3 Surprising Spots for Blog Inspiration
Rachel Cunningham — June 5, 2018 — June 5, 2018
It’s not surprising that many B2B marketing professionals have a tough time coming up with interesting ideas for content pieces and blog posts. It either seems like all the good ideas have been written about or the ideas you come up with you think are boring (in most cases they aren’t!). As a B2B web design agency working with firms in a variety of industries, we believe there are a ton of fascinating ideas just waiting to be covered.
In this blog post, we are going to share 3 surprising spots where you and your team can find inspiration for your next blog topic or even for an entire editorial calendar for your B2B website.
Your Inbox
If you are struggling to find exciting B2B blogging topics, start with your email inbox. Take a look at what types of questions you are getting from clients, your customer support team, and your sales team. Start a list of these questions, even if they seem basic and straightforward to you. If you don’t think a question is a good stand-alone blog topic, it might work as part of a Frequently Asked Questions piece.
Also, go through your sent emails. Look for the longer emails you’ve sent where you’ve explained a process or how to properly use one of your products. If one person asks the question, there are likely a bunch of others who have the same question and just haven’t asked it yet.
Lastly, look at the questions you are asking your clients, vendors, engineers, and service delivery team. Are there any common topics that commonly pop up where there seems to be a disconnect between sales and the client’s understanding? Anywhere you think you can bring clarity by explaining the process or what to expect? These are all great B2B blogging topics because they provide value to your prospects and clients.
Your Competitors
No, we do not want you to duplicate everything your competitor is doing on their B2B website. However, your competition is a good source of inspiration. Go see what your top three competitors are writing about, what types of guides they are putting together, and what articles they are sharing on social media. You will likely see a few topics that you think you can expand on, you may have a different approach to, or even a completely different opinion on.
Be sure to look through any comments on their blog posts and social media posts. What are people saying? Are they asking more in-depth questions? Are they complaining about something in particular about a product or services? These are all ripe for becoming great B2B blogging topics for your company. Capitalize on them! Your target audience is giving you the topics they want to read, watch, learn more about!
Your Family & Friends
Typically, you probably try to keep your work life and your personal life separate. We get that. However, your family and friends can be a great source for inspiration for your next B2B blog topic – especially if they have no idea what you do! Have you ever tried to explain exactly what you do on an everyday basis and then given them an explanation that wasn’t really correct?
While you might assume that your prospects and clients understand what your company offers, they may not. Never assume that they understand even the basics of what your products and services do or the value they provide. Instead, use the questions you get from family and friends as jumping off points for creating B2B blogging topics.
Don’t be afraid to go back to basics when coming up with topics for your B2B website design and marketing strategy. Remember that there are multiple decision makers at your prospect’s company with varying levels of understanding. By creating content that addresses everything from basic definitions to more complex processes, you’ll be able to educate and provide value for all the decision makers at your prospect’s company.
Inspiration Is Everywhere
We know that it can be tough to come up with a complete B2B blogging editorial calendar. However, if you stop and take time to plan out topics (before you need to start writing), you can often come up with about 10 – 15 potential blog or content topics.
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