The question I hear most from clients and other online entrepreneurs is, “What do I blog about?” I think most business owners are so intimately involved in their own business that they forget that there is so much their audience doesn’t know.
Your blog (and social platforms) are your marketing and educational hub. It’s where your audience can go for more information about you, your business and your industry.
Don’t take for granted that your audience knows everything about your business or the products and services you offer. And use these tips to help you generate ideas for your content, keeping your audience interested and engaged.
Make a List
I keep an ongoing list of possible content ideas, with all the facets of my business in mind. Think about everything your prospective (and current) clients should know about when they work with you. For example, if you’re a graphic designer you’ll want clients to have some knowledge about branding, website design, etc.—even if it’s not a service that you offer. You can blog about anything that complements your business or recruit guest bloggers to help with the content.
Now that you have some larger, overarching topic ideas, think about the smaller, more focused topics that relate. For branding, you could blog about colors, brand voice, consistency, social media, messaging, images, etc. For website design, you’ll want your audience to know how important consistency is, how to find a website designer and more. The idea isn’t that you only blog about your own business but that you provide value that sets you up as an industry leader.
[bctt tweet=”Don’t just blog about your business—provide value and set yourself up as an industry leader.” username=””]
Open Your Ears
If you’re a part of the online community, you know that Facebook groups are huge for networking and troubleshooting. They’re a great place to ask questions and connect with others, and they’re also a great place to generate blog topic ideas. Pay attention to what others are asking and make note. Write those ideas down as possible blog topics (and be sure to comment on the post with an answer in the meantime). Sometimes we don’t know what others don’t know, so if they’re asking that’s a huge clue!
[bctt tweet=”Need #blog ideas? Pay attention to what others are asking and make note.” username=””]
Passion Writing
No, we’re not writing romance blogs here (unless you’re so inclined). But you can write about topics that fire you up or get you excited about what you do. Those tend to be the most well-received blog posts, even if they have nothing to do with your business. They help your audience learn more about you as a person, allowing them to connect with you on a deeper level. I don’t know about you, but when I have a deeper connection with a client, I always end up enjoying the work that much more!
If you’re still struggling with what to write about, I have a list of 25 blog ideas for any business that I invite you to use and reuse! It’s “only” 25 ideas, but you’ll find you can repurpose them again and again!