How to come up with good content for your small business blog

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One of the most common questions we get from clients and workshop attendees is about content creation for their small business blog: “What could we possibly write about that would mean something to readers?”

It’s a valid point and one that small-business owners struggle with. The hardships that come with content strategy means most won’t even touch blogging. It’s too much work, too much pressure, too much time away from the business.

There are ways around it, however. And it’s not that hard if you know what to do. Here we give small-business owners out there ideas on how to come up with good content for their small business blog.

But first off do this one thing: create a content calendar – one that is accessible by staff members who will be handling the blogging side of your small business. This way you won’t be doubling on topics and you can better prepare for topics that cater to events and holidays (e.g. Christmas, Mother’s Day etc).

Use your FAQs

Your small business website FAQ page is a good place to start when coming up with good content for your blog. Look at your FAQs and see which ones require a longer answer, or will need more specific answers to specific questions. Answering FAQs have two major benefits. One, it gives you good content for your blog and second, you can link the blog post to your FAQ page for customers who need more answers.

Ask your customers then answer them

Go through your email and social media comments and look at what your customers want to know about. Answer their questions in your blog and when someone else raises the same question, you now have a blog post you can link them to. We find that our clients have the same questions regarding the services we provide. While we do answer their questions face to face, we also show them where they can find the blog post so they can forward it to anyone else who may have the same question.

Talk about current events

Is your small business in an industry that is in the news every now and then (or maybe a lot)? The tendency is that customers get confused when there are changes in regulations or laws surrounding an industry. This is where you come in. Write about the issues and explain it in a way that your customers will understand. Aside from providing your customers with answers, you are also showing that you are a subject matter expert, that you know your small business inside and out.

Share your story

Expand your About page and tell the whole story about why and how you started your small business. People love hearing inspirational stories and what drives people to venture into the unknown and start their small business. It humanises your brand and you’ll find yourself connecting with your customers. Never underestimate the power of storytelling.

How you helped a client

You don’t need to mention names, just mention the situation and the problem that your client had. Then tell your customers how you solved it for them. Start with your initial thoughts on the issue. How did you come up with the solution? Who did you consult? Did it work immediately or did you have to tweak the solution? What was the result afterwards? Again, it’s all about the storytelling.

Kristyn Levis, Creative Director, 3C Digital