Did someone just ruin your day by telling you your business should start a blog? Was it me? (ducking and running…)
Starting a blog can seem like an overwhelming task upon first considering it. All the fears and worries from high school English class might have come back up. But don’t worry, I am here to let you know it isn’t as bad as it seems.
The benefits will outweigh your overwhelm once you get into a rhythm of creating great content.
Picture the end goal
Take a minute and picture what life will be like ….
- You have become known for your expertise and generosity in sharing great information.
- Your customers are more engaged and they depend on you for valuable information.
- Leads roll in with ease.
- Your content helps move cold leads through their journey from lead to loyal customer to raving fan.
- You save money you would have spent on advertising.
- Your sales have increased because your reach will grow.
- Many of your customers will be people that might never have found you if you continued with traditional methods of outreach.
Does that help with a little inspiration? Creating content is not a method for getting rich quick, but it’s a great, stable method to gradually increase your online presence to build your business organically.
What should I write about for my small business blog?
Now that you have a vision, let’s roll up our sleeves and I can walk you through coming up with content ideas.
A general note about blogging: your customer and their problems or pain points and how your company can solve them is the focus of every blog post. This is not a journal about your business. The goal is to show what products or information you have that can help your customer with their problem.
That being said, there are many angles you can take all while being authentically helpful.
Here are some ways to come up with ideas:
- The “about” page is where you can tell a bit about you and the story of your business. But it needs to demonstrate what you offer to your customer. Even though it is called the “about” page, it is actually not only about you!
- What are the most common questions or problems your customers bring to you? Just brainstorming from this list will give you many, many topics from which to write. You can answer these questions in many ways.
- A How-to Tutorial post complete with pictures or video
- A review about a unique product you carry that will solve their problem
- A case study about how a customer solved their problem using the resources you provided
- A description or explanation of the work you do, and if you provide a service, why they should consider hiring you to do the work instead of trying to do it themselves
- Product spotlights will help you sell a certain product to solve a common customer problem.
- Notification of sales or in-store promotions or events.
- Related topics. This category is more about thinking outside the box. It is here that you will set yourself apart as a truly valuable resource. If you think about what problems you solve a lot for your customers, what are other topics related to those problems? This is where you get to really be creative and think about all the ways you can provide value to your customer. (pro tip: If you are coming up short for ideas, you can always go to Google and begin typing in your topic, but stop and look at the list that Google suggests for you. This will help get you thinking about your topic in a new way.)
For example:
- If you are a dance studio, maybe you could write about hair styles, stretches, the importance of warming up or cooling down, nutrition, how to prep for head shots, what to consider with college or summer program auditions, etc.
- A hardware store might not only spotlight certain tools, but provide tutorials of how to fix common problems, or steps you need to follow for a project such as how to prep a walls for painting, showcase a contractor in the area, write a series about a renovation project, or let their base know about a great upcoming home show in the area.
- A Garden Store might write about when and how to plant seeds in the spring, how to clean up in the fall, a brand of fertilizer or a natural way to deal with weeds. They might also expand into a special hand cleaner or cream for gardeners or write a testimonial about the best way to hydrate while spending a day working in the garden.
- A restaurant could share a recipe, give tips on cleaning, ideas for hosting a party at home, give a framework of ideas for throwing together a new dinner out of leftovers, a list of what to put in your garden to have awesome salads all summer, etc.
How to collect ideas
Once you start your blog, you will always be thinking about what you will write about next. I keep a notebook with me at all times to write down those fleeting thoughts that might turn into a great post (if I only remember it). You never know when inspiration will strike.
I find that brainstorming ideas is super helpful. Once you get those ideas flowing, so many will come to you. One idea will lead to another, and you will suddenly have a plan to write about so many things. The hardest part will be to choose which one and begin.
Now there is only one thing for you to do, start brainstorming your ideas!
On Your Way
You are now on your way to being seen as a subject area expert in your niche. Your customers will engage with you and their loyalty will increase, and new leads will easily find you. What are you waiting for? Time to get started.
I have created for you the exact template I use to brainstorm and help get my creative juices flowing! Feel free to download it below, and use it as the first step to help launch the blog for your business!
Want help?
My goal is to support you and your business in whichever way is best for you. If you’d like to get started creating your own content, then the instructions above will be a great place to get started. I am available to coach you through the process.
If all of that doesn’t sound like where you’d like to be spending your time, then give me a call! I can become your content partner and would be happy to discuss my content packages with you. One less thing for you to worry about gives you the space you need to move your business forward in the ways that light you up.