Blogging regularly is a critical component of any winning content strategy. But when you already have your hands full running a successful business, it can be hard to find the time and—let’s be honest—the mental energy to come up with compelling content topics.
Here’s the thing, though—as the expert in your industry, you’re the best source for great ideas that pave the way for world-class content. Your finger is on the pulse of your business—and your customers. Your knowledge, expertise, and experience can’t simply be replaced by a Google search for “content topics for [your industry].”
The good news is that you don’t have to start from scratch to plan your upcoming blog posts. At Every Little Word, we spend our days extracting winning content from the minds of thought leaders just like you and are happy to share some of our tips for developing engaging content topics.
Here are five types of content to help you come up with your next great blog posts:
1. Areas of Friction
The most successful professional service companies solve their clients’ problems in easy and enjoyable ways. When reading your content, your audience is considering you as their solution provider; you need to show them how and why they should work with you.
Think about client challenges, pain points, and frustrations. Acknowledge where you’re making improvements to reduce people’s struggles, and (without naming names) think about industry competitors that aren’t fixing client problems fast enough.
Good questions to help address areas of friction are:
- What problems do we routinely solve for our clients?
- Where do we often run into issues in client engagements?
- What questions are clients always asking?
2. Customer Wishlist
Another excellent way to connect with your customers is to educate them on your business and prime them for your partnership.
Have a quick brainstorming session with your team on what an ideal client relationship looks like. Ask yourself:
- What do I wish my clients understood about the service we provide?
- Where do we need to set or recalibrate client expectations?
- What do I want my clients to know that would improve our working relationship?
3. Common Myths
Your readers may have different levels of familiarity with your industry and your services. As the saying goes, “We don’t know what we don’t know,” so take the opportunity to address common myths and misconceptions for your audience.
In doing so, you provide valuable information and offer a chance for readers to become more comfortable discussing their needs with you.
The best way to brainstorm common myths is to ask yourself and colleagues two simple questions:
- What common misconceptions about our industry or services can we clear up?
- What do most people get wrong about our business?
4. Secret Sauce
As you go through the content development process, incorporate pieces that showcase what’s unique about your business. If you share some of your company’s “secret sauce,” your audience will start to understand why you’re the perfect partner for their needs.
Consider these questions:
- Where do we stand out from our competitors? In philosophy? Service? Deliverables?
- What internal processes can we highlight to give buyers confidence?
5. Pulse Check
As an industry expert, you likely know what’s hot—and what’s not—in your space. Incorporating current events and addressing topical trends are excellent ways to develop thought leadership content that builds your reputation.
Good prompts to home in on current trends are:
- What are our customers thinking about right now?
- What have I seen, read, experienced, or heard about in the industry lately?
- What broader events or trends relate to our business?
With these content categories in mind, you’ll be well on your way to establishing yourself as the next great industry expert in your space.
Of course, once you select your topic, you actually have to get your content written! If you’re overwhelmed by trying to write your own content, we’re here to support you. Every Little Word helps industry leaders transform great ideas into world-class content every single day. Contact us to get the conversation started.
