15 ways to generate great blog ideas
When you’re looking to engage with your audience, blogs can be a great way to generate interest by sharing relevant content with them. However, sometimes it can be a real challenge to come up with new, exciting content regularly. Here is our list of 15 ways to start generating interesting content that your audience will love.
#1 – Find out what people want to know
Research the questions that your clients and prospects are asking the most. If they’re asking about a particular concept or idea, you have a great opportunity to get people engaged with your content by answering their question in the form of a blog.
#2 – Check out the competition
Take a peek at what your competitors are posting. If they’re capturing attention then you might want to take ideas from what they have shared and put your own spin on them. You also have the advantage of being able to take into account any feedback they’ve received.
#3 – Search for forums for insight
If there are topics that you are already interested in writing blogs about, then there is likely to be a forum talking about it already. These are a great place to engage with your potential audience and find out their opinions and questions, which you may be able to answer by writing a blog.
#4 – What does Google suggest?
Make use of Google’s ‘suggest’ feature by typing in key phrases that are relevant to your industry and see what comes up as a suggested search. Google bases these suggestions on their monthly searches, so this can be a helpful way to find out what people are looking for, to base a blog on.
#5 – Browse Google Adwords
Another useful tool from Google is their Adwords Keyword Planner, which allows you to take a look at the search volume of any keywords or phrases, again showing you which are the popular searches, and therefore which topics people are likely to be interested in.
#6 – Ding ding! Google Alerts!
You can get Google to alert you by email every time someone types in a particular keyterm or topic. This can be set up to send in real time for each phrase, or on a regular daily or weekly basis, giving you the opportunity to stay up-to-date with the things people are looking for.
#7 – What’s happening?
Another useful Google feature is the ‘news’ category. Find the most recent news by adjusting the time period. This is a really easy way to find out what is popular to read about at that time, giving you updated and relevant blog ideas.
#8 – Talk about your clients
You can always share success stories of your clients. By giving them visibility and making them heard, you also gain credibility, killing two birds with one stone.
#9 – Blog topic generators
Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator is just one of many online tools that you can use to help generate blog topic ideas. Despite the results sometimes being somewhat unusual, it’s a great tool to utilise if you get really stuck, and it may just provide that bit of inspiration you need.
#10 – Take old posts further
Why not revisit some ideas which have proved to have been popular in the past. Those with the most page views have engaged your audience before – is there any more you can say about them to expand the topic? Perhaps your audience would be interested to know more.
#11 – Be opinionated
Is there something you are passionate about? Don’t be afraid to share your views on a particular issue, whether you agree or disagree with popular opinion.
#12 – Write reviews
Again, clients will be interested to see what you have to say about certain things – whether that might be products or services – give them your insight. Helpful and interesting information should successfully engage your online audience.
#13 – Encourage people to vote
Use your blog to post a poll or survey to find out directly what your audience is interested in. People love to give their opinions, so give them a chance to get their voices heard and gather yourself some valuable information.
#14 – Get some big names involved
Interviewing someone well known in your industry for a blog will increase your credibility, as well as giving the readers insight from thought leaders.
#15 – Have you been involved with anything interesting lately?
Your blog is the perfect place to showcase the things that your business may have been involved with. Have you been on any trips? Maybe you have sponsored or attended an event. Why not share some tips you learnt at that conference recently? Sharing your own insight and experience is a great way to find something to share with your audience.
To find out more about engaging readers via social media such as blogging, get in touch on 020 7100 0726.