How to Choose a Topic for Your Blog Part 1: Niche Businesses
When starting a blog for your business the first thing you need is a topic. Obvious, perhaps, though you’d be surprised to learn the number of people who don’t think establishing a topic is essential. There’s a belief that if you just start writing, people will come. That might be true when writing a personal blog, but it doesn’t apply in business.
With a business blog, you need to ATTRACT your audience. With a personal blog, you’ve already got people who have a vested interest in what you’ve got to say. Just because you work in a specific industry and have knowledge of your craft doesn’t mean you’ve got a voice that people want to listen to just for the sake of it. You’ve got to give them something to lure them in and keep them coming back. That all begins with picking the right topic.
Choosing a topic in some industries is more obvious than others. A business that already has a very specific niche, such as a dental clinic that specializes in cosmetic dentistry, has a topic built in. In a specific field like that, you simply need to think “what information would clients exploring cosmetic dentistry be looking to read about?” Once you have the answer to that question you’ve found your topic. Write about the benefits of the procedures, explain how they’re done, explain oral health following a procedure, and explain the health issues that can lead to the need for cosmetic procedures. Any business with a specialized field can choose this approach when selecting their topic. To make sure your blog is memorable, use an obvious approach, but make sure your blog is different from others in the industry.
Put yourself in the shoes of your clients or do some independent research to determine what aspects of your niche business interests them, and what they’d like to learn more about. It’s essential to stop looking at your blog focus from the perspective of a business owner, think like your existing clients and your target market, make a connection and people will read!
When you’re in a niche or specialized business, choosing a blog topic still isn’t easy, but it’s harder when your business attracts a broad demographic of people or doesn’t have a distinguishable target market. So stay tuned for part 2 of this series for guidelines on choosing a topic if this describes your business.
Beth Graddon-Hodgson is a professional writer/blogger and the founder of WriteSourcing a professional blogging, writing and editing service. For more about Beth, read my interview with her.
Tags: Beth Graddon-Hodgson, blog topics, blogging for business, how to start a blog, professional blogging, Writesourcing
March 24th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I fully agree with finding your niche to blog about, but you do have to keep writing and experimenting to find what works for your business. You can’t just keep sitting in deep thought trying to find your niche and never do anything. Adjust as you go.
March 25th, 2010 at 10:54 am
I have a specific niche, I work in personal development, self improvement and creative training. However, I almost feel like I am limited by the fact that it is a specific field. I’m really looking forward to part II, hopefully it will help me with the initial part of blog writing, i find that is usually the hardest part.
Thanks
March 25th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Absolutely, Mike! You’ll see that mentioned when part 2 goes up (it was meant to be a one part blog until I had far too much to say!). There are no “rules” when it comes to blogging per say, it’s all about keeping an eye on the trends, statistics and engagement from readers to see what works! But, defining a topic area first is an essential starting point to narrow it down, but people do have to be flexible. An idea is only a good one if it works so it’s never wise to be married to an idea; the flexibility must be there!
Personal development blog – part 2 of this will be another portion of this same topic; how to choose your topic if your focus area isn’t obvious. But, keep visiting, because each post will be focusing on a different part of the blog start-up process; so that will follow shortly!
Thanks for reading!!
March 25th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
This is great! I have seen may successful business blogs. In establishing a sense of purpose, and in connection with what Mike said, I think you must find the balance between “adjusting as you go” and having a solid foundation so that your customers can have some sense of stability with your blog. For example, I know of some who write 95% business, 5% personal life (this works best for small businesses, family-owned businesses, etc.). The small dive into personal life helps readers connect to the business not as an abstract entity, but as people who they can connect with.
March 26th, 2010 at 5:43 am
All it certainly is good, but you look too narrowly. All much more difficult than seems. I can explain if it is necessary?
March 28th, 2010 at 1:35 am
whatever topic you choose for your niche business , make sure that you have great passion for that topic , otherwise after some you will lost interest and money as well
March 29th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Absolutely Ryan,and you’ll see more on that in future posts. This one was more to help with the brainstorming and planning stages. I do agree, however, that it is important to put a bit of a personal touch on it – just like use of social media (Twitter, Facebook etc) giving the person behind the business a face and a voice is essential. Stay tuned, this week will be part 2 on choosing a blog focal point and then we’ll be getting more into deciding upon actual content so this will be touched upon further! Thanks for the comment!!
Prostoi – this is just the first post of many more to come! The focus here was on brainstorming a focal point for a blog. Of course, as I mentioned there are no surefire rules written in stone, but these are basic elements people need to think about when starting up. There is a lot more that could be said on every element of blogging and a lot of that comes from experience on what works. With these posts I will just be giving an overview!
March 30th, 2010 at 6:14 am
There arn’t many niches that don’t already have multiple blogs already in them, especially around my field.
Original content is a must though rather than syndicating other peoples work
April 3rd, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Cyprus Property – absolutely, which is why it is essential that you have an understanding of how to put a spin on your topics to stand out, or hire someone that can. When you’re talking about fundamental ideas in any industry, you’ll never be the first to write about it, but the content does not have to have the same approach and message as everyone else out there. If you work with a professional blogger, you should never have content that has been directly taken from other sites. It can be referenced – but if you’re working with a blogger that is cutting and pasting, that is not the right way to go about things!
Keep in mind this post was strictly about choosing the overall focal point or topic for your blog – we will be getting more into the specific writingprocess with future posts, so keep on reading, and you might find some information that will help you make your blog stand apart from what other people in your industry are doing!