Once you understand the importance of content and work through building a content marketing plan for your business, the next step is getting in and actually writing the content. But once you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) there is a chance you’ll stumble right into writer’s block. This can especially happen if your product or service isn’t particularly “sexy” or exciting.

Here are a few things to think about when determining your article topics to help get the ideas flowing.

• What are you selling? Whether you are offering a product or service, chances are it’s something people need or want. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in business. So what are those products or services? How can they be used? Why are they important?
  
  • Example: You sell organic pet food and other pet supplies. What does it mean if the dog food is organic? Why is organic dog food better than regular? How do you transition your dog from regular food to organic? What do you need to know when looking for the type and brand of dog food to buy?
    
  • Example: You are a dentist office. Why is a regular teeth cleaning important? What happens when you have a cavity? What is a root canal? What are steps you can take to avoid gum disease?
    
• What problems are your customers facing that you are solving for? Especially if you are offering a service, this can be an important question.
  
  • Example: You are a life insurance agent. Why do people need life insurance? What are some life insurance myths that you can bust? How do you decide what type of policy you need? How much coverage do you need?
    
  • Example: You own a hair salon. What should you do if you color your hair at home and it doesn’t turn out the way you want? How do you know what cut/color/style fits your face shape? What is the best way to repair heat damage to your hair?
    
• How can you extend your product into additional solutions? Once people purchase your product, how do you ensure they become a repeat customer? The best way is to offer valuable solutions with the customer to continue to foster a relationship.
  
  • Example: You are a local antique shop. Where do you recommend finding the best deals on antiques? What should they look for when antique shopping? How do you know if something is legit? How do you take care of a piece you may have inherited? How do you take something new and make it look antique?
    
  • Example: You own an auto repair shop. What are key car shopping tips? What is the regular maintenance you should get? How do you shop for tires? What are seasonal car care or driving tips?
    
• If you weren’t the expert in your field, what would you search for? Placing yourself in the customer’s shoes, think about what answers they’d look for on Google. Be the place they go to get those answers.
  
  • Example: You are a dog trainer. How do you get your dog to stop jumping on people? Or barking? What do you do if your dog has separation anxiety? What is clicker training and why should you use it? How should you socialize your new puppy?
    
  • Example: You own are a personal trainer or nutritionist. What are your healthy eating tips? Why is drinking water important? What are key exercises you should do to target (name your muscle group)? How can you do a gym workout at home? What are the different nutrients your body needs and why?

One of the main reasons to have a content marketing strategy and publish content on your website is to build a relationship, build trust, and establish yourself as the subject matter expert in your field to your customers. That means whatever questions you can answer, context you can give, or information you can provide related to your industry, products or services.

If something is reported in the news, or a new product or new information is released related to your product or service, write a post commenting on it or explaining it. If you provide a service that can be confusing or overwhelming, break it down into easily digested bites. For example, if you are a real estate agent, write about where to start when looking for a home, how to start saving, how to best work with a real estate agent, etc.

Remember – this content will also likely support your other marketing strategies such as social media and email marketing. Write about what you would want to read about in a way that you’d want to read it if you were looking for that information. Make it engaging and relevant to your readers. Give them information they won’t find anywhere else; and, if they can find it elsewhere, make it better.

Your content can set you apart from the competition, so take advantage of the opportunity you have and make the most of it!