How to Choose Blog Post Topics for Your Business
What should I blog about? This may be the most common question when it comes to keeping up your web presence. And there’s no one easy answer. It really comes down to pen, paper, observation and your brain. But what do you brainstorm about? And how do you start? Here’s some guidance on how to choose blog post topics for your business.
Keep it professional
Don’t talk about personal stuff on your business blog. This can be confusing because in other places online, like social media pages, there’s a lot of mixing between business and personal. Why not on your blog? Why not throw in a “fun” post every now and then?
Because different platforms call for different kinds of content. Your blog is the place where you give your readers valuable information that pertains directly to your products or services. That’s what readers expect when they click to read your blog. If you’re a coffee company, no one is looking for a post on fashion or baking tips. Make sure all of your content is purposeful for your audience.
P.S. A separate personal blog can help your overall platform, especially if you’re an independent entrepreneur, by helping people get to know you. So if you want to start a separate blog project, go for it! But don’t mix topics. (If you want to start one, I can help with that, too. Click here!)
SEO
Find out what your visitors are searching in order to find you. Look up the search terms you rank for to help you design what you’re blogging about. And once you write about a topic, make sure you incorporate the search term you’re using into the headline of your post.
Click here for a headline guide!
FAQ
Mine your customer feedback and questions for blogging ideas. What are the most common questions you get asked about your niche? Take each question and expand your answer into a blog post.
Getting those answers solidified in full-length blog posts serves two purposes. First, it helps you establish yourself as an authority in your industry. Second, it gives you a handy link so that every time you’re asked the same question in the future, you don’t have to type it out again. Win-win!
Listen
If you’re paying attention to feedback from your customers, it means you’re listening. And listening can give you great ideas. Once a friend of mine said, “Content marketing just feels like I’m sitting on the side of the road at a lemonade stand.” She just felt like she was waiting for buyers to mosey on by.
I took this and ran with it in, using the opportunity to explain the what and WHY behind content marketing. These feedback and comments are a gold mine—go into a detailed answer in a blog post in order to address a pain point of your audience. HIghlight the stories you encounter.
Products That Complement Your Work
Your customers use different products and services that work in tandem with yours all the time. Highlight some of them by writing up product or company profiles or by talking about their niche in your industry.
For instance, if you run a hair salon, you could profile a line of hair care products you sell, talk about the origins of the company that makes them or even introduce the sales rep who sells them to you. If you’re a service provider, talk about others who provide services in the same industry. If you’re a family photographer, you could blog about maternity clothing you love or online educational tools for kids. Think holistic when you blog.
Industry Trends and Competition
What’s your competition blogging about? What are common topics in your industry? Any news and trends that are affecting your specific target audience directly? Make a big list and plug them into your editorial calendar. Your audience wants to know what you think.
Tried-and-True Brainstorming Sessions
You can always throw open the doors of your mind and do a good old-fashioned idea-generating session. Get your giant sticky pads and markers out and read up on Elise Darma — she has brilliant ideas about how to generate blog post ideas.
One is to split a piece of paper into a quadrant and label them SAW, HEARD, DID and DOODLE. Then start putting ideas into each square. This is great for coming up with topics for social posts but you’ll likely capture some great ideas for blog posts while you’re at it.
For more info on how to make blogging work for your business, check out my comprehensive guide on the basics of blogging!
