WritingThoughts

Your small business needs a blog. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Blogging lets you build a relationship with your customers. You can answer questions and otherwise interact with them.

Your business blog demonstrates that you really know what you’re talking about.

Best of all, you control what is published. It’s a unique opportunity and not one to be wasted. Besides, if you don’t have a business blog, your competitor probably does.

But many small businesses get hung up with producing content. They don’t have time to do it or they don’t do it well.

It doesn’t have to be this way. In this post, I share six content ideas that most small business can use. I also share an easy fix for the problem of producing quality content.

If you liked this post, you may also like 4 Types of Blog Posts That (Almost) Anyone Can Write.

6 Ideas for Useful Business Blog Posts

Are you wondering what to publish on your small business blog? Look no further. Here are six practical post ideas for your small business blog:

1. Look to list posts for your own inspiration. List posts can be a great source of inspiration. Most lists cover a wide variety of ideas, but don’t go into any real depth on any of them. Pick a single list item from a good list post and write about that concept in detail to show your expertise.
2. Tell a good customer success story. Too many business blogs focus solely on their own successes, but to most readers this seems too much like heavy-handed marketing. Build customer loyalty by making a customer the star of your post. Besides, everyone likes to read a good success story.
3. Let your customers write. Take showcasing your customers one step further by offering a guest post slot to a customer. Look for high quality posts that are relevant to your readers. Everyone wins when you add helpful information to your blog. Plus, sharing another’s expertise builds your own.
4. Don’t overlook the power of images. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so shouldn’t you include a few images on your small business blog? Most blog readers would agree. Don’t forget about infographics, which can convey a lot of useful information at a glance.
5. Need to know posts. A “need to know” post should be a staple of your small business blog. It contains, not marketing material, but rather information that your customers must know to succeed. A need to know post could feature tax information, new legislation, or practical advice.
6. Mini-Tutorials. Mini-tutorials are a practical way to address customer concerns and answer common customer questions. If your customers always ask the same one or two questions, consider publishing a how-to post with step-by-step instructions to answer those questions. It will save you, and your customers, time.

Get a Steady Stream of Quality Content

One of the most common blogging problems that small businesses face is keeping up with their business blog. It’s not at all unusual for a small business to start a business blog and then abandon it.

Unfortunately, an abandoned business blog tends to erase the business benefits of blogging. Your customers may even conclude that you’re out of business.

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix. Hire someone.

Hiring a content manager for your business blog is not a cop out, as some would have you believe. Instead, it’s smart business. It frees you up to run your business.

You wouldn’t hesitate to outsource other aspects of your business. You shouldn’t hesitate to outsource your content either.

Take a look at any good small business blog. If the blog is updated regularly, odds are good that they’ve hired a professional to manage and produce blog content.

A good blog content manager can:

• Help you develop a blogging strategy.
• Write engaging and relevant posts.
• Curate relevant content to share.
• Find and edit guest authors.

To learn more about how a professional blogger can help your small business blog, read Why You Need to Hire a Professional Blogger.

Your Turn

Do you run or write for a small business blog?

What business blog post ideas would you add?