Take Your Own Advice

     I have just finished advising someone to work on building their blog. Gulp! I shared with them how easy it is to come up with blog topics. Gulp!

     I finished writing them about this incredible technique I learned about in a seminar last year and realized how remiss I've been in adding to my own blog. So here's the technique...take-your-own-advice

     You start by creating a list of 12 aspects of your business. If you're in business, this might include things like sales, marketing, experience, tips, secrets etc etc. If you're a realtor it might include things like working with buyers, working with sellers, downsizing tips, preparing for sale, the process, negotiating tactics etc. 

     Next you take each of those aspects and create four sub-categories. So sales might break down into pricing, guarantees, delivery, and after sale service. Preparing for a property for sale might break down into home exterior, de-cluttering, storage, deferred maintenance.

     You now have 48 blog topics. So next you take each one of the sub-categories and you turn it into a question. For example, "What is the relationship between price and value when buying X?" Or, "How far should you go when de-cluttering your home in preparation for sale?" Next, come up with 3 answers or points to cover for the question you're posing. For example, the issue of quality or durability comes up when looking at the price and quality of an item. The issue of family photos on the wall comes up when preparing a property for sale, and helping the buyer picture themselves in the house
rather than you and yours.

     Now you have 48 blog topics, each turned into a question, with three points to make in answering those questions. All that's needed now is for you to sit down at the computer and type for 5 minutes - non-stop. Think nothing about editing or crafting the piece. Just write answering the questions with whatever comes into your head, and covering the important points you've already laid out in advance. Bam! You have a rough draft of your blog topic. Edit. Perhaps find a useful picture to go with the article. And post.

     I have just finished advising myself to work on building MY blog.

"All the advice you ever gave (your partner) is for you to hear."  ~ Byron Katie