10 Ways To Brainstorm Blog Post Ideas

Getting your business's blog started can feel daunting - coming up with ideas for what to write about may seem impossible! In this post, I'm outlining 10 different ways you can brainstorm content ideas for your blog strategy - no marketing degree required.

Start with your 'Why'

As entrepreneurs, we're often told to reflect on our 'Why' - why we started our businesses, and why we're so passionate about what we do. ⁠And while that's a very important 'Why', there's another that often gets overlooked...⁠"Why should people buy from you?" 🤔⁠⠀⁠⠀Now, there's a couple of different pieces of this question that you should be writing about.⁠

1. Why should someone buy your product or service in general?⁠ Especially if you have a niche or high-value offering, you may need to explain why what you provide is worthwhile, and reasons that people should invest in your product or service. Give an overview of the uses, benefits, and outcomes. ⁠

2. Specifically, why should people buy from YOU? ⁠In high-competition industries where there are hundreds, or thousands, of people selling the same product or providing the same service, what makes you unique and special? Why should someone work with you, instead of another business? Outline your client experience, unique value proposition, or differentiator. ⁠

3. Who are these people that should buy? Who does your product or service benefit?⁠⠀If your product or service is new to the market, or you are targeting a specific audience, create content that is tailored to them! If your ideal customer is a mom, or college students, or recent retirees, create blog posts that speak to that audience specifically, and explain why your business is such a good fit for them.⁠

4. Once these people buy from you, how can it be used? ⁠⠀Provide case studies, suggestions, and content around the outcomes of using your product or service. ⁠These are foundational blog post topics that can help alleviate friction points when you are making a sale, attract your ideal client, and help potential customers make an easier decision to work with you. 

Behind the Scenes of Your Business

This is one where people start to get nervous...⁠"If I give away my knowledge for free, then no one will want to pay me!"⁠ Au contraire, my friend. You NEED to give your knowledge away so people will pay you!⁠ Would you fork over hundreds or thousands of dollars to someone who just said, "Trust me!"⁠ Or would you rather see that they are an expert at what they do, clearly know their stuff on a variety of topics, and can explain how their business or service works?⁠ Frankly, most people don't want to do it themselves. Your ideal client is likely very busy, and looking for someone to take things off their plate - prove to them that you're the one for the job! Sharing behind the scenes info, tips and tricks, and professional advice is one of the best ways to establish yourself as the go-to person in your industry to work with⁠ A great place to start is with the building blocks of your service or industry. By providing enough information, you can help potential clients feel like they're making an informed decision before sealing the deal with you. 

Ask the Customer Service Experts

No one knows your clients better than the ones helping them day in and day out. These may be your customer service reps, front-line retail staff, or yourself!⁠ What type of questions do you hear the most? What are some features they love, uses you never thought of, or problems that your customers are trying to solve?⁠⠀⁠⠀Not only can your customer service staff have a wealth of blog post ideas, but these posts can be used to help make their jobs easier - instead of answering a question with a canned response, providing a blog post to assist a potential customer can be a great way to add social proof and close a sale! 

Share Your Passions

You're an expert at what you do - share your passions, expertise, and thoughts on a trending topic in your industry to share with your followers and potential clients!⁠ There's no better way to establish yourself as an authority and thought leader than to write about what you're excited about in your industry. ⁠ Maybe you want to take a deep dive on ethical production if you have a clothing boutique, or how the latest policy changes impact your accounting clients. Whatever you find interesting in your field - write a think-piece and share it far and wide!⁠ 

Make The Most of High-Opportunity Keywords

If you've been following me for any amount of time, you'll know that I believe Google Search Console is one of the most valuable tools you can use to boost your site's SEO.⁠ It's also one of the best places to brainstorm new blog post ideas!⁠⁠Here's how you can get started:⁠⁠

1. Go into your Google Search Console and sort your queries (Google's term for keywords and search terms used to find your site) by impressions.⁠⁠

2. Look for keywords that you have had lots of impressions but few clicks. ⁠

⁠3. Write a post dedicated solely to that one topic, and provide lots of valuable information and expertise! ⁠⁠Google Search Console is a great resource for your marketing efforts, especially for seeing the exact words and language that real searchers use when looking for your product, service or business. Create content that serves your clients, and you'll start to see your site traffic grow!⁠ 

Resources and Guides

You may think that your product or service is the only thing you can write about on your blog, but resources and guides are one of the best ways to attract new visitors to your site - both through SEO, as well as social media!⁠⁠What would someone be doing, planning, or searching for before, during, or after using your product or service? Create resources and guides that provide expert information, inspiration, and actionable tips that apply to your industry and enhance the use of your offering.⁠⁠For example, let's say you sell swimwear - create guides about planning a day at the beach, the best beaches in a specific area, what to pack on a beach vacation, which swimsuits are ideal for different locations around the world - the options are endless!⁠⁠Resources and guides are also a great opportunity to link to other brands and establish your brand persona - what type of shopper is ideal for your company? Associate yourself with other similar brands, build relationships, and encourage shares to help get your content reaching further than your following!⁠ 

Google Trends

Beware of this tool - you could spend hours going down the rabbit hole of Google Trends!⁠⠀This is one of my favourite sites to research trending topics. Google Trends is perfect for seeing what up and coming searches are being made in your industry, as well as looking at what users in a specific area are searching for.⁠ Writing blog posts on trending topics give your blogs the best chance at ranking, and helps to establish you as a thought leader in your industry 💪⁠ If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, keeping your finger on the pulse of your industry is the best way to do it, and Google Trends has the most data to keep you in the loop!⁠ 

Answer The Public

Now, this is one of my favourite tools - if you're an expert at what you do, then this site practically writes the blogs for you!⁠⁠Answer the Public is a site that collects the questions being searched around a topic. Enter your product type, industry, or service, and you'll find an epic collection of the 5 W's relating to your business.⁠ Depending on how many results you get, you can write one post per question, or can combine related questions into one longer mega-post.⁠ 

Location-Specific Content

If your business serves a specific area, whether its a city, neighbourhood, or region, creating resources, roundups and guides about your particular area can be hugely valuable.⁠⁠For example, if you’re a photographer, writing about the best outdoor locations for engagement photos, best beaches for maternity pictures, favourite wedding venues, and secret spots to get the perfect shot of a landmark are so valuable. The more specific and niche, the better! 

Share About Your Business

Phew, we made it to 10 blog post brainstorming ideas! Feeling inspired yet? Well this last one is about to get personal...⁠⁠One of the best ways to get started with blogging is to write about what you know - and the story of your business is one that is probably close to your heart! How did you get started, why did you choose this industry, and what's your background?⁠⁠

You can create staff features, team favourites, and behind the scenes insights into your business's values and mission. ⁠⁠Now more than ever, people want to do business with people they know, like and trust - not some anonymous corporation! Showing your face increases engagement and builds an affinity for your business - a win-win for everyone.⁠ Even with all the inspiration in the world, getting your blog up and running isn't easy. ⁠Maybe you have lots of ideas, but don't have the time to write. Maybe you have the time, but want to make sure your blogs are engaging and optimized - and you're just not a writer! ⁠I'm all about leaning into your strengths as an entrepreneur, focusing on what you do best, and outsourcing the rest. You're busy running your business!⁠⁠ That's why I provide a variety of content strategy and blog writing services. From content planning and outlines to fully written, edited, and optimized blog posts, if you're looking to supercharge your SEO and build your blog, I'm here to help!⁠

Contact us today to book your free 30 minute consultation!