Blogging can seem like a daunting task for many business owners — who has the time? When we work with a client, we frequently recommend adding a blog to their website if they don’t already have one, in order to establish thought leadership within their industry, which immediately elicits questions about what to write about (once they find the time, that is).

A great blog is topical and conversational, plus makes your brand knowable, shareable, and relatable. The key to effective blogging is to not over-think it and keep the interests of your customers and clients in mind. So, if you’re struggling to create content for your blog, here’s a list of suggestions to help you get started.

 

See What Others Are Writing About

Part of being a good blogger is reading other blogs, so take time to browse industry blogs and look for topics that you’d like to write about. Obviously, you don’t want to re-state what’s already being said, but you can put your own spin on a topic that people are already talking about.

 

Talk to Co-Workers

Talking to people in other departments can give you a fresh perspective on your company. Your customer service and sales departments are talking to customers, clients, and prospects everyday. Find out what questions come up frequently.

 

Read Your Email

Emails received from customers and clients can serve as a huge inspiration — what kinds of questions are they asking? What are their pain points?

 

Write a How-To Article

Give instructions with either screenshots or a bulleted list of directions

 

Share your Expertise

Create an e-book or a white paper and post it on your website. Share an excerpt with a call to action to download it for the rest of the information. This is a great lead generation tool. You could also share your slides from a recent presentation

 

Work That Webinar

Are you hosting a webinar in the near future? Share an excerpt with a call to action to get the rest of the content in the webinar.

 

All the News That Matters

Do a weekly or daily roundup of links to relevant news for your industry.

 

Put That Conference to Work

Did you attend a conference or other industry-related event recently? What did you learn from it?

 

Incorporate Other Platforms

Utilize Slideshare to create a presentation of new statistics related to your industry and share that in a blog post.

 

What’s New?

Put a fresh spin on research in your industry by offering your own perspective. Offer a fresh angle to spark conversation.

 

So What?

Put topics into perspective for your audience by explaining what a current event or topic in the news means for your industry or community. For example: “What ____ Means for ____.” “Why _____ Matters for _____.”

 

Guest Bloggers

Guest posts from industry experts can bring a ton of new traffic to your blog, especially if they are a popular or credible source.

 

Be a Journalist

Are you in the know about breaking news in your field? If so, be the first to offer takeaways.

 

Speaking of Breaking News

Your blog is a great place to share company news. Be sure to talk about it in a way that makes it about the reader. For example, if you have a new service or product, talk about how it will benefit your reader. Always offer value.

 

Still at a loss for ideas? We can help! Email us at solutions@origobranding.com.