You’re a small business owner who understands the benefits of blogging for your business and have decided to start writing a blog. You’ve determined the level of content to be shared, who your reader groups will be and how much time you will devote to your new business blog. So, the next step in the process is to plan your content.

Planning your content does not mean that you need to decide right now exactly what all the future posts on your business blog will be. But making some decisions about the topics you want to cover, the depth of those topics and other resources you’d like to offer to your customers will help you feel more organized and focused with your blogging efforts.

Below is a list of 6 considerations for planning the content of your business blog:

1. Write your “Basics” pieces first If I run a catering business and post my favorites recipes from time to time, I’m going to be sure to post my homemade pizza sauce and homemade pizza dough recipes before I post my homemade pizza recipe. That way I can link to those older posts and keep my homemade pizza post from being too lengthy. Interlinking posts on your blog is also great for SEO and keeps people on your site longer.
2. Can any of your posts be used elsewhere? If you intend to offer some sort of resource guide to your customers, perhaps several blog posts can be put together to build that guide. Some examples might be: a downloadable e-book, an FAQ section, a buying guide or a training manual.
3. A special event or new product or service launch Deadlines may dictate a lot when starting your business blog. For example, you may be heading to a conference in a couple months and want to be sure you have certain types of content on your site before you leave for that conference.
4. Fair representation During the planning stages of your business blog, you may have determined that you have 4 types of site visitors. Planning your content before you start writing ensures that each reader type has a steady flow of content being published that relates to them.
5. Keep your posting schedule in mind The number of days per week you plan to post will dictate the speed at which new content will be published to your site.
6. Vary your post type A variety in post length and style is more interesting to your readers and can give you a writing break, too. Some blog posts will require several paragraphs of texts, but be sure to mix up the types of posts you publish to keep your readers coming back. Consider including posts that are photo or video-centric (perhaps you can post a relevant video from your YouTube channel?), bulleted lists, Q&A’s, hosting guest posters and Top 10 style articles.

What are some other suggestions you would give a new blogger as they plan their content? Do you have specific blogging questions you’d like us to cover? If so, share them in the comments.

(This is the second post in a series on how to start a business blog.)