A blog is a powerful tool for your organization. By creating and owning your content, you can raise awareness about your mission, celebrate your achievements, provide important updates, show your expertise, and share resources with your community, all on your own website! Starting a blog may seem daunting if you’ve never blogged before, but with a few simple steps, you can start writing articles and growing your audience.

Getting Started

Before you write anything, you need to set up the technical side of your blog. Ask yourself these questions: Does my website already have a blog interface I can use? If not, what do I need to do to create one? And what limitations will it have? Once you know what your website is capable of and what steps you’ll need to take to create it, you can start building your blog.

You’ll want to ensure that you have a blog editor and a landing page. You will use the blog editor to create blogs, including writing text, adding photos and videos, and formatting. The landing page is a feed that will show all the blogs you have published recently. It will act as a one-stop shop for updates and resources from your organization, making it easy for people to find the things you have written. 

Try to have a little fun when setting up your blog (while still staying true to your brand). To help it stand out from the rest of your website, you can create a fun title or an exciting logo. Adding in a bit of character and voice will help you stand out and keep readers interested.

You also want to examine your organizational capacity and allocate time for the blog. You can assign someone as the ​“blog lead,” responsible for managing the calendar, adding blogs, and working with authors to edit their writing. You can also identify other people at the organization who are interested in writing blogs, brainstorming ideas, or helping with marketing.

Finally, you want to identify your core goals before you start writing. Start with one or two things you can focus on before you dream big. Do you want your blog to help you reach a new audience and grow awareness about your work? Do you want it to be a place where your existing audience can get updates and resources? Your goal will guide everything you write and share.
 

Creating Your Content Calendar

Your content calendar will be the key to your success. Blogs thrive on consistent posting — it makes it easier for your readers to know when they can expect to find information. You can create your schedule of blogs in one-month increments, but it is also important to maintain flexibility so you can respond if new priorities arise. Start small with 2 – 4 blogs per month to build your audience and your organizational capacity before you try to increase to more frequent posts.

You can use many strategies to brainstorm content and fill your calendar, and the strategy you choose will depend on your overall goals. Here are a few ideas:

Repeating Series: Each month, you can share a blog that follows a similar format. Examples include ​“Meet a Main Street Business Owner,” ​“Get to Know a Historic Building,” or ​“Meet a Main Street Volunteer.”

Celebratory Observances: Many holidays, recognition months, and other celebrations can inspire content. Examples include Women’s History Month, Black History Month, National Entrepreneurship Week, and National Cupcake Day. These can help spark ideas and give direction. You can find an extensive list of them here >

Programmatic Work: Project updates, event recaps, and announcements make great blog posts. These will help your readers stay connected with your organization.

Resources: Blogs that explain your organization and how you work and share tips and tricks that community members or business owners can use to get involved are great ways to reach new people and build interest in your Main Street.
 

Writing for the Web

Every blog starts with a title. The internet is full of blogs, articles, and other kinds of content, so you must ensure your title grabs people’s attention and gets them to read what you wrote. Keep it short and sweet. Numbered lists, questions, and ​“how-tos” are great ways to interest people.

You want to ensure that your writing is both fun and informative. Avoid using jargon and flowery language. Keep things concise but with a little bit of personality. Try to limit your blogs to 500−1,000 words, focusing on getting your point across clearly.

Try to feature various authors on your blog. These include staff members, volunteers, and local ​“influencers” like small business owners and community leaders. When you work with external authors, communicate clear expectations, including timeline, requirements for length, whether you need photos, and what style they should use to write. 

Be flexible and patient. Remember, you are asking them for a favor, and they may have other priorities they need to complete first. When they send you a draft, make sure to read it and edit it before you post it (and share your edits with the author for approval) to ensure it matches the standards you have for your blog. 

Getting the Word Out

Once you’ve written and published your blog, it is time to bring in your readers. A few people may stumble across the blog while exploring your website, but if you want to drive growth, you’ll need to do some marketing. 

Social media is a great starting place, especially if you already have accounts you use for your organization. Whenever you share a blog, you should post it on your social media accounts to encourage people to read it. You can drive excitement and get people interested by sharing a short summary of the blog’s content, a great quote, or a key takeaway. 

Newsletters are another great tool for sharing your blog. You can create newsletters that you send out every time you publish a new blog or round-ups that share all the blogs posted each month or each quarter. As your blog grows, consider creating targeted newsletters for different audiences. For example, you can have a monthly newsletter for small business owners that includes all the recent blogs on that subject.
 

Congrats, You’re a Blogger!

Blogs have existed for a long time, but they’re still a great way to communicate, build your brand, and reach people. Whether you’re new to blogging and writing or looking to expand and deepen your efforts, these tips and tricks will help you chart a path to success.

If you’re interested in blogging but want to try it out before you launch your own, consider writing for the Main Street America blog. We love sharing stories, projects, and how-to guides from local Main Streets, and it is a great way to practice your writing skills and build your understanding of the blogging process. If you have an idea for a blog, you can submit it here >

Downtown Decorations, a Main Street America Allied Member, is this quarter’s Main Spotlight advertiser. For more information about what they do to support Main Street organizations, click here.