I Don't Know What to Write! Great Blog Ideas for Small Business Owners

When it comes to digital marketing as a small business owner, you’re supposed to somehow do all the things. You have to build your online presence, maintain your Facebook group, post clever IG stories, and come up with great blog ideas, too. 

It sucks. I get it. I get bogged down in it, too, and it’s literally my job.

But here’s the good news, it’s not as hard as you think to come up with fabulous topics for your blogs, and I’ll show you why. And, once they are done, your blogs are super valuable. You can leverage those suckers in so many ways! If you’d like to talk about how to use your blogs strategically and efficiently, book a free chat with the team at Kristin Ratten Content Services to get started.

What Do I Write About In a Blog?

I’m sure you have been in this spot. You’re staring at your computer screen trying to come up with some incredible words to put on your website. But your brain just won’t. 

And then you decide to check your email instead, and that’s that. You don’t go back to your writing because you don’t know what to write about anyway, so you might as well do something else.

Let’s remove some of the overwhelm and worry from the blog writing process. Here are five quick tips for choosing great blog ideas.

1. Don’t fret over keywords.

Unless you are super into SEO, don’t waste time worrying about algorithms and perfect keywords. This sort of concern will only stop you from writing anything at all. If you do happen to be really into SEO, then go for it. The rest of us will be here finding shortcuts. 

When it comes to your blogs, getting some sort of useful content, with or without keywords, is better than none. When you think of something to write about, go all Nike on it and just do it.

Eventually, you might want to hire it out to someone who can worry about the keywords. But for now, don’t let any idea of SEO “must-haves” stop you from creating something.

2. Think about what people ask you about your business.

If you keep getting the same questions over and over, use those as blog starting points. (Pro Tip: Also consider adding an FAQ section to your website with brief answers to these questions.)

If people are asking you this stuff, there is an excellent chance that plenty of Google users are typing the same thing into their search bar. 

Let’s say you own a wine label, and people ask you all the time about how you make the wine. Blog post! Or maybe you get a lot of questions about the different grapes for winemaking. Blog post! Do people want to know more about how to discern flavors in wine? Blog post!

Don’t overcomplicate the situation when you need great blog ideas. Think about the conversations you have with clients, customers, or friends about what you offer. Take any questions they ask and turn them into articles on your site. It’s that simple.

3. Think outside the box.

Spoiler: your blog does not always have to be about what you do or offer. It can be completely unrelated, or it could be about your industry in general. Get creative with your content and ponder any topics that still fit with your brand and ethos.

For example, depending on their niche, a photographer might consider topics such as:

• The 9 Best Parks in Portland, OR - You can add a call to action about your outdoor photography sessions.

• A Guide to Taking Great Photos with Your Cell Phone

• 7 Examples of Design that Sells - This topic could tie into product photography.

• The Crazy History of Lingerie - Here is a perfect idea for a boudoir photographer.

Small business blog ideas can come from just about anywhere. Keep your tone and voice on brand and include a call to action. Then, you can explore all kinds of topics you wouldn’t have thought would fit. 

4. Google your industry for great blog ideas.

As soon as you start entering a term into your browser’s search bar, suggestions begin popping up. You can easily choose one of those options and turn it into an article on your site. 

And if you scroll down, you’ll likely find something along the lines of “People also ask” in a little text box. This is gold! Dig into those topics and create a new blog about one of them. 

For example, I entered one quick search query that started with the words “what does a home stager.” Six topics popped up immediately in the suggestions, and any of them would make a great article. 

And when I clicked on one choice, “what does home staging cost,” I ended up with five more possible topics in the “People also ask” box. With about 20 seconds of work, I had almost a dozen potential blog ideas.

5.  Don’t worry if other people have already written about a topic.

Sometimes business owners come to a screeching halt because somebody already wrote a blog post about their chosen subject. Yup. They did already write about it. And that’s ok. 

Other sites are blogging on that topic because people are searching for it, so don’t leave yourself out of the conversation. As long as you are not copying other content, go ahead and put your spin on it.

Great Blog Ideas Don’t Have to Be Complicated

You know your biz. You know your industry. So don’t get stuck on a merry-go-round of overthinking, because then you’ll never do anything for your blog. 

Yes, there are ideal word counts, keyword frequencies, formatting, etc. But those serve you no purpose if you don’t write something. Anything. So for the time being, set all those concerns aside and just dive in.

Once you start writing and accomplishing some small blogging goals, you’ll be motivated to keep it going. And if you run out of steam, or want some help, reach out to Kristin Ratten Content Services. We provide strategy, content creation, and a good dose of wit and sarcasm.