You know your business. You could – and do – talk about it all day long. So why is it so hard to write blog post for your business blog? Even when you do think of a topic, it can be equally hard to figure what to say in your post. We know the benefits of business blogging, but most of us who have tried to maintain a business blog can relate to the problem of bloggers block. Before you waste any more of your day staring at an empty screen, take a look at our five questions for overcoming business blogging block.
Mind Your Tone
Before you even begin your blog post, keep in mind that business blogging should be educational or news-like in terms of tone. Resist the urge to focus on a sale pitch – instead opt for a more subtle Call-to-Action that encourages the reader to continue the conversation. This could include a link to a product page, a contact form, or a free downloadable eBook.
What’s the Big Idea?
A news-focused post it is usually not as difficult to write because the news item provides the idea, but in some cases you may need to add depth to it. Educational post ideas can be more challenging. It also may be difficult to decide what make be a worthwhile topic. Think about search terms you want to rank for – they could be products or services – those answers can get you started with a list of idea seeds. Once you have those seeds, think about what topics are related to them. Now you have a list of blog post topics.
I Have a Topic – What Now?
With your topic in mind, go to work on answering these five questions:
- What would a customer ask about this topic?
- What customer problems can we solve relating to this topic?
- What important points should the customer know about this topic?
- Are there products you sell that you can describe or mention?
- Are there related services you offer that you can describe or mention?
Be sure to go lightly when you answer 4 and 5 because you do not want your blog post to sound like a sales brochure. Describe the product or service in general terms:
“A quality widget should last 8 to 10 years and require little to no maintenance.”
Save the lead in to your specific offering for the closing paragraph:
“Want to learn more? Browse our extensive selection of widgets.”
Remember, if you think like a buyer when you write your blog posts, you will be able to start breaking through your business blogger’s block. You will also be in the right place to develop worthwhile content that will benefit your customers and earn you better rankings.
For more help with business blogging, download our free guide, Simple Blogging Best Practices.