So you’ve decided your business needs a blog. Or maybe you’re just thinking it might. Congratulations! Writing a blog is one of the best things you can do to connect with your customers.
Blogging allows you to talk to your audience in your own voice about the things that matter to them. It’s almost sneaky when you think about it. A blog isn’t an advert; it doesn’t use the same language.
As I write this blog I’m imagining having a conversation with someone who’s thinking about working with me. It’s structured slightly differently, of course. You don’t have the opportunity to ask me any questions for one thing. Even so, I try to imagine what I’d say if you were sitting in front of me. What do you need to know? What’s going to help you the most?
What do I write about?
I know that a lot of people struggle to know what to write about at first. It’s always a great idea to start with your customers. What do they need? What are their pain points? For my clients it’s generally that they don’t know what to write about or they don’t have time to blog regularly. Sometimes it’s simply that they know what they want to say but when they write it down it doesn’t sound right.
Think about what services you offer and how that helps your customers. Your reader might not be able to afford to work with you yet but you can show them ways to improve things in the meantime. Do you take away the tasks they hate or give them more time to do the things they love? Write about the time saving tools you use in your business. Do you offer affordable childcare that gives them a few hours to work in peace? Suggest ways to help the kids play unsupervised without turning on the TV.
It doesn’t just have to be about pain either. You might offer something that will simply make them happy. If you can help them find the perfect gift for someone they love give them five ideas to get them started (for example five gifts for someone who loves yoga/gardening/mountain climbing… you get the idea). Of course, you could also be helping them with their pain if they normally find shopping really stressful.
Show some personality
Writing a blog with a bit of personality helps your customers to see that you’re a human being who understands them. Whilst you shouldn’t overshare, a general anecdote about something in your life is great. The vast majority of my clients are women who juggle running their own business with family life. We all understand about dealing with the school run and sometimes having to work when the kids are in bed.
Tell your story
If there’s an interesting story about how your business started, write about that. Even the things you think of as commonplace could be fascinating for your customers. How you choose fabric suppliers for your clothes for example, or how you go about making a teapot. Actually, if any readers make teapots, please share that, I’d love to know!
What’s everyone else blogging about?
Think about what others in your industry are talking about. What’s popping up on your social media feeds? Have a look on BuzzSumo or Google Trends to see what’s trending and offer your own take on the subject. The possibilities are endless.
The most important thing to remember is that it’s about your audience. You don’t have to write a novel, in fact it’s better if you don’t. No-one has time to read a lot, they just want something useful or entertaining (preferably both) and carry on with their day.
If you want to start writing a blog, but really don’t want to do it yourself, I can do it for you. Just get in touch and we can have a chat.
