This is a blog about what to blog about when you don’t know what to blog about.
Did I lose you?
Let’s back up. Blogs are supposed to be an outlet for your thoughts and tips, right? It’s true that a lot of people use blogs to share their thoughts or communicate a set of ideas to an audience, but that usually pertains to personal blogs, like blogs for mothers, or foodies, or exercising. When you cross through cyberspace into the messy world of the professional, blogs are used more strategically, usually with the goal of establishing your business as a thought leader or in your industry. With blogs like these, it’s important that your blog follows a consistent strategy. This usually means that your blog should follow a schedule that will complement your social media strategy and reinforce your brand or company’s reliability. That way, your audience will know when to expect your blog each week, month or day, whatever your strategy may be. If you’re able to create good content, your audience will begin to look forward each new installment. And if any of you are as hooked on Serial as I am, you can understand what I mean. However, this kind of strategy also implies that your audience will be upset if you don’t adhere to the schedule you created. So it’s Thursday, and my audience expects a new post full of insightful ideas and intelligent banter, but it’s also almost Friday, and my brain doesn’t seem to have any brilliant blog topics hiding away, so what do I write about?
Think about what YOU would want to read.
We’re all a little self-obsessed, which can be bad when we want our cat to pet us instead of the other way around, but it’s great for having your own in-house expert. If you’re blogging for your company, you likely read other blogs. What do you like to read about? And more importantly, what don’t you like to read about? Think about what you find yourself consistently clicking on, and what you consistently overlook.
Think about what your audience would want to read.
Again with the audience thing? (If you haven’t noticed, we talk about it a lot. Like here, and here.) Think about the kind of people you’re trying to reach; what do they like? Do they have specific interests? It’s helpful to hone your Facebook stalking skills for something more productive than seeing what your ex-boyfriend’s, friend’s sister is up to. Head to Twitter or Facebook and see what kind of topics people are engaging around.
Speaking of Twitter, tap into what’s trending.
The best topics are the most relevant ones. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Mashable and Buzzfeed (to name a few)…all have algorithms that track which topics or stories are trending locally, nationally and globally. Check out some of these trends and see if you can incorporate them into your blog. Maybe you have brilliant tips regarding Taylor Swift’s marketing strategy in honor of her album hitting 2 million sales. Not only will you enjoy writing about something that’s highly relevant, but your readers will be much more likely to engage with something that relates to current events. And the algorithms will probably draw more attention to your blog as well.
Use your surroundings
Talk to your neighbors or your co-workers. Ask yourself why you liked that commercial on T.V. or why that barista totally got you to upgrade to a Tall Mocha. Look around at your surroundings and ask questions about what’s around you. Thinking beyond the obvious will often give you a brilliant insight and topic.
When you’re writing a blog for a company or a professional association, it’s important to have a strategy, and sticking to a strategy can be sticky. So when you’re stuck, let the creative juices flow by remembering that your blog doesn’t have to be the greatest piece of writing since Tolstoy, but can be an insight that others may have been too busy to see. Sometimes the most obvious solutions are the most difficult ones to find.
#MOVEahead
Tell us where you find your inspiration in the comments below or @movecomm.
And don’t forget to share, share, share!
