How to Generate Ideas for your Business Blog

Blog writing is not always easy for businesses. Unlike in a personal blog, as a business owner we can’t just talk all about ourselves and what we had for lunch. So if you have a business blog, what do you write about?

To determine the best topics for your business blog blog, you first have to ask yourself, “Who is my audience?” Spend some time thinking about who are they, what they care about, and what their pain points are.

Once you know this, start brainstorm possible blog ideas. Here are five of easy ways to get you thinking about good topics for your blog:

1. The customer profile – If you brag about yourself, it’s tacky. But if you get someone else to brag about you, it’s smart. In fact, writing profiles of your customers where they talk about why they’ve benefited from working with you is one of the most simple and effective blog strategies out there.

I used this strategy for about two years with a wholesaler, and wrote profiles of a different retailer every month. In each profile, I told the retailer’s story – how they got started, how they’ve grown and what they love about the business. I also asked them about the struggles they faced in their business and how they overcame them, and then asked them why they chose to carry products from the wholesaler. These blogs worked well because they resonated with the audience (which was made up of similar retailers), and they helped put the wholesaler’s products into a human context.

2. Tips – As a business owner, you have a lot of knowledge in your field that can help your clients. To establish yourself as an expert, write blogs that break down simple concepts into bite-sized tips. Remember, keep your audience in mind. What is it that they would like to know?

3. Anniversaries and Milestones – As you come up with a list of potential blog topics to use throughout the year, make sure to acknowledge milestones and anniversaries along the way. You can write about the 100th sale you’ve made, the fifth year you’ve been in business, or the work anniversary of one of your employees. Each of these emphasizes your longevity in the marketplace.

4. Seasonal tie-ins – In addition to thinking about your audience, you also want to think about timeliness. What is going on throughout the year that affects your customers, and how can you tie that into a blog? For example, a home remodeling company could write about designing fireplaces in the winter and building porches in the spring. A chiropractor could talk about reducing stress during the holidays or reducing injuries from running during the summer. The possibilities are endless.

5. Commenting on News Items – Writing a blog based on current events can be a great way to get your blog shared with lots of people on social media. For example, one of my clients is an improv comedy teacher, and he recently published blogs about Robin Williams’ death and the Big Bang Theory actors getting $1 million per episode contracts. A word of warning, however: Steer clear of talking too much about politics or other controversial subjects in your blog, because you do not want to alienate customers. Instead, use topical subjects as a jumping off point to talk about something relevant to your audience.

Have any other good blog writing ideas? Let us know!