7 Blog Ideas That Make it Easy to Continually Create Online Content
When Cup O Content talks to prospects or new clients for the first time, we find that they are often skeptical about blogs. After all, what could they possibly talk about month after month? Many companies doubt they have enough ideas, new products, content, or information to sustain a blog.
But as any good content marketer knows, if you have a business, you have a story. The trick is translating that story into blog posts that your best customers want to read. Here is a quick list, compiled by our own blog writers, to get you started.
1. Lists
Create a blog that lists things. The blog post you’re reading right now is an excellent example of a list blog, commonly called a listicle (not a term we love, but it's out there.) Readers like lists because they promise high value and they’re easy to read. Lists have clear themes, so it’s easy for a reader to assign relevant value quickly. It can be on any topic, but it’s smart to keep your lists relevant. For Cup O Content, our best customers care about generating content, so a list of different types of blogs makes a lot of sense. Listing our favorite ice cream flavors or best places to eat? Not so relevant.
2. Product Deep Dives
Your best prospects want to know about your products. Blogs are a great place to map out detailed features and benefits. They’re also an excellent place to provide product updates, manual information, or operational tips. When it comes to blogging, there is no such thing as too much or too detailed. Just try to keep it readable. Adding product photos, products in use, customer-submitted photos, or step-by-step photos is always a bonus.
3. Tutorials and How-tos
How-to guides will appeal to your best audience and educate them in a single post. Most clients are pretty comfortable with how-tos, and the space and timing of blogs allow clients to break down each phase or process into actionable micro-steps. Combine your how-to with your own photos or even a rough video, and your blog becomes even more irresistible.
4. Interviews
People love hearing from people. So interviews with your company’s c-suite, manufacturers, suppliers, customers, clients, or key employees are always interesting to your existing customers and prospects.
5. To-do Lists or Checklists
A checklist is short, easy to read, and helps readers move through the process. For example, if you’re an auto dealership, create a buying process checklist. Plumbers can have a home inspection checklist. Pharmacies can have a first-aid kit checklist. If you want to inspire your customers to do anything, give them a checklist, make it easy to follow, and explain all the steps involved.
6. Industry News
The great thing about news is that it’s always happening, which means it’s always available. Google your industry and put a one-month time limitation on your search. In seconds, you’ll have a long list of industry news from which to choose. Even if you don’t find a big topic to feature or discuss, you can do a news recap with links to lots of smaller news stories.
7. Case Studies
If you have a new project or example, share it on your blog. Case studies are wonderful proof that your product or service works. And while corporate case studies can get bogged down in eternal review cycles, blog case studies don’t have to be exhaustive. Instead, simply write a success story about how your product or services did precisely what they were supposed to do and add a testimonial for extra points.
The List Doesn’t End Here
There are lots of other ways to create content–quizzes, sweepstakes, FAQs, video blogs, and more. Your company not only represents the product it sells and the people it employs. You are also part of a community and an industry. You have plenty to blog about, and if you don’t believe us, contact us and let’s talk more about your company voice and blog schedule.
Want to read more blogs about content development? Check out these Cup O Content articles.
