The devil’s in what to write about. Business blogging content ideas.

One of the hardest things about business blogging is that you have to come up with something to write about constantly.  And I can tell you from personal experience that if you don’t plan topics ahead, you’ll be dead in the water in no time.

Planning is critical.  Read my post about it.  (Case in point — this blog is over 2 weeks late due to lack of planning.)

What should be in your editorial schedule?  Certainly not self-serving, heavily promotional stuff.  Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.  Think about their issues and concerns.  Then make your blog a place to come for helpful, knowledgeable assistance.

But that’s pretty vague and you want specifics.  So here are some specific blog content ideas that I’ve used.

Repurpose Existing Content  If you already have whitepapers and case histories, you may be able to rewrite them as blogposts.  Long whitepapers may even become two posts.

Conduct Survey and Blog About Results  Ask your customers and prospects a question or 3 that are relevant to your industry.  Gather the results.  Then report them and add your opinion in a blogpost.

Share and Comment on Industry Articles   It’s easy to set up internet feeds on relevant topics.  When something good shows up, create a “sandwich” blogpost:  write an intro, share the link to the article, and create a conclusion that showcases your thoughts on the article.

Infographics  Look at some of your existing content.  Can anything be pictorial-ized?  If so, you can have a graphic designer create an infographic that can be the basis of a blogpost.  House the file on your website so readers have to go there to download the infographic.

Crowdsource  Blog Ideas  Ask blog readers what topics they’d like you to cover.

Answer Customer Questions  Your sales and customer service departments are great resources for finding out what questions people have.  Common questions should lead to answers that can become blogposts.

Comment on Current Trends  A review of the articles your feeds are turning up should give you a sense of trends.  You can also watch competitors.  When you spot a trend, write about it in the blog.

Interview Industry Experts  Interviews can turn into “how-to” lectures or commentaries on the state of the industry.  Either makes interesting blog content.

Lists   Create short lists of tips, especially information that’s in high demand but short supply. Or you could provide the kind of information that helps customers use your type of product.  Lists can often be turned into posters.   Today’s list could be tomorrow’s infographic, giving you another blogpost.

Resource Collections – Compile collections of resources according to a keyword or theme. If you find resources that don’t normally get included together, it can be especially powerful.    It can take time to build this kind of collection, so this is not a last-minute tactic.

Other Authors  Others in your company, like technicians, applications engineers, executives, have unique expertise and perspectives to share.  You’ll need to help them out by defining a topic.

Use these ideas to create a plan for your blog.  And please let me know what else has worked for you

Tell them about it. Promoting your business blog.

If you’ve decided a blog is right for your business, you’ve invested time and money into planning, researching, and writing.  But once you hit the “Publish” button, your work’s not over.  There’s more to be done.

Blogs are passive, the idea being that the right blog will attract the right people.  But I don’t believe in just letting it happen.  I recommend you prime the pump by promoting your business blog in the right places.  If you don’t take this step, you run the risk of having your blog  join the ever-growing ranks of unread and languishing publications.

Here are some ideas for business blog promotion:

1. Email marketing to customers and prospects.  It makes sense to let your biggest fans know what you’re writing about.  You can use email to let customers and prospects know you have a blog.  You can also use an email marketing program like MailChimp or Constant Contact to send regular notices when you have a new post or two.
2. Put a notice about the blog on your LinkedIn status.  This is a must for business blogs since it will alert your LinkedIn connections.
3. Add your blog as a discussion on your relevant LinkedIn groups. Since LinkedIn is a business-oriented social network, this is another must that will extend your reach to group members.  You can simply add your blog, or better, start a discussion to which you can post your blog as good advice.
4. Find relevant industry discussion groups, and post there.  The first step is to find the venues.  Then monitor discussions over time to see what topics are of interest and how you might fit in.  Often, the technique of starting a discussion to which you can later post your blog works well.
5. Post on Twitter, Google + and Facebook.  Even if your audience doesn’t use these social networks, posting here doesn’t hurt.  If nothing else, there’s SEO value.
6. Commenting on relevant blogs.  This first requires researching relevant blogs.  Then post comments now and then when you have something of value to say.  Other readers may check you out and find your blog.
7. Guest posting.  If you find other, non-competing bloggers on your topic, invite them to write a post for your blog.  (Be very clear in your directions to them.)  They may return the favor, putting you in front of their readers.

The objective of all of these ideas is to get the right folks to read your blog, visit your website, think you’re a good company to do business with, and, hopefully. buy something.  That would make your investment of time and money worthwhile.

Here are more blog promotion ideas.

Starting out. Getting your business blog going.

You’ve decided your business needs to publish a blog.   (See my previous post on what to think about in making the decision.)    How do you start?  Here are some things to think about:

1. Name  Your “baby” needs a name.  Choose something simple and relevant.  You can use one or several professional writers to come up with name ideas.  Or crowd-source names from employees, customers, or both.
2. Platform  There are quite a few blog platforms out there, each with its own quirks, advantages, and drawbacks.  Think about what you need before you make a choice.  Whatever you choose, make sure the platform’s easy to use when it comes to adding text and visuals, gives you good usage metrics, alerts you to comments, and lets you schedule posts.
   
3. Length  There used to be a kind of unwritten rule that posts were no longer than 300-400 words.  Now I see posts that go on and on.  Me, I believe in keeping things short and to-the-point.  You can always include links for those who want to know more.  But if longer works for you, go for it.
4. Design  Once you settle on a platform, you may find a template that works.  The price is right.  FREE!  But using a template means giving up some of your unique identity.  For a one-of-a-kind design work with a designer who’ll create a design based on your needs and wants.  My advice?  Keep it simple, easy to read, and easily identifiable as yours.
5. Tone/voice  Since a blog is where your company shows up in public, think about how you want to sound.  I think blogs should be conversational and authentic.  How would you describe your company’s personality?  How do customers described it?  If you’re happy with these descriptions, then they can point you towards your authentic tone.
6. Schedule  Some personal blogs get updated daily.  I think business blogs can publish weekly or every other week.  If you don’t feel you can keep up this schedule, maybe a newsletter would be better.   I strongly recommend sticking to a regular publishing schedule so readers can rely on you.  As for best day of the week and time of day.  It varies.  Do some experimenting and see when you get the best readership.  Experiment again in about 6 months.  Things change.
7. Who does what  Who are your authors going to be?  Who’s going to write the posts?  (You might want a professional writer or editor to pen posts for your staff.)  Who approves posts for publication?  Who’s assigned to keeping it all on schedule?  I’m a great believer in the power of planning.  Get these details defined up front and minimize problems later.