It’s going to happen. It’ll happen because it’s March and you’ve run through all your “good topics” already. It’ll happen because you’re busy and mentally fried. Or sometimes it’ll happen because it’s simply too sunny and beautiful outside to be working. Whatever the case, at some point you are going to look at your blog and decide that you have absolutely nothing left to write about it. And then you’re going to close your laptop and step away.
Don’t do that!
If you close out of your blog, you may not open it again. Instead, pick from one of these six post-savers. They’re the standby content to go to when you have absolutely nothing else to write about. Not…that I’ve ever been there. Never.
1. Write About How You Started
Behind every business is a great story. If you created your own business there was a problem in the industry you were trying to solve. There was something unique that drove you and that still drives you. Let people in on your secret and how you accomplished it.
If you work for someone else, how did you get there? Or what behind-the-scenes-story does that company have that your customers may be surprised to know? What would make them feel something about your brand?
Write it down and share it. Who know, it may even help you put more of you on your Web site and convert a potential customer. Think about it – you could land a new deal tomorrow simply because you didn’t have anything to write about today. Pretty awesome, eh?
2. Pimp Out A Product/Service Page, Share It
If you’re not feeling your blog today, look elsewhere. To your product or services pages perhaps? Is there a page on your site that you feel could use a little more attention? Maybe it means adding some additional information to better explain the product/service, or including video to make it more engaging, or editing a page to add humor and a bit of yourself. Once you’ve created this standout page, share it. Blog about it. Tweet it. Facebook it. Let people know that it exists. Doing so will give more attention to the product/service you decided to focus on (which could mean more sales), but it will also help drive people deeper into your Web site where conversions happen.
3. Interview Someone You Admire
If you don’t have anything unique to say today, find someone who does. Who were you chatting with on Twitter yesterday when they said something that stopped you in your tracks? Or maybe it wasn’t online, maybe it was a customer who came into your store and shared their experience trying to find you. Or something else that made you take notice? Call them up and do a quick five question interview with them. Five questions is the perfect amount to pull out an interesting tidbit, without monopolizing someone’s time or make them feel like they need to prepare beforehand. Keep it fast, friendly and informational.
4. Transcribe Videos
Why not give yourself an SEO boost and transcribe some of the videos you have on your Web site? Whether the video is an interview, a product demo, a How To, or a clip of you speaking at your local chamber of commerce, proving that transcription can not only help you rank in local search, it’s also another resource for your customers. You may want to refer back to my SmallBizTrends post on how to add transcripts to your YouTube videos for additional help and ideas.
5. Write About Your Best/Worst Experience
We all have them and we all remember them. We have that great customer service story that made us a loyal fan for life of our cable company or our gym. We also have that story that absolutely horrified us and made us reevaluate the way we do business and the way we expect to be treated in business. Share them both. These kinds of posts are universal and they’ll help your customers relate to you on a more human level.
6. Share A Product You Love
As a small business owner, you’re constantly trying out different products, apps and services to help you do your job better and more efficiently. Maybe it’s a time tracker app, an invoicing program, or the way you stay in touch with employees on the go. Do a review and let your audience know all about you. By opening up about the technology you use to run your business, you give people a more transparent view into how things operate. You may also help solve their business problems. And who wouldn’t appreciate that?
Finding new, interesting things to blog about on a regular basis is tough. But instead of admitting defeat, why not turn to some old standbys to help get you through that dry spell?
Terrific advice, Lisa. It can be a real struggle to produce quality content every day of every week, and these tips can certainly help. Kudos!
Keith
When I ran out of things to blog about…. I stopped blogging. It was then that I was able to start making money LOL
Thanks for your suggestions.
In the past 6 years or so, (of blogging) I only remember a half a dozen times in which I was facing a blank slate–trying to figure out what to write about–what to share.
I’m grateful for that.
The Franchise King®
I’ve had great success with email interviews. You send them the questions, they send back their answers and you can pretty much copy/paste the post together as a back and forth interview.
Lise Stahl Brown
Great idea, thanks, Robert.
This is a great list! And now I have many new ideas to write. Thanks for sharing.
Great information!
Something we recently began doing was slightly modifying our services so as to create “new services.” Mainly we did this with a new venture- a “Start Up Business PR Program” aimed at/priced for small businesses. The new venture has NOT ONLY opened our potential client pool- it’s given us much to write about!
Thanks for the great info, and good luck to all.
Good tips Lisa. One thing I do is to keep a log of questions customers or readers ask and over time you have a number of topics you can write about so you never run out.
Martin Lindeskog
Lisa: Thanks for the six tips on how to avoid writer’s block! During my 10 years of blogging, I have been in the situation that you describe! 😉
Correction: I have been blogging for 10 years on May 7, 2012. 🙂 I will link to this post in my Annual Blog Report X.
Lise Stahl Brown
This list of ideas came just as we were drying up – thanks for the great advice!
Visit discussion forums or start one of your own. If I don’t have anything to blog about, I go through topics in my forums and read what others are talking about. Sometimes I get into the discussion myself and while posting, realize I could make a blog post out of it, then I do. Some of my most popular blog entries actually started out as responses to discussions in a forum.
Seth Resler
Lisa,
Great tips! If I can add one – you the questions and answer site Quora. I’ve had great luck answering questions on Quora, and it integrates with WordPress so you can automatically sned your answer over to your blog as a blogpost. It’s very convenient.
When you are staring at your blog wondering what to write, it’s easy to wonder why a blog is important in the first place. The answer is because it’s a vital part of an inbound marketing strategy. For those who want a refresher in inbound marketing, we’ve got this guide:
http://spark.marketo.com/marketing-automation/toolkits/inbound-marketing/inbound-marketing-tip-sheet.php
Hope your readers find it useful!
Thanks again!
Seth Resler
Content Manager
Marketo
A picture is worth a thousand words! When we don’t have a lot to say, we think pictures are a great way to get users’ attention while still having a blog post of substance!