Ok, so today’s blog has come from my lack of inspiration for a topic to write about and it got me thinking… how many people out there that write for a business blog have moments when they are simply struggling for inspiration?
I’m guessing a fair few, so I’ve put together some simple suggestions on how to create inspiration, when the ideas just aren’t a-flowing. Let’s kick off with current news.
Current news is a great source of inspiration for your blog posts – it’s current, therefore relevant and every industry has related news so (if you don’t already) regardless of your industry, find a selection of reliable news sources and monitor them daily – you’ll soon find the creative juices start flowing!
When it comes to current news, don’t just regurgitate a story that you read and find interesting! Read it, think about it and then form your own opinion. Not only are you adding value, you are also then positioning your brand as a thought leader – just be careful not to cross the line to become uber-controversial – it may not impact too positively on your brand, unless controversial is what you’re all about! (The new American Apparel ad that has made it to almost all marketing press today springs to mind)
So current news – read it, think about it, form an educated, well-articulated opinion, blog about it!
So let’s say, like me, today’s news just doesn’t float your blog-writing boat, what next?
Try turning to your colleagues. As immersed in your industry as you are, your colleagues are a great source of ideas for blog posts, if not for the posts themselves! Variety is the spice of life, so why not your blog too? Try enlisting a team of bloggers to contribute to your blog on different aspects of your company and industry – they may need to be coerced from time to time, but writing for a blog is something that many people find satisfying, great for their online personal brand (that’s another post in itself) and a welcome break for their everyday job roles.
Ok, so now I’ll assume that colleagues are less than co-operative / busy / out of the office… what now?
It is often difficult to come up with an idea for a post from nowhere. So let’s consider why you write your blog? To drive sales leads? To increase brand awareness? To position your business as an authority in your industry? To help others? Hopefully it is a beautifully balanced amalgamation of all four of the above, but whatever the motivation behind your blog, use that as a starting point for idea generation.
If you want to generate sales leads, consider your key search terms and use this as a basis for an article, discuss a new product line, or simply showcase a recent client success. To increase brand awareness and present your business as an authority, consider focusing (ethically, unlike Habitat’s Twitter PR disaster) on incredibly popular and of-the-minute topics related to your industry to gain maximum coverage and increased likelihood of social sharing. If you want to help others? Consider ‘top tips’, ‘how-to’ guides and general information provision.
Regardless of your motivation, ensure you pay careful consideration to your target market, tone of voice and messaging – get that wrong and your blog may miss the mark altogether!
For more blogging tips, you can check out our previous post on 5 simple tips to blogging successfully.
Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager
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