Perhaps the most daunting task to businesses venturing into the blogging realm is coming up with content marketing topics consistently and continuously. We at Fresh Figs Marketing consider it an acrobatic feat of idea-generation and angling. Topic creation is key to the process of companies providing appropriate and valuable content to share with their audiences. Constant idea generation keeps bloggers from paralysis; either the paralysis of not knowing what to write about, or the paralysis of feeling you have exhausted your subject and have nothing left to say.
Brainstorming is not the only activity that allows you to light upon various subjects. What will help produce content is understanding how to choose topics, not just sitting down and writing whatever comes to mind. Blogs that cover too many subjects lack consistency, direction, and a center for going forward. An electrical contractor who blogs about the biology of snails is talking about things irrelevant to their business and to internet searchers looking for a trusted electrician to fix their home’s breaker system. Topic generation is as much about finding something to write about as it is engaging potential and current customers. Business blogging is content marketing after all; you are trying to point people to your business.
Here are several strategies to employ when deciding what to blog about next:
Keep topics within your business’ area of expertise. As with the misguided electrical company, businesses who don’t blog about their area of expertise are missing a huge opportunity to sell their services or products. When you can write skillfully about what your business has to offer, you give your reader a reason to seek you out. Tackling subjects outside your area takes attention off your core service and doesn’t convert to garnering more clients. Limiting yourself to your business can actually make coming up with ideas easier, as you can eliminate those topics that get in the way of letting your expertise be the star of your content marketing.
Topic should be appropriate or applicable to your audience. Without losing focus on your business, you also need to remember your audience—who you are writing for greatly determines what you should write about. Consider what your current customers have trouble with. Use keywords people might search if they are looking for your kind of business or when trying to fix a problem themselves that you can solve. Writing down a list of questions your clients consistently ask you is a great source for topics, and can give an internet searcher a sense of what your business can do for them. If your main service is creating, such as interior designers, sharing a walk-through of a project you completed, with pictures and an explanation of your choices, gives potential clients a taste of your work and expertise. Project highlights or client stories can fuel your blog as long as you keep creating and finding compelling solutions.
Zoom out, break it down, and angle. Topics can be broad or super specific. Breaking a large topic down into pieces can give you a long list of new topics, allowing you to address details you couldn’t have otherwise. Tackling a topic from another perspective allows you to write about the same subject you’ve written about already. The angling strategy is great to pull out when you feel you have covered all relevant topics. Whip out some old blogs and see if there is another aspect you didn’t address before.
Change the format. How you relay information affects how the information is received. From trying your hand at a how-to video, or an infographic if you have a graphic-savvy person in-house, mixes up your usual content and opens a new avenue of how your customers can interact with you. This handy little blog, Does Your Marketing Reflect How Your Customers Process Information, explains this concept more in depth.
Topic generation is vital to producing vibrant content that keeps readers engaged. Every business has a wealth of subjects to choose from to keep their blog afloat in the vast waters of the internet. If you need help with your blogging endeavors, Fresh Figs Marketing is here to guide you through the process. We have the writing skills and digital marketing experience to create quality blogs that help you spread your message and provide value to your customers. Contact us here, or call (860) 670-6595.
