Want to start a blog for your small business, but not sure what to write about? The best posts are like personal notes to your customer. Here’s a starter list of topics to get you going.
- How our business was founded
- Just yesterday, a customer asked…
- Meet one of our employees
- Meet one of our customers
- One thing we are doing to support the community
- Here are some great tips from our customers
- Meet one of our home-town suppliers
- What would you do if you ran the place?
- More about our town, and why we’re here
- Here’s a cool upcoming local event
- One secret that could help you
- A customer sent us this photo
- I read something I thought you could use
- Some trends I see coming at us
- What I learned at an industry event that you could use
- One thing I’m really proud of
- A cause we support
- A few websites that might help you
Secret #1: You can do these as written text, or record them in audio or video. Your customers would love it if you’d do a mix of all three.
Secret #2: These are perpetual topics that you can do over and over. This list never expires.
Do these sound too small-business-y for your bigger company? Take a look at this list from Chris Brogan: 50 Blog Topics Marketers Could Write For Their Company for some topics that are more useful for medium sized businesses.
What would you add to your list of perpetual topics?
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Great list! I think too often we think we need to write about our products or services. This is not the case at all. Writing about people is always a good move. Providing helpful information for customers on a regular basis will keep them coming back.
Becky:
How about these…
What I love most about being in business ?
Why is it that….?
Write about a fellow local business
all the best
kevin
http://www.twitter.com/KFOM
Bradford, you’re right that we default to talking about products rather than people. And that’s not the best idea.
Kevin, thanks for three great additions!
Great post! I’ll be sure to use these with my blog design clients and point them back here for more helpful information.
2 others to add to the list:
1. behind the scenes tour
2. question for customers to answer to increase site interactivity!
Becky-
This is a great list! You definately got me thinking.
I am excited to use some of them. Thanks!
Tara, thanks for the extra ideas.
Stefanie, glad you found some useful info.
I just tweeted two of your blogs also. I am so glad I found you!
You can thank @GrantGriffiths for that. He tweeted this post.
Stefanie (@StefanieDevery)
Thanks, Stefanie, and I’ll be sure to say thanks to Grant, too.
What about the people behind the products – ie. a great product line with a great story – guest posts from the creator’s of the line add credibility to the local business and often there are at least SOME products in a store backed by another small business. They’d love to tell THEIR story which creates a strong connection between your customer and your products. Love the human angle and the perpetual recycle-ability of this list!
As always, Becky, as a small town farmer’s daughter who makes my life helping small business owners, I bow to your connection with real life as a small business owner. Fabulous list!
Marianna, another great addition. Thanks! And thank you for such a kind compliment.
Great ideas, this will get us off our butts and writing!
Dr. Wright
http://www.wrightplacetv.com
Becky,
I found you a few days ago. I’m starting a new non-profit in a small town. Everything you’re writing about is applicable in our arena as well, especially since we are approaching social services from a social entrepreneurial standpoint.
I’ll be using your list to launch a new blog soon.
Thank you.
Thank you, Bobbie. I hadn’t thought about them as nonprofit topics, but it’s still a personal note to your customers. Thanks!
Thank you with your list. This really helps for most people who have no ideas what to blog about for their business. A good start list for blogger
Hi Becky,
Is it possible to share your article if I include your author information. We have a in person womens business coaching program but I also post articles on our blog that would be useful for them? Great article by the way. They have a lot of trouble blogging.
Kenny, thank you!
RSP, you certainly may share this, and anything else we publish. It’s all published under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution Share-Alike license. That means you can use it for noncommercial purposes, with just a few limits (explained at CreativeCommons.org).