Keep the content flowing

Perhaps the most difficult part of maintaining a blog or even a website is keeping up a fresh supply of content. For most business owners, it's easy to understand why new content dries up so quickly. Most of us don't view our online presence as a primary revenue generator and if ever the choice is between doing some billable hours and writing a new blog article, it's usually the blog that suffers.

That being said, here are three quick tips for maintaining a steady stream of new material:

Change your perspective

It is vitally important that you view your online presence as a core expression of your business. If the sign outside your storefront has a bulb go out, or otherwise needs repair, I'm guessing you make it happen. Potential customers will judge you by whatever you put forward, and if that happens to be an out of date website, they may make the wrong assumptions.

View your website or blog as you would any of your other marketing material. Certainly you don't hand out outdated business cards with phone numbers that don't work. Similarly you ought to avoid a website with broken links.

Make a Schedule

Set aside an appropriate amount of time to your online presence. It doesn't have to be every week. Even one hour a month will go a long ways to ensuring that your site doesn't wither. If you have nothing to write that month, then spend the time submitting to search engines, joining a social network, or finding link partners.

Delegate

Do you have staff, associates, or even a peer group or business network? Find others with interesting knowledge and offer to let them cross publish their articles on your site. Give them a back link and it's a win-win. They get more exposure and your site gets more content. Visit OnTask Ergonomics for an example of the approach. They found a business partner that offered a service they previously hadn't and forged a relationship both online and off to better serve their customers.