Where to Find Content For Blog Posts
A great blog will provide value to your visitors, demonstrate your industry authority, and increase traffic. Coming up with interesting blog post ideas can be tricky at times, so here are a few places you can find inspiration.
Comments, Messages and Emails from Your Customers
Read your blog’s comments section, and scan messages, comments and mentions on social media profiles. Think about what your clients ask you over the phone, via email or on the job. Is there a recurring theme? Have you received the same question over and over?
One of the greatest things about blogs is their ability to encourage engagement and build relationships. Addressing common questions and concerns in a blog post shows your customers that you are really listening and that you have the knowledge to answer.
If you haven’t had any questions lately, ask your customers what they want to know.
Other Great Blogs
Don’t be afraid to grab ideas from blogs you enjoy reading. Not just in terms of topics and content, but also use of images, layouts or blog post series ideas. If there is something you really like about someone else’s blog, try it out on your own.
Other great blogs and blog posts can be just the inspiration you need. However, you should never copy content directly.
Analytics
Take a look at your blog’s analytics. Are there any posts that continue to be read months, or even years, after they were published?
If yes, you know this content works. Create another blog post that adds, explains, or gives an alternative solution to this content. You already know your visitors are interested, so what else can you say?
Once published, don’t forget to go back and edit the old post with a link to the new and improved version.
Trending Content
Trending content can tell you what people want to read right now. However, trending content is often related to celebrities and current affairs – these topics probably won’t be suitable for your business’s blog.
Here are two ways you can see popular content in your industry:
Google Trends
Google Trends can show you the most popular searches in your country, and you can tailor these searches to relate to your industry. Simply search key words, and find out the most popular search phrases relating to those key words.
Let’s illustrate with an example. You’re an electrician, and you want to write a blog post about electrical safety. You search ‘electrical safety’ in Google Trends, and this is what you see:
These are the most popular search phrases relating to electrical safety at this time in Australia. Now, let’s check out the ‘Rising’ tab. This will show which search phrases are gaining popularity.
‘Electrical safety equipment’ and ‘electrical fire safety’ are two popular search phrases that you could use to create a blog post.
Buzzsumo.com
Buzzsumo.com is a site that allows you to search a phrase, and to see the most shared content relating to that phrase. You can sort search results according to popularity on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus.
Let’s use the ‘electrical safety’ example again. Here are the results:
Electric blanket safety tips, and electrical workplace safety are two more useable blog post ideas.
Guest Writers
Why not ask authors from different blogs to create a guest post? Or, send an email to someone in your industry suitable for interviewing. All you need to do is write up the questions.
Not only will your blog post write itself, but you will also have exposure to your guest writer’s readers and followers.
If you don’t have the time to come up with great blog ideas regularly, then we can help you out. Feel free to give us a call on 1300 554 495, or send us a quick email, and we’ll get back to you.
