Have you noticed – a lack of patience, the ADD epidemic, the speedy conversations and overabundance of acronyms in everyday life? I’m sure you have, unless you’ve had your head stuck in a hole. People are busy these days and their time is valuable. What does this mean for your business blogs? Unless you’ve worked the blog up to be very popular and capable of consistently doling out valuable information like Social Media Examiner – it’s best to keep blogs short and sweet.

And let’s be honest. Although some blogging outlets are widely known for excellent content, how much time do you have to stay on top of them? I can’t, no matter how much I would like to. But I want to learn, so my reading list is mostly comprised of blogs that teach me something in 400-500 words or less – something I can read while blow-drying my hair (yes, I really do this).

Everyone is in a rush in NYC!

Here’s a few tricks to keep it simple:

1. Use lists. Listing out the reasons for your blogging subject allow people to scan through them quickly while getting the gist of what is important. Also, listing gives you more room to explain without alienating the reader. Meaning that if you like to expound, then you can without it stressing out the reader.

2. Outline your blog in advance. This will not only help you stick to what you want to convey, but make it easier to write. Take 5-10 minutes to outline your blog theme and the fundamental parts to explain. It’s a great way to organization the thought process before putting it down on paper and will take less time to write it than if you were trying to do it from memory.

3. Explain it as you would to a friend. Sure, sure you’ve heard this before. But seriously, explain it as you would to a friend who’s in a hurry. How do you tell a hurried friend? You give them the facts, add a bit of flavor and maybe an example or two, IF there is time. No need to explain it like you would to a child – give your audience the benefit of the doubt to understand what you mean. Believe me – most get it.

For those of us who are unable to write in small amounts (me, me, meeee), keeping blogs to a simple minimum isn’t easy. But it’s doable with some forethought. Remember, you want to teach your audience something new, but you don’t want them to get annoyed for taking so long to do it.

Final word of caution: Don’t sacrifice value for length and don’t cut a blog down just to do it. Be precise with your writing, succinct and you will be fine.

Now it’s your turn! Do you agree/disagree with my short ‘n simple methodology? Come on, let me have it.