How to Create A Brilliant 2012 Writing Plan

Ah, the new year. For business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s a fresh start, a great time to dust off last year’s goals and remake the list for 2012.

As you’re creating your goal list, you’ve probably included “writing.” You know writing is an important tool for making your business grow, whether it’s copy for the regular enewsletter, some fresh words for your web page, or your goal to send out quarterly press releases.

But how will you make it happen?

If you’re not going to hire someone to write, you need to find the time in your busy day to get it done. So here are some ways to make 2012 a great year for your written words.

Choose the when - Your blog posts and newsletters are like children; keeping them on a set schedule makes life easier. In this case, choose a day for your blog entry to be posted or for the newsletter to go out each month. By getting into a regular habit, you’ll eventually find yourself writing your post without even thinking about the work. Plus, it’s much easier for your readers if they expect the email newsletter on the 15th of each month.

Map out your time – As a professional organizer, I tout the benefits of organizing your time effectively. Scheduling each moment of our lives isn’t practical (or fun), but creating a rough outline of how your work day goes can make a big difference in productivity. This also gives you the advantage of scheduling activities at better times of day. For example, if you feel more creative in the morning, schedule your writing/brainstorming time then, instead of dashing together a blog post at the last minute. Check out my organizing blog post for more on how to create a time map.

Create and keep a list- For blog post ideas, newsletter ideas and just … regular ideas. Use Evernote, a piece of paper, or a sticky on your computer desktop. Just have someplace to jot down things as they hit you. You will not remember it later. Trust me. Later, when you’re scrambling for a newsletter article, you can scan your list and find a topic.

Photo by Horia Varlan.

Create a calendar – If you’re blogging or sending out a regular newsletter, you should always be thinking strategically about your content. Have you addressed each segment of your target audience this year? Who are you missing? What topics have you already covered in great detail? Which aspects of your service or product could use highlighting? What events are coming up in your business that you can mention? To help guide you to the answers, create or use a calendar to track your planned topics. If you keep this up, you’ll notice patterns, which can help you plan for the future.

Set a deadline - The trouble with running a small business is that it’s, well, small. You’re running everything else and have a million things to do. It’s easy to let that weekly blog post slide off the map. To help prevent this, make sure you set a deadline each week. Aside from your schedule, keep your natural rhythms in mind. For example, setting the deadline for 4 p.m. Friday for a Monday morning blog post might not be a great idea. Instead, consider noon Monday for a Tuesday morning post.

Consider some help – If you are the only one in your company writing the newsletter, blog posts and press releases, you’re going to have some blah days. If you’re not a sole proprietor, consider asking your coworker/partner/intern to take a stab at the weekly post once in awhile. Not only will he or she have a different perspective and some fresh thoughts, but reading the words might inspire you with some new ideas, too. Plus, it’s always good to rest your muscles once in awhile.