5 Tips to Increase Blogging Productivity

I like to think that being creative comes at a price.

When I was a little kid, no matter how many questions I asked, It was never enough to feed my curiosity.

I knew babies didn't come from storks. I couldn't just let that response fly, and I was perpetually dissatisfied with the child-friendly explanations I was receiving.

As a blogger, I have a hard time falling in love with an idea, because that means discounting the potential for other, better ideas that may come along.

Above all, the biggest creative toll I have paid in my lifetime can be attributed to my steadfast procrastination.

Upon realizing that meeting deadlines wasn't optional in the real world, I've adapted a few methods to increase productivity that may influence the way your business approaches blogging.

Be in Tune With Trends

Innovative ideas are often achieved by people who know what's going on in the now. People who are up to date on industry news are able to identify challenges and inconsistencies, and in turn, work toward inventive solutions.

Great content provides solutions to buyer persona's problems, which is why it is important to set aside some time to poke around on social media platforms, and popular industry blogs to gain insight.

Ask yourself: What are people talking about? What challenges are people facing?

Being able to find a gap in the literature of your industry is like striking gold. In doing so, you can create a resource for your audience that will engage them.

By staying up to date with industry news you can easily provide a collection of tips, tools, or links to relevant articles that speak to the needs of your audience in a current, and authoritative manner.

Define a Content Mission Statement

Once you've done your research, you should allow your ideas to marinate for a bit.

When you begin to weed through the information you've gathered, you can start to extract concepts and work towards a multi-dimensional topic.

Before you begin writing, It is important to define what you are writing about and how you are going to approach it. By defining a content mission statement, you are setting a clear route to carry out your ideas.

Consider the benefits of reading this article. What is your audience going to get out of it?

Use this information to structure a title that defines the value of your writing, while setting reader expectations.

From this point you can hash out the headlines, and then begin to fill in the cracks with your supporting information.

Stay Focused With a Project Management Tool

If you've got a lot on your plate, you may benefit from the implementation of a project management tool.

It's common to have more than one writing task in the works at any given time, along with a handful of topic ideas, and maybe an offer concept or two.

Instead of allowing your tasks to overwhelm and consume you, why not utilize an interactive page where you can organize your assignments and keep track of your progress?

Trello allows users to create boards, title them respectively, and then fill them with individual cards assigned to each of your projects.

Each card can contain a description for the project, relevant notes, or links to resources.

As you begin to complete tasks, you can simply drag the card into an archived board, and create a new card for your next endeavor.

This tool is especially useful if you are collaborating with other writers on a particular project because it makes it easy to add notes to cards, tag people, and set goals based upon the visual scheme of things.

Make Use of Speak-to-Write Applications

Getting your words down on paper (or screen) can be a daunting task.

I often find my fingers hovering above my keyboard while the blinking cursor mocks my indecision to formulate a sentence.

Even when I know what I want to say, It can be difficult to transfer my ideas from point A to point B.

Evernote is a writing application designed to organize your notes, documents, images, and whatever else it takes to get the creative juicing flowing.

The application also offers a speak-to-write feature, revolutionizing the way people write, or don't write in this case.

While many struggle to identify an authentic tone in their writing, Evernote allows you to speak your thoughts right onto the page so you can be sure that your writing is reflective of your articulation.

Not only does this application allow you to speak your mind, but it decreases the amount of time you spend drafting a piece, and you can do it just about anywhere.

Explore Your Options on HubSpot

Above all, HubSpot provides users with a variety of tools that simplify the content creation process.

If you frequently lose time struggling with topic generation, consider delving into the Page Performance tool to uncover the analytics behind your blog.

Through this resource, you can uncover which blogs have seen the most success in terms of views, and then rework that content into a new topic accordingly.

By taking a minute to look into what's working already, you'll be able to work more effectively towards meeting similar success rates.

Another useful feature to increase productivity with HubSpot is the Keywords tool.

By using this tool, you can make sense of what it is your buyer persona's are searching for, and how you can create content that counsels their questions and concerns.

The more insight you have going into the creation of a blog, the less time you will have to spend defining a path for your writing.

These tools can be used alone or in combination to simplify your approach, spark compelling ideas, and guide you through a quicker, more fluid writing process.

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