Let’s talk about blogging. Event planners know it’s a viable method for attracting new event clients. You might also agree that those who blog have stronger authoritative positions online, especially within the highly influential events industry space. And when the data supports strong and regular blog content as a core driver of online engagement, you won’t argue with it.
But what most event planners will say when asked about starting a blog is that there are just never enough hours in the day already. How is a busy and productive planning professional supposed to dedicate enough time to sit down and write something compelling? Or, in some cases, you might even have a little blog apprehension, not knowing where to start or what to write at all.
Keep reading. There are ways to launch a great blog for your event planning business. And you can even do it without doing all the writing yourself!
First, Start Your Blog
Set yourself up for blogging success by following these steps for creating an impactful content strategy. You’ll, of course, need to select a theme and title for your blog that will tell your readers what to expect. And you’ll need to adjust your website platform to include a blog page. It will be equally important that you establish the plug-ins and analytics necessary to capture all the relevant data about views, opens, and read times for your new blog.
When creating your blog content strategy, consider these insights:
- Choose categories that speak to your niche audience.
- Establish lists of relevant keywords to help with SEO.
- Develop a blog brief that outlines formatting rules, word count, and linking strategies.
- Consider a frequency schedule with which you can submit new posts.
- Get creative about topics that help your readers solve problems or provide relevant information about your events.
Write the First Few Blogs Yourself
It’s best to sit down and try to tackle a few blogs yourself to start things off. With a few writing examples of your own, you can establish your writing style and voice, unique to you and your event planning business. Any others who help with writing can use your first few posts as an example.
Get some tools, like Grammarly or Copyscape, to polish up any blogs you write before posting. Nothing screams unprofessional, like a blatantly obvious spelling error or wonky spacing. But don’t worry about producing some academy award-worthy content here. Blogs are best consumed when they’re precise and to the point. They should read as a conversation, almost mirroring how you speak. Starting a few sentences with “and” or “but” is perfectly acceptable since, well, that’s how we talk.
Delegate Blog Writing to Someone On Your Team
Once you’ve established how you want your event planning blog to be set up, you can bring in a team member or two to help contribute to the series. Provide any assistant or employee with an outline of what and how to write the blog. Share the content brief and demonstrate what you’d like a polished article to look like. And before posting anyone else’s work, carefully read through it for any edits or corrections.
Reach Out to Others to Guest Post
Another effective way to provide insightful blog content without writing it all yourself is by inviting others to submit guest posts. Reach out to top performers or influencers in your network and provide them with an opportunity to write something related to the industry or something newsworthy. This is a perfect way to connect with strategic connections with whom you’re looking to build partnerships, too. And when someone else gets a byline on your blog, they’ll be more apt to share it across their online channels, thus boosting the audience and visibility of your blog.
Hire a Compelling Freelance Writer
It’s a gig and side-hustle economy right now. And there are tons of really great, compelling freelancers out there to help write your blogs. Finding the best-fit writers can be a challenge, though. So, do your homework and set up a vetting process for new writing candidates. Scrutinize their experience and writing samples. You can explore some of the online marketplaces for freelancers, like Upwork or Fiverr. But it can be the wild west out there. To streamline your efforts, consider posting your “writer opening” on LinkedIn and your social media channels. And work with your network of colleagues to ask for writer referrals. But once you settle on a great writer, look out. Your blog is about to get incredible.
Repurposing Content for Maximum Results
There is more than one way to talk about event planning decor, favorite catered dishes, and inspirational floral arrangements. And one short blog about event planning checklists could be transformed into a long-form, deep-dive blog. Don’t be afraid to repurpose your blogs for a refresh, offering different insights or suggestions. And with each blog you post, remember you have a fresh link to drop into your social media campaigns and email marketing, too. You can even use your blogs, original and repurposed, as insightful newsletter content.
Starting an event-related blog for your business doesn’t have to be hard. And you certainly don’t have to do all the writing yourself. Consider these insights and benefits and get inspired!
Now’s also the time to start planning for October. The Event Planner Expo 2023 is coming, and you won’t want to miss getting in the room with all the top events industry professionals this year! Learn more, too, about remaining exhibitor space on this year’s trade show floor. It’s going to be HUGE!
