Blogs are great ways to keep in touch with your customers and clients. Plus, by updating them regularly, it constantly keeps you front and center in your customers’ minds. This increases the odds that when they need your type of products and/or services, you will be the one they call.
I’ve worked with literally hundreds of clients over the past several years who have wanted to create or enhance their company blogs, but were unsure what types of things they should write about. Many would question what type of information they could provide that would capture the interest of their ideal client in a way that would make their small business the one they want to do business with over and over again.
After a short pow-wow session, we are always able to come up with a multitude of ideas. How? By selecting topics in certain areas which are applicable no matter what type of small business you own.
How-To Blogs That Solve Some of Your Clients’ Simpler Problems
This is probably one of the best blogging areas for small businesses. When you can help your clients solve some of their smaller problems for free by writing a step-by-step how-to blog, it shows them that you’re not just after their money. You also care about them as a person. This increases their respect for you and makes you a desirable business partner.
To do this, think about their pain points. These are the things that usually send them in search of your products and services. Of course, the types of problems your clients have depend greatly on what type of business you’re in.
For instance, if you own an auto repair and maintenance shop, you might want to blog about how customers can check their car’s fluids to make sure they’re at proper levels so they can potentially avoid costly repairs. Or, if you’re a tire shop, a great how-to article would go into how to tell when tires should be replaced, potentially saving your customer from getting a flat at the most inopportune time due to tires that are worn too thin.
Remember: your goal isn’t to give away all of your secrets or share all of your knowledge in a way that makes your business useless. It is just to give them enough information to help them take care of the littler things so that when the big things happen, you’re the one they come running to.
Ways to Better Use Your Products and Services
Sometimes if someone is disappointed in a product or service, it’s because they used it in a way that didn’t bring out its best. It’s kind of like if you didn’t know you had to boil the water before you put your spaghetti noodles in it. You’re probably not going to like your meal very much, although the problem wasn’t with the noodles themselves. It was in how you prepared them.
The same is true when it comes to your products and services. By creating an instruction manual type of blog, you let your consumer know how to use your business’s goods in a way that will likely result in higher levels of satisfaction. And higher levels of satisfaction means that they’ll probably come back to you again, maybe even bringing friends and family with them.
As an example, if you own a business that sells wines, why not post about which foods go best with which wine? If you have a massage therapy business, create a blog about the best times to get a massage. Tell them how to get the most from what you have to offer to keep them walking back into your door.
New Products and Services You Offer
Although you don’t want to overdo self-promotion in your blog, potentially turning your customers off or causing them to tune you out, there’s nothing wrong with writing a blog about some new products and services you offer. Additionally, by being excited about your expanded line, you get your clients excited too. Besides, how are they going to know everything you have to offer if you don’t tell them?
When creating a blog about this topic specifically, be sure to include why you created the new products or services and how they are intended to help. Sharing your story about how these came to be helps your customer create a more personal connection with you. As a result, they begin to see you as a person and not just a business, which makes you more attractive to them and, subsequently, them more loyal to you.
Advancements In Your Field
If new research has been conducted which has something to do with your business, then share it with your customer base. This tells them that you stay current in your field, which is a value that many clients appreciate because it shows that you care enough about what you offer to make sure it’s based on the latest and greatest information available.
As an example, I do this type of blogging quite a bit for my clients in the natural health field, as there is a constant stream of studies releasing new findings on how various treatment methods can help with certain health conditions. Sharing this type of information establishes you as a leader in your field, making you the expert that your clients will be more likely to turn to when they have their own problem that needs solving.
Current News Stories and How They Could Impact Your Clients or Customers
Don’t be afraid to take current news stories that are making headlines and discuss them if they’re relevant to your business and your clients. For instance, I was working on some content for a client in the safety and security field right about the time the San Bernardino shootings occurred. This was a perfect opportunity to blog about how to respond in situations like this.
Essentially, taking major and sometimes tragic events and discussing them with your clients on your blog, you’re addressing the issues that are likely forefront in their mind. And if you can give them a little bit of calmness or peace when they feel chaotic about what is happening in the world around them, you have a higher chance of becoming someone that they will turn to repeatedly over time.
By selecting blogs in one of these areas, you’ll likely realize that you have more than enough to write about. And if you aren’t sure whether you should write your blogs yourself or hire it out, then you might want to read this article, which goes over the pros and cons of each.
I’m always interested in learning other small business owners’ thoughts on relevant topics and issues, so if you have a comment or unique article idea, feel free to contact me at [email protected] (put “Businessing Magazine” in the subject line, please). If I use it, it’s a free link to your website!
short url:
