Use a map to plan your blog's success!

Avoid unwanted repetition and make sure your blogs posts don't omit any topics

Maps, created with software programs like Mindjet's MindManager, can play an indispensable role in your blogging success.

A steady diet of unrelated, "spur of the moment," blog postings undermines your firm's position and weakens your marketing message.

Maps, however, make it easy to create a focused content plan for your blog postings. Maps help you balance current topics with information of lasting value to your market, such as ideas, hints, suggestions, and tips.

Step 1: Plan 

Start by identifying the key topics you want to address in your blog: such as:

• Current challenges and trends.

• Resources for clients and prospects.

• Upcoming events in your field.

• Tips and shortcuts for popular software programs used in your field.

• Websites in your field with important lessons.

Next, add ideas for posts appropriate for each category. Think of each post as a "nugget of information," or content unit. 

You can use a word processing or spreadsheet program to select categories and add ideas. You can even use a felt-tip marketer and a yellow pad! But, maps help you get far more done in less time working in a map's visual environment.

Step 2: Link

Each time you update your blog, add a link to the new post's permalink, or unique url. Use Mindjet's ctrl+k keyboard shortcut to save time adding links.

Each link adds a very noticeable icon to your map. These icons makes it easy to see at a glance which topics have been posted and which remain to be completed. 

Maps used in this way help you add blog content in a planned, purposeful manner. Adding ideas for future posts as they occur to you ensures that you won't inadvertently overlook them. It also helps you avoid repeating information contained in previous posts.

Step 3: Recycle

Over time, blog posts tend to become forgotten. Although blogs can be searched by category or month, this is not enough to keep previous posts alive and circulating.

Maps with links make it easy for you to leverage blog posts into new marketing projects and profitable information products. For example:

• After you have posted 8 or 10 "how to" posts, you have the basis of a very useful article, newsletter, tip sheet, or podcast.

• Once you have created 10 or 12 tip sheets or newsletters, you have a strong foundation for a book, report, or presentation!

To recycle blog posts into other formats:

1. Click the link to each post's permalink.
2. Select and copy the text in each post.
3. Paste the text into a file created with Microsoft Word or a page layout program.

After assembling your posts into a single file, your projects are ready for final editing and distribution. 

Linking maps

After a few months of adding posts to your blog, your map may become cluttered with too many topics and links.

Keep your maps simple by creating individual maps for the main categories of blog postings. 

Link your category specific maps to a "master" map showing all blog categories.

Getting started

• What are my market's key concerns?

• What specific information can I offer to help them address those concerns?

Maps will soon become a habit that you'll use planning content for all sorts of marketing and profit opportunities.

For more information