The month of February is almost upon us and I’m sure you all are out there creating some fabulous content for your blog right now, right?
Well, IN CASE, you need a little help with some ideas, I’ll throw a few at you today that might help light up the bulb in your head for this coming month.
I look back at what has worked for me in the past, in that month, and share a little info here, so you can create some killer content for your blog and website.
So, what has February been all about for me in the past?
1. Trade Shows make for great blog content
That’s right.
I typically go to KBIS and Dallas Market in January and spend February sharing all I found that was new, different, fun, and exciting to see at those markets.
These are usually very well received by my email list and tend to attract lots of traffic from new visitors.
Trade show reports make great blog content | KBIS 2018
This year, however, KBIS is in the last part of February (thank goodness for me, actually), so content for that show this year will be more in March.
Let me give you a tip about sharing content from trade shows though…..don’t wait too long.
There is no time limit on sharing something from trade shows, and you can certainly refer back to trends or pieces you saw at any time, however…….if you are doing a whole post as a “report” or “trend spotting” type, then don’t wait two months to put that out.
It’s a little time sensitive.
Link through to one of my KBIS 2018 posts
Let me tell you, every designer who blogs and is on top of this topic will be publishing and the sooner you can get something out, the better.
Really, I’m not talking about rushing to the computer to write up your finds on the plane home, but a style spotting report of a trade show that you went to 3 months prior is not something your clients might get excited about reading.
There are other ways to feature that content later on, if you don’t have time to blog right after the show or you have other content you want to publish right when you get back home.
I usually put out multiple posts on big shows
There have been years, after KBIS especially, where I published multiple posts. When I was on the Modenus blogtour, years ago, we were required to publish a post on each sponsor.
After 4 or 5 posts, I always felt my audience was getting a little KBIS-weary at that point, and I’d inject a project post or something like that and try to use a different angle in further posts on KBIS.
Here’s an example, below, of a house tour I published 4 months after KBIS, even though I took the tour during KBIS. It was like a breath of fresh air to my blog at that point, house tours always do well.
That one was a good one to put off for later. It wasn’t necessarily product related or felt timely at all. Matter of fact, that post still does well because of the images that were pinned to Pinterest back then in 2016. ;-)
I see so many of you at the markets in Dallas, Atlanta, Vegas, and even Maison de Objet in Paris. (Lucky ducks!)
Share some big finds or revelations you encountered with your audience the following week of your return. Then tempt them to subscribe to get more insight and inspiration from all you saw and learned in a later post.
2. Trends in design
I know, you don’t do trends. ;-) And I mentioned that was a good topic for January posts.
However, people find that interesting and February is still early in the year. The popularity of trend posts still holds true for February.
Especially after seeing some of the new products you saw at the January markets, you can talk about trends with some good photos you might have taken then. A good way to use your own photos in your blogposts, no? :-)
Guess what post of mine received the highest click through rate from my email list on my regular blog during this month of January?
That post even got a slightly better click through rate than a project reveal and a house tour!
3. The Warm months are coming!
This is a good time to anticipate the projects you want to start soon, to be installed late spring, right?
An outdoor kitchen, perhaps? A patio furnishings refresh so your clients can be pool and summer ready? Maybe a remodel for the pool bath is in order?
We all know those projects need to start now.
Remind your clients or potential clients with a blogpost about getting that backyard ready for the warm months ahead. Maybe share some design tips for outdoor living spaces or even feature some outdoor projects you’ve done in the past.
Backyard oasis - Designer, Carla Aston | Photographer, Colleen Scott
An obvious call to action with a “book me now to have your outdoor space ready for summer” is certainly in order.
I already shared a project this month with an outdoor space and I’ve pinned it to Pinterest to get some traction.
extra Blogging Tip
One more tip I’d like to share is that if you are only creating blogposts once or twice a month, post one early in the month.
You want your blog to look fresh and updated as much as possible. Posting early in the month (hopefully on the same day of the week each time) makes your content look fresh at first glance.
Bonus tip - weekends are best days to post. People have more time to read.
I visited lots of design blogs in early January and if I saw that the top posts were published in December, I hopped right away.
Having a blog that is up to date is a really important key to making your business appear well tended to.
After all, people might come to your site from all your social media activity, but they will likely head to your blog before calling or emailing you to check you out more thoroughly. You want that top post to be fairly current.
Finding these monthly tips helpful?
Tell your friends! Better yet, pin this post to Pinterest and help me spread the word. Thank ya much!!!
I was just scrolling back through some images on my phone and realized I never shared anything with you about the Responsive Homes we toured in Vegas at KBIS2016 while on Blogtour!