It’s easy to become frustrated when writing business blogs. Depending on the industry, you may feel like you’re running out of ideas or aren’t keeping your blog interesting enough, which won’t encourage new readership. However, the Internet is chalk full of fresh ideas for your business blogs, you just need to know where to look. Here are 10 steps for finding new and interesting content for your business blogs according to Kipp Bodnar’s blog post “10 Simple Strategies for Business Blog Content.”
Compile industry information. There’s plenty of great information online. Make your blog all about collecting popular industry stats, photos, videos and articles. This gives readers a place to find all the information they want to know about the industry in one place. Many people will begin relying on you for breaking industry news, which will up your readership and credibility. Make sure to always give credit to the source of the information when you’re aggregating content.
Answer Questions. Check your email and with your sales and support teams to figure out what customers really want to know about your product or service. After you generate a list of questions, write a blog post for each that answers them in simple language (without any industry jargon) that your customers can understand.
Find Guest Authors. Seek out other experts and industry leaders in your industry and ask them to contribute an article for your blog. Many people will take you up on your offer (for free) in order to gain more exposure and links back to their own Websites.
Don’t just rely on text. Publish videos and utilize photos, charts and graphs within your blog. If there is an industry event or trade show, take photos and the next day, publish them with captions as your only blog post. It’s okay to take a break from text once in a while. Think about what other information would be interesting and useful to your readers that doesn’t involve text and try it today.
Make a list. Lists are quick and easy to read and people love them. Summarize other information in your own words using numbers or bullet points. Lists can be a how-to, best-of, truths and myths, do’s and dont’s, etc. They also are good for coming up with a new angle on a well-known topic.
Write an opinion article. Every industry has controversial topics. Pick a couple of hot topics and write an opinion article about the issue. Opinion blog posts usually attract more visitors and comments that neutral posts.
Use charts and graphs. Use interesting data about the industry to compile a chart that your readers might find interesting and/or valuable.
Check out your Website analytics. Analytics will show you who is reading your blog. You can see where they live, what kind of computer they’re using, how they’re finding you and other useful information that can help you cater to them more directly.
Review Industry Books. After reading some industry books (preferably new), make a video review or write a review for your readers. Make sure to point out both the good and bad aspect of the book and point out parts that you think your readers will especially love.
Be a reporter. Always stay up on the most recent and breaking news in your industry and try to post it as soon as possible. That way, your blog readers will begin to see you as a trusted expert in the field and rely on you for the industry news. Your blog will begin to show up on the search engine results pages more too because search engines place an added value on the first sites to discuss a subject.
Using these 10 tips to help generate content for your business blog provided by Kipp Bodnar’s blog post will surely help increase your readership and build your credibility and reputation as a valued industry expert.
