A few days ago I wrote a post about why blogging is so important for your business. Now that you know why blogging is so important, what are you going to write about?
[Insert cricket sounds]
It’s common not to know what to write about, especially when first starting your blog. In a way, you have an advantage because people getting married are actively looking for how to’s and advice on their wedding. Most of them have never done this before and are keen to hear your advice as an industry expert.
Here are 22 things you can do to help generate blog topic ideas:
1. Start writing down every question you get from a potential client
2. Write down common questions past clients have asked
3. Interview someone your clients would want to hear from
4. Set up an RSS reader for inspiration (Update: Google Reader was discontinued on 1st July 2013 so you’ll need to use an alternative like Feedly or Feedspot)
5. Newsjack
6. Talk about trends
7. Discuss a controversial industry topic
8. Make a prediction about the industry
9. Ask your audience what they are struggling with
10. Poll your readers or clients
11. Take on guest posts from wedding pros you have relationships with. Let them give advice on their portion of the industry or do an interview with them. They’ll love you for sharing their business with your readers!
12. Run a contest
13. Review a relevant book or product
14. Tell the story of one of your successful clients
15. Tie your post to a movie or tv show
16. Write a post that teaches readers how to do something
17. Write a list post (Top 10 mistakes people make when booking a DJ)
18. Report and comment on industry statistics (you can find great infographics on Pinterest)
19. Search Quora to see what questions people are asking
20. Write a round up post of useful tips or quotes by others
21. As you grow, look back at your analytics to see the most popular posts and keywords your visitors are searching for
22. When in doubt, look outside the industry to see what other businesses are doing and always try to be a problem solver
Photo by Cali4beach, available under a Creative Commons attribution license
Just remember that writer’s block is just an invention for people who are nervous about writing. Nobody gets talker’s block. Writing a blog post is just like speaking to someone. I’ll be sharing some tips about how to find your voice in your writing.
Time To Take Action
Grab a notebook and sit down for 30 minutes and write down everything potential clients ask you and things you wish they knew before meeting you. Keep this notebook with you at all times. Once you start thinking about topic ideas in this way, you’ll see them everywhere you look. With this strategy, you’ll never run out of ideas for posts.
Heidi Thompson of Evolve Your Wedding Business helps wedding professionals market themselves on a budget and create a consistent flow of leads because in business, it doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do if no one knows about it. Check out her free video training designed to help you turn fans into buyers, perfect your website and crank up your cash flow.
