80 blog content ideas for your small business

We’ve all had that moment where we’ve stared at a blank page and had no idea how to fill it. When you’re writing a personal blog, you can probably get away with a period of inactivity. However, if you’re blogging for business then you are certainly going to be under a significant amount of pressure as your content deadline looms.

If you’re a small business owner who is struggling to know what to write about in your next blog post, take a look at the below suggestions for blog content inspiration.

There 14 examples in this list will kick start the creative juices. If you’re left hankering for more you can download my free list of 60+ blog  content ideas to have enough content for over a year of weekly blogging!

Talk about your own personal experiences

When you’re self-employed and running your own business, it’s virtually impossible to shy away from the spotlight. From sharing an Instagram Story with your followers to the photos on your website, it’s highly likely that your face will appear in the majority of your marketing efforts. What you may not realise is that it’s ok to use your experiences as the basis for several blog posts as well.

I’m not suggesting that you pen an internal monologue and publish this on your business website. Content like that is much more suited to a personal blog or, better still, your journal.

What you can focus on is your personal entrepreneurial journey. Share how you’ve got to the place where you are today. Make sure you relate this back to your audience and what service you provide for them.

For example, if you are a personal trainer for female clients who want to return to their pre-baby shape, you could blog about your own experience about shedding your baby weight.

Inspire your readers

When we click on links to online content it’s probably because we’re either looking to be entertained or inspired. Sometimes, funny videos of cats doing stupid things is all we’re in the mood for. For the other times when we’re hungry for information, your blog post on an inspiring topic can be just the answer.

If you’re not sure on what constitutes as inspirational, think about what your ideal customer would find most valuable. For example, if you’re a business coach for female entrepreneurs, you may want to write a post for your business blog about “The Top 10 Female Entrepreneurs in the UK Under 40”.

Critique or review something of interest to your audience

If you enjoy something relevant to your business, then there is a chance that your ideal customer will also like it. Inspiration is all around us from the books we read to the clothes we wear – there will be something that you use or consume that you can relate back to your business and audience.

If you’re not sure where to look for ideas, perhaps start with one of the following:

• Books
• Podcasts – I wrote a blog post about time management following a great podcast I listened to
• Websites
• Technology
• Industry trends in your niche
• Events
• Tools (online or offline)
• Physical products

Tip – Be SEO savvy here and include search terms such as ‘best’ within your titles and content – e.g. ‘best podcasts for new mums,’ for example –  as people frequently search for the most highly recommended things within a genre.

Interview someone

Reach out to fellow small business owners in your field – especially those who you feel are particularly inspirational or influential – and ask them to share their personal experience with a subject relating to your business. For example, “How Jane increased sales by 300% using these creative strategies”.

One of the greatest perks to incorporating interviews on your blog is that you are building your network as you do so. By connecting with others in your industry, you are forging a relationship that may benefit you further down the line. In the first instance, the subject of your interview is likely to share the blog post on their social media channels and tag you. This may culminate in an increase in traffic to your site and enquiries.

Create a how-to guide

How-to guides are a fantastic way to provide a lot of value to your audience for free. And they will love you for it.

Take one of your most popular products or services on your site and create a how-to guide around it. If the service is more theoretical or practical in nature, rather than a physical item, then you can write something along the lines of how using this will get your customer the result they are looking for.

Tip – to boost subscribers to your email newsletter,  include a free opt in such as a checklist so that people can go over the steps you online in your article.

Share an upcoming event

I’m sure there are always a million and one other events happening in your world, whether these are business specific or more industry wide. You could choose to write about an event that you are planning on attending that you feel will benefit you or your audience.

Talk about your latest product or services

If you have an exciting new product or service in the pipeline, your blog is the perfect place where you can share snippets of what’s to come to pique your audience’s interest.

Note that I didn’t use the word ‘promote’ here. I personally don’t feel that your blog should be overly promotional. Yes, you will want to refer to your products and services on your blog to give them the airtime they deserve to galvanise your audience into action. However, try not to come across as too salesy.

Invite a guest post

Who says that you have to write every post that’s on your website? Invite guest posters onto your blog and allow them to write the content. You could do this by inviting your audience to become contributors, or by reaching out to people within your niche who you think would provide a perspective that your customer will find interesting.

Create a case study

If you’ve been working with some really amazing clients recently, consider turning this experience into a case study. Not only will it highlight your client’s business – which they will love you for – it gives you the chance to promote what you do for future potential customers.

Repurpose an old blog post

When you’re feeling truly stumped for inspiration, delve back into your blog’s archives and revive an old post that’s in need of a little attention. To bring an old blog post up to date you could:

• add recent dates and figures
• change or add new images
• refresh your keywords
• add in new sections such as a case study or testimonial
• include a new call to action such as signing up to your newsletter
• insert links to newer blog posts on your site.

You can tweak the post title and headings within the content, but leave the URL the same unless you want to set up a redirect. Add a little explanation at the top of the post to explain that “this post was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2018.”

Create a weekly roundup post

Link to articles and resources across the web that you feel your audience will enjoy. Of course, you can use this opportunity to link to some of your best posts from your own site as well. This is a great choice if you have a community of avid fans who are as passionate about a topic as you are because they’ll be constantly on the lookout for more content of interest.

Make predictions

Chances are you like to keep up to date with the latest information from your industry. It’s highly probable that you may have an opinion on where you see the future of your industry, so why not take the opportunity to make some predictions of your own?

These kinds of posts work particularly well if you are an expert in social media as you can make predictions on how various platforms may alter their algorithms.

Answer a question

Once of the best sources of content is your own audience. If you find yourself receiving similar questions frequently, then consider creating an overall FAQ style post or one that addresses a specific concern at a time.

You can use this as an opportunity to let your experience shine as you demonstrate your knowledge around the subject and position yourself as a reliable person that a potential new customer can trust.

Share your must-have tools and resources

Take your readers behind the scenes of your business and share your favourite tools and resources. This could be anything from your web hosting company to your accounting software. People are always interested in seeing how other people are doing things, and these kinds of posts are also perfect for your affiliate link strategy as you could earn a small commission for recommending products that you genuinely enjoy.

What do you write about on your business blog?

I hope you’ve found a few ideas within the above list that have you reaching for your laptop. I know how much it sucks to stare at a blank screen, especially when you’re in the mood to be creative and inspiration doesn’t strike!

I’m keen to know how you generate most of your blog content ideas? Do you ever struggle coming up with blog content ideas for your business website?

If I’ve missed a really good idea, let me know by commenting below!

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