Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of blogging is generating enough blog post ideas that engage readers.
The purpose of most blogs is lead generation for a business. To that end, potential customers need and want solid information that shows you’re an industry insider and have credibility.
With a little work in the background new blog post concepts can be continually generated on a regular basis. This article gives you some things you can do to keep your blog fresh, without rehashing old stale topics.
Use Google Alert
A blogger’s friend for finding new topics is Google Alerts. This great service from search engine giant Google allows you to get a weekly, daily, or as-it-happens email listing of news for keywords you select. You can get the aggregate list of articles from either news sources, blogs, discussions, videos, or all of the above to monitor keywords from your industry.
When a news story hits, your blog can be the first to explain complex aspects of the news or join in the discussion.
Case Studies
Customers are usually more than willing to get the extra publicity generated by featuring their application in a case study on your blog. You may have to write around sensitive or confidential information, but general descriptions of how you helped a customer is good for both your businesses.
A few additional tips when writing up a case study:
- Micromachining service provider Potomac Photonics has exceptional in-house photography of customers’ micro-parts so that their blog posts always have high visual impact.
- Interviews with someone about the project give your blog post credibility, and most happy customers are willing to share positive comments.
Tutorials
After working in a field for many years, bloggers need to remember that what is old hat to them is new to potential customers.
A series on “When to Choose X Product or Service” can be a good reference if it is factual and not written too much like a sales pitch. People want to be educated in blog posts, so use a light touch on the sales aspect. If they like what you write, they’ll navigate over to the sales area of your website.
References from your industry’s trade association materials can help educate without sales, further improving your credibility.
Book Reviews
Since everyone is busier than ever these days, knowing whether or not to take the time to read a book is a valuable service to your blog readers. Book reviews should give a clear picture of content quality and implications for your market.
A phone interview with the author is usually easy to arrange and also adds something unique to your review since you’ll have a new, fresh quote to add. Mixing in book reviews can also leverage links from publishers and other news sources to increase your blogs page ranking in search engines. Blogs such as food site Lottie + Doof don’t just post recipes; they also incorporate new cookbook reviews for added impact.
Celebrity Interviews
There is nothing like name recognition to boost readership of your blog. When combined with social media posts on Twitter or Facebook, an interview with a celebrity in your field will bring new readers to your blog, plus it will increase your Google page rank.
Getting interviews with big Hollywood names may not be easy unless you have substantial readership numbers, but within your local geographic area or industry market segment, smaller names are hungry for media attention. It’s astonishing how many celebrities will say “Yes!” to your interview requests.
The key to keeping ideas coming for your blog is to create a routine for staying on top of your topic area. These simple methods will guarantee you never run out of fresh, informative, and engaging content.
About the Author: Sarah Boisvert is an author specializing in business topics including marketing and promotion, as well as social media and online platforms. She has most recently written about problems with Ripoff Report and media hype in 3D printing.
