I’ve discussed setting up blogging goals for your business blogging strategy. I’ve even discussed the importance of creating a blogging mission statement.

I still believe these are important.

A recent post on Inc.com inspired me to think a little differently about goals. The post, Do Sales Goals Actually Work?, was about the idea of concentrating too much on the goals and forgetting about the process:

Things are very different when you focus primarily on the process of selling. Rather than worrying about the day-to-day routine of closing and quotas, you become more aware of what’s actually going on.

The author, Geoffrey James, makes a really good point about sales. When salespeople are too focused on goals they can actually end up hurting themselves. They ruin customer relationships and burn bridges with prospects. Sales can be a tricky balance and it seems to work better to focus on goals, but to actually focus on the process while sales are happening.

The same process is true in blogging.

Do Blogging Goals Actually Work?

Yes.

Blogging goals are still important just as sales goals are. I’m a big believer in budgeting. It’s the same as creating goals really. I don’t mean the kind of budget where you just book expenses. The kind of budget I’m referring to is the kind where you project your sales goals while figuring out what it will take to achieve the budget.

But once the goals and the budget are in place it’s time to get to work.

Just as Geoffrey mentioned in his post, when it’s time to get to work you have to get lost in the process. Blogging requires a focus on each post. You have to have an eye on the big picture, but for the moments you’re writing each post you have to focus on the process.

Think about the headings of the post. Think about the links you’re going to include to outside websites and to your own website. Consider how what is happening in the blogosphere at this moment and consider how you can make the post you’re working on relevant to what is happening when people discover it.

Each individual post becomes part of your blogging catalog. Getting back on the topic of music artists. When musicians and singers are working on their music they don’t often consider their entire career. They focus on each song. They focus on each album. They focus on each tour. It’s all about the present and what is happening in the music world right now. I actually think Kid Rock is great at figuring out what is happening in music right. It’s almost like he realizes that things change. He knows he needs to change as well in order to stay relevant. He focuses on his future by adjusting his present. The result is fresh music that makes it seem like he could predict the future. He’s not really predicting the future of music. He understands the present landscape and focuses on each album individually.

It’s ok to think about your blog as a entire catalog, but the best way to achieve a strong catalog of posts is to focus on each post…one post at a time.