There are plenty of benefits to starting a company blog, including improved search result rankings, increased Web traffic and professional credibility. Maintaining the blog with interesting and varied content can be a difficult and time consuming endeavor. If you have a company blog or are thinking of creating one, here are three great topic ideas to help you create new content that will attract interest and attention within your industry.
1. Focus on news Focusing on current news stories is a great way to let readers know you are aware of key issues and are part of the conversation. The goal is filter out the best news stories in your industry and put your own personal stamp on them. For instance, if you work as a financial adviser, you could comment on news stories related to the crisis on Wall Street and its affects on retirement planning. To stay on a news beat, simply check all of the relevant sources for breaking news and features in your industry. Then write a blog post that summarizes an article or event, highlights the most important points and includes your opinion. Always link back to the original article source, both for improved search results and for those people who want to read further. 2. Interviews with experts Conducting and posting interviews with colleagues and experts in your industry can be a great blogging feature. Adding outside opinions to your blog offers readers more than one point of view and shows how well networked and respected you are among your peers. First select a topic and write up a list of 10 to 20 specific questions about that topic. You can e-mail questions and have subjects reply digitally, but if you have access to an in-person or telephone recorder, an actual conversation will produce the most original comments and quotes. Don't be afraid to edit the interview down if it's too long. Finally, be sure to include a brief biography and photo of your subject. 3. Sneak-peak or insider stories This tactic will work really well for some industries (public relations) and not so well for others (tax preparation.) The idea is to write an insider, behind the scenes or sneak peak-style blog post to entice readers and generate buzz around a product, service or other topic. For example, if you are coming out with a new product, write about the product's new packaging design and show a photograph with the new packaging coming off the press at the printers. Showing readers the new packaging creates brand loyalty and recognition, even before the product has hit the shelves. Other examples of insider posts are to show readers minutes from an important business meeting, coverage of an industry conference or a behind-the-scenes look at managing a restaurant -- the list goes on and on.
Nice post with helpful insight.
Another good source is to focus on client challenges. What types of questions are people asking you to solve? Make a list of these issues, and think about how you can help solve these problems with a short series of blog posts.
You have an excellent example right here, answering the common pain point of "what do I blog about?"
Thanks for the great suggestion!
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