Keeping your business blog updated is one of those jobs that’s never done. As soon as you get one post up, you need to start thinking about the next one. And coming up with posts that your target audience wants to read is no small task.
The good news is that you already have a great resource for generating blog post topics: you.
Your expertise and insights can be incredibly valuable to others. Here are some tips on tapping into your expertise and determining what will be the most valuable to your target audience.
What questions do you get asked repeatedly?
Some of the best blog posts are those that directly answer questions your customers have.
What questions do you find yourself answering over and over? Turn your answers into blog posts. Your audience will thank you and you’ll have a nice resource to direct people to when they ask.
For example, say you’re a vintage furniture seller. One of the questions you’re asked repeatedly is how to get scratches out of wooden antiques. Put together a helpful blog post titled “How to Get Scratches Out of Antique Furniture.” Share all your best tips, tools and instructions with your readers. This positions you as an expert and provides a valuable resource for your customers and future customers.
What tools do you use that will make things easier for your customers?
In the day-to-day of running your business, what tools have you come across that have made your life better or easier? Are any of them tools your customers might also appreciate? Round your favorites up into a nice collection of useful tools, or give each one a blog post of its own.
Tools and resources that you may not give much thought to can be a revelation for someone struggling with a problem the tool can fix.
For example: say you’re an online teacher who has developed a system for organizing and streamlining your workflow. What you’ve developed, even though it may be customized for your unique needs, may be incredibly valuable to another, less organized teacher who is struggling to stay on top of everything.
In this case, you may not be hitting your spot-on target audience (unless you teach teachers), but you’re establishing yourself as a standout in your industry.
What mistakes do you see your customers making that can be easily fixed?
Having worked many years in a record store, I’ve seen loads of people mishandle vinyl records. Newcomers to the format who don’t know not to touch the playing surface because you’ll get all kinds of oil and dirt in the grooves would grab the record with their sweaty, grimy fingers.
A great blog post for a record store blog would be to do a rundown of the most common mistakes people make with their vinyl, and, more importantly, how to avoid or remedy the mistakes. This post would be a nice evergreen, meaning that it would stay relevant and valuable indefinitely.
A fun way to frame posts like this is, “Are You Making These Common Mistakes with Your Vinyl?”
You can translate this to any industry and showcase your expertise and hard-earned wisdom. Here are some examples from other industries:
- Are You Making These Common Mistakes with Your Flower Arrangements?
- Are You Making These Common Mistakes with Your Swimming Stroke?
- Are You Making These Common Mistakes with Your Event Planning?
The trick is to find out where your customers are making mistakes and provide alternatives that will take them from newbie to in-the-know.
Take time to brainstorm your strengths, expertise and unique skill-set, as well as your customers’ pain points and questions, and you can use your blog to grow your audience and better position yourself in your industry.
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