One of the foremost challenges for any inbound marketing strategy is producing great content for your blog. 
Most will agree that great articles and videos can sustain relationships, attract new customers and cultivate a reputation for thought leadership. However, often the inspiration for blockbuster ideas may not always be there week after week.
If you are out of ideas, here are some suggestions:
- Choose a controversial topic—A great place to start for any blog idea is what is happening within your industry. Reading other industry blogs, social sites and news forums will often help you recognize the events and developments that are on most minds. Then take an unorthodox position on those events. You shouldn’t take a position completely counter to your natural instincts or that will detriment your organization, but if you can stir up some discussion or strong responses, it is worth it.
- Create a list—Readers are extremely enthusiastic about “Top 10” pieces, because these often provide a for them way to compare their assessments of companies or products with your expert opinion. Not only do these types of blogs grab visitors’ attention, but it also invites them to present their differing opinions. This type of content is also highly memorable.
- “How-to” articles—The Internet is the world’s greatest forum for the sharing of ideas, and many users are eager to acquire new skills. If your company has expertise in some short and easy way to accomplish a common task, it is often worthwhile to showcase it. This provides considerable value to your visitors and it elevates your position as an industry authority.
- Industry insights—Most industries have a culture that is unique. This may include common phrases and terms, which may not be easily understood by the general public. For instance, most consumers don’t realize auto shoppers who switch brands are called “conquests.” Sharing some of this culture in an educational manner can be very compelling for consumers who often feel like outsiders.
- Greatest successes or failures—Everyone is intrigued by how an outstanding company achieved success, so providing an exposé on how your company produced its flagship product should generate considerable interest. On a different note, detailing any of the more catastrophic failures your company produced can be even more appealing; with a little humor and words of warning, you can humanize your organization.
- Showcase your leadership—The vast majority of consumers understand that the CEO of Coca-Cola is unlikely to be the one writing the company’s blogs. Consumers have come to expect that blogs originate with marketing teams or middle management, so when great content comes from an executive, it can be surprising and quite compelling. Even if your CEO lacks the time to contribute, you can often write a piece highlighting their accomplishments, philosophy or humanizing anecdotes.
- Focus on your customers—Blogs should inspire dialogue, and one of the great facilitators of dialogue is talking about your audience. You may wish to share incidents that your customers have had using your product, interactions with them at trade shows, or some comments they have made on your social media pages.
Blogging should begin with the idea that you are conversing with human beings. Using your lifetime of marketing and interpersonal experience, you can write compelling articles to engage readers.
Blogging is one of many inbound marketing tactics that will surely help you generate more leads. If you don’t believe us, download our free lead generation ebook with data from 4,000 businesses on how successful inbound marketing can be.
