To Blog or not to Blog?

[Former_Member]

I know that blogging is a great way to reach out to customers and give them an inside look into the process and it seems like everyone these days are blogging. However every time I go to get started I just cannot muster up the strength and lack ideas to blog about. Do you guys blog? Do you feel like it makes a difference in your business? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

- Jackie

[Former_Member]

Blogs are good for SEO as well as promotion but if you have trouble coming up with compelling blog topics,

67 Ideas for Blog Topics

You're likely sick of hearing about the importance of having great blog post content. But you know you need it in order to have something to promote via social media.

What you may have trouble with is what to write about in your blog.

What you write about in your blog will of course depend on your type of blog, your industry, whether you're selling products or services, whether you have a local walk-in establishment, and a number of other factors.

When you browse through this list, remember that most blogs should have a wide variety of blog post types rather than always sticking with the same ones. While it's fine to announce a new product or service on your blog, if that's all you do, it could get pretty boring.

I've put the types of information into a few different categories to make it easier for you to scan for the type that might interest you. So without further ado, I give you 67 ideas for blog topics that could interest your target audience:

Upcoming events:

1. Classes, seminars, conferences, webinars (and why you should attend).
2. Special events (wine tastings, 5-course dinners, open houses, etc.)
3. Introduction to new products or services.
4. Important company announcements (as long as this isn't all you do).
5. Free stuff you're giving away.
6. Special offers, discounts, coupons.
7. Gift ideas.


Contests or other promotions:

8. Photo caption contest.
9. Holiday theme contest.
10. Product naming contest.
11. Logo design contest.
12. Send in a video contest.


Tutorials, product support and how-to guides (in the form of text, videos, or infographics):

13. How to set up your products.
14. How to choose your products or services.
15. How to use your products.
16. How to fix your products.
17. How to assemble your products.
18. How to clean your products.
19. How to protect your products.
20. How to know if you need a particular product or service.
21. How to get the most out of your product or service.
22. Explain the subtle differences between your products (and/or those of your competitors).
23. Answer reader and customer questions.
24. Conference session summaries.


Show your expertise:

25. Do it yourself: For example, how to create a Title tag, how to unclog a toilet, how to file your taxes.
26. Provide your thoughts on industry news.
27. Take an opposite stand on an important industry topic.
28. How to avoid making mistakes (in whatever it is you do).
29. Industry myths.
30. Show both sides of an industry debate and provide your opinion.
31. Discuss industry trends.
32. Discuss the results of tests you've performed relating to your industry.
33. How to be a better...whatever.
34. How to avoid…whatever.
35. How to protect yourself from…whatever.
36. How to survive a…whatever.
37. How to recover from a…whatever.
38. How to become a…whatever.
39. How to create a…whatever.
40. How to change your…whatever.
41. How to calculate your…whatever.
42. How to beat…whatever.
43. How to improve your…whatever.
44. How to make your…whatever…easier.
45. How to save money on…whatever.
46. How to be seen as…whatever.
47. How to have the…whatever…you always wanted.
48. How to stop doing…whatever.
49. How to justify…whatever.
50. The problems with…whatever.
51. The importance of…whatever.
52. What caused…whatever?
53. How to understanding the subtleties of…whatever.
54. What not to do with…whatever.


Interviews (in the form of writing, videos, audio, or a combination):

55. Interviews with industry experts.
56. Interviews with people who work at your company.
57. Interviews with people who've used your products or services.


Miscellaneous:

58. Best posts of the year.
59. Breaking industry news.
60. Industry predictions for the future.
61. Provide an analogy between what you do and something in life that people can relate to.
62. Satirize your industry or products (could be via a comic):
63. Reader polls and the results.
64. Industry awards.
65. Product and service reviews and recommendations.
66. Quizzes or tests.
67. Expose bad things that are happening in your industry.

Add your ideas if they were missed.

(This list came from an outside source that I no longer have the link to. Hope it helps.)

[Former_Member]

I do blog but it's exhausting.

I've worked very hard on it and 5 years later it generates it's own revenue. As far as marketing goes I think it's helpful in developing my whole brand and online persona but I get less hits to my etsy shop from my blog than from paid online advertising.
So that said, if I were doing purely for traffic I wouldn't :)

www.cubitsorganic.com

[Former_Member]

Thanks Mary

[FabricTwist]

Thank you Mary for all the great info here! I too have been debating about a blog, not just for self promotion of my shop but for promoting other artists and life from my new home in Belize. I have a lot of research and contacts but really need to organize things before writing and posting. The info you have here is a good start.

[Former_Member]

Just some things I've picked up from blogs I enjoy reading as well as seeing which ones of mine on any of my four sites get attention, including Matt's:

1) It's OK to be relatively short. You don't have to come up with lots of text for each post.

2) Pictures are always cool. At least one, preferably a couple. Since you all make stuff, that part is easy.

3) Share a personal story. Folks are really interested in your process and how your making career fits into your life.

4) Don't use the blog primarily to promote products. It's not an ad outlet. Same for doing this on Twitter or other social media platforms.

5) Link to other folks you like, at least one per post. You could even have a fav maker of the week or month thing.

6) Be regular (I know this feels like pressure, and I'm still trying to figure out best interval). Weekly seems to be best, but you have to look at how often you think you'll have personal content. I tried weekly with Matt's stuff, but he doesn't make enough, so I'm switching to monthly.

7) If there's something else that you are interested in, books to read, hobbies, etc., go ahead and include a little bit of material about that. Blogging is really about all of you, not just your business. I've included Matt's love of gardening in my posts about what he's up to, for example.

The larger picture is about telling little stories to build a tribe, a community, not just having numbers of followers. People who enjoy you will enjoy and buy your products. :)

Joanne, MMM shop manager

[Davs]

Joanne has it right. I had a blog that was all about my work and hardly got any followers. I finally started a new blog and now write about a variety of things and have been much more successful with it, though it is very hard to consistently come up with posts.

[Former_Member]

Wow Thanks Mary! that is great information and defiantly a big help in getting me started. Thanks Laura for posting your link I will check it out I need some good blogs to follow as well.

[KathrynMDuncan]

I have a blog and have posted some new things recently, and added some pictures. I then shared my posts to my FaceBook page and Twitter. That way, I don't have to write things more than once. I don't have any followers yet, but my read numbers always go up when I post something new - so somebody is clicking on my posts. I just blog when I have something to share, and hope for the best. I also put the Etsy mini store link on my blog which shows pictures from my shop.

[Former_Member]

Oh yea Kathryn I forgot about the Etsy mini link Thanks! I will be adding that. What's your blog url? I would love to follow you! I just completed my first official post today! very excited! please feel free to check it out
http://twotwentytwodecor.blogspot.com/