Blogging is one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal…and one of the most difficult because it demands constant attention.
You must endeavor to give your readers what they want: How? Continually top your previous posts, keep your readers engaged, attract the attention of new readers and come up with new and creative ways to share your thoughts with the world.
If I haven’t totally overwhelmed you, there really is a bright side to all of this. Finding topics on which to write is not as difficult as it may seem and as long as you are trying to please your audience, you will be one step ahead of the game.
Ask Questions
To start, I listed some basic questions to ask yourself when faced with the dilemma of selecting new topics. Answering these questions will help to steer your thoughts in a specific direction and provide you with more clarity.
What is your audience talking about on your blog?
What are your readers discussing on Facebook and Twitter?
What problems do your readers need help solving?
What is new in your industry?
What keywords are used to find your blog (check your analytics)?
Are there any previous posts that could use a more detailed explanation?
Do you have any personal stories of mistakes, experiences or triumphs you could write about to inspire your readers?
Do you have any tools or helpful resources that would add value to your readers?
Google Related Search
Google’s search interface can spark some creativity if you know how to use it. To begin, search for an industry related keyword – keep it broad.
For example, if you blog about dog training tips, type the word “dog training” in the search box. On the left side of the page, click “Related Searches”. Below is what you would see:
Wordtracker Keyword Questions
Wordtracker offers a keyword questions tool which can serve as a helpful brainstorming resource for bloggers. Once you enter a keyword, the tool will supply you with 100 questions asked by users that relate to the keyword.
I entered the word “technology” in the tool and received the results below:
Take a look at the questions, even those that are not directly related, and let it spark some creativity and give you some ideas.
Blog Comments
Your readers will provide you with some of your best material. Re-read through some of your past comments to see if you can find a great idea for an upcoming post. Discussions that attracted a lot of people would be a good place to start.
Top Performers
Go back to some of your most popular blog posts and think about a new angle for the topic. Think outside of the box and devise a creative way to re-introduce the topic without regurgitating the same information.
Guest Posting
Ask guests to write blog posts and allow them to link back to their site as a favor in return. Many new bloggers are eager to write for industry related blogs to get their foot in the blogging door. Interviews are also valued and can become a great tool to connect with other bloggers in your industry.
As you continue to exercise your creative juices and find new and interesting ways to connect with your readers, your blog will enjoy more traffic and increased conversions as a result. The entire blogging process begins with a good topic and the more you can capture your readers with stellar content, the greater success you will experience with your blog.
Jenna Scaglione is a content writer, internet marketer, and a lover of family, friends and life. Jenna enjoys learning, growing and discovering the newest and latest trends on the internet. Known as "Lady Content", she lives in sunny Socal where she helps her clients around the world increase brand awareness on the internet through content writing and social media.
