Blogging

3 Tips for Creating Brilliant Content for Your Small Business Blog

Like it or hate it, blogging is an important part of your small business’ overall marketing scheme. It educates, informs and engages your audience and positions your small business an authority in its field.

But even good writers will admit that writing isn’t easy. A lack of inspiration, time, or the dreaded writer’s block can all make blogging about as much fun as a root canal.

However, you don’t have to be the next Hemingway create brilliant content for your small business blog. You just need to put these tips to use next time you sit down in front of your computer.

1. Get Inspired

Ideation is often one of the toughest parts of blogging. It’s hard to come up with compelling, new topics on a regular basis.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out some question-and-answer sites online. Quora and Yahoo Answers can be treasure troves of blog post ideas. Plug in your keywords (refrigerator repair, accounting services, zombie apocalypse weaponry, etc.) and you’ll see a ton of questions real people have about the topic. Pick one of the questions and address it in your blog post, and voila — new content!

You should also pay attention to trending topics on Facebook and Twitter, and try to come up with ideas that tie into real world events.

Don’t be afraid to have a little fun with your blog post either. Sure, a mainstream post about gopher management could be useful, but a post written from the perspective of the gopher your lawn care business relocated last week will likely draw more attention!

2. Find Your Focus

Sometimes the problem isn’t that you don’t have enough ideas – it’s that you have too many. This is where focus comes into play.

What is the primary reason for your small business blog? Is it to drum up business? Inform people about your company? Teach them how to do something? Whatever the reason, stay true to it when you sit down to write posts.

Adding categories to your blog can also help you stay on track…and make it easier for readers to find the content they want. Determine a few that suit your focus, then make sure everything you post falls into at least one of your categories. Tag your posts so you can refer to them later, and make your blog searchable.

3. Give ‘Em Something to Talk About

A blog post should provide value to your readers, but it also should provide some value to you, too.

It’s not always easy to get people talking. So try ending each blog post with a pointed question and encourage them to respond on social media. A how-to blog post on carpet cleaning, for instance, could end with: “What’s your favorite DIY stain remover?” or “What is the worst stain you’ve ever tried to remove?”

Once people respond, start a dialogue. Create a rapport. Throw out a coupon code every once in a while to keep them coming back for more.

A well-written blog is great, but an engaged audience will definitely give you — and your small business — the edge.

A blog is an essential component of your small business’ marketing strategy, but we understand that not everyone can channel their inner J.K. Rowling. And that’s OK!

Drop Mischa Communications a line, and let us help you find your words.