Blix Interactive - Established 2001

15 Ideas for your Business Blog

If your last blog post was on the 24th of August 2009 then this series is for you. Over the next few weeks I will be writing a series of posts that will help turn your blog section from an empty wasteland into a resource flourishing with visitor engagement. So let's get started!

One of the most difficult aspects of running a blog is coming up with ideas on a regular basis, just posting the odd piece of news is not going to cut it. Today we are going to go through 15 ideas for your business blog.

1. Write a series- Just as I am doing with this blog series, if you have a lot of information you want to share with your customers on one subject then write a series about it. This is great way to turn casual readers into subscribers. 
2. Posts a customer success story -If you receive a fantastic testimonial from a customer then ask for permission to turn it into a blog post. Explain what you did for that customer to receive that awesome feedback!
3. Comparison- Show off your expertise by comparing related products or services.
4. Staff profiles & interviews- People love to know who they are dealing with, give a human element to your online presence by interviewing current or new staff. Try and add some extra personality by asking a few comical questions.
5. Write about something controversial -There is no better way spark conversation than to write about something controversial. 
6. Make a link resource -If you have read several interesting articles on a topic then put them together into a single post of the best ideas.
7. Show your charity work- If you give back to the community then post a write up or a video of the work you have done.
8. Provide free guides and resources- People love free information, especially if it is something that is not readily available. Be prepared to give a little away for free to help show your expertise and draw readers in.
9. Contests -Offer a prize for the most interesting customer suggestion.
10. Guest posts -Allow industry experts, local celebrities or even customers to write a post for your site. This is a great way of getting different opinions expressed on your site. 
11. How to posts -How to posts are great, explain how to use your product or service.  For example an estate agent could write about "How to prepare your home for sale", insurance broker could write about "How to get a better deal on your car insurance ". You get the idea.
12. Take a poll - You can easily do this using a service such as SurveyMonkey.
13. Keyword posts -Have a look at your Google Analytics to see which keywords are bringing traffic to your site but don't have a dedicated landing page. Then write posts on these topics.
14. Comment on news -How are current events affecting your customers? Stay up to date with news related to your business and look out for items to discuss.
15. Look at your competitors -There is nothing wrong with looking at your competitors for inspiration. Pick the best ideas from their blogs and then produce better versions. These don't even have to be your direct competitors, look at what companies are doing in other locations and countries.

That should be enough to keep your blog filled with quality posts for the next few months. Next week we are going to go through how to make and use an editorial calendar for your blog, this will help you organize your team and ensure content is regularly posted. We may even throw in a free template for you to use.