Chances are you’re reading this post because you’re stuck, you feel void of ideas and want to be consistently inspired. You might have been writing your business for a few weeks or even months and now it seems the idea funnel has dried up. In this post, I share a few ideas on how to keep inspired when writing your own business blog.
Before we begin, let me ask you, why did you start your business?
You might answer that you started just out of university…or your mother was ill so it moved you to get into health…before you think about the answer to this question, let me tell you, there’s a blog post idea right there.
What makes this post different from your “about me” page is that you have more creative license to tell your story. It’s not just what you do, readers will know what you do from your site already, but what made you become who you are today. If you’re passionate about what you do, I’m sure you’ll be able to write pages after pages of your story. Now, here’s the tricky part, it’s time to cull. Cut down those pages into a few paragraphs and if you find you’ve gotten off on a tangent, don’t worry – they’re not wasted ideas! Put it in another document to create another blog another time.
Check out Tami Brhese’s pin from pinterest about Brand Storytelling:
Keep it social
I’m not talking about social media (although that is an idea I want to share with you later), I mean actually talk to people. Talk about your business to friends, family, clients and customers, industry partners etc. The more you talk about your business you’ll see how much you have to say! Don’t forget you’re not talking at people but talking to them, asking them about their experiences and ideas. You’ll find out more about your business from a different perspective through these conversations. What do people think you should write about? What’s something they want to learn? Sometimes, it really is as simple as that, asking!
Do you go to events that are part of what your business holds/appreciates/advocates?
Every event is a potential blog post, not just about the event itself but things you learnt from each event. You might have seen a new way of doing things, or in contrast, something you know should never be done. Share your opinion about it and then share how your business can help do a service in relation to the event. For example, your business offers refrigerated vehicles for hire, you might mention the local festival where lots of restaurants do pop up cafes and would certainly need your services to hire a refrigerated vehicle. Like I talked about yesterday with my interpretation of crowdsourcing – ideas are everywhere, you just need to put yourself in the right place, at the right time and be open to conversation.
Thinking about joining a networking event for your business? Have a read of Career Contessa and her blog:
What’s everyone else doing?
Like with business, in general, it’s important to keep tabs on your competitors and know how you stand in the mix. Look at competitor’s and allied service provider’s blogs and what topics they talk about. What they seem to be doing right and be inspired through their topic choice. How can you do it differently? Do it better? There’s a lot to learn from competitor research.
Social Media
Ok, so this point is definitely where you jump into social media. Look at industry and interest groups and forums to see discussions “in real time, by real people”. This is somewhat a survey of popular questions and themes you see in social media – keeping your blog trendy with ideas that are current and have a certain share-ability.
Head on over to Social Media Strategies Summit for ideas for tools for social media listening among a few other ideas for social media in general: