid plan, you can manage your blog more effectively and efficiently.