You’ve been told you need a blog for SEO. You might already have one for your company, with a few dated posts collecting dust. But figuring out what to write about that’s interesting and engaging is a challenge.
When it comes to the public at large — People of the Internet — no one cares about your “We Are Family” hot dog cookouts in the company parking lot. Or your employee of the month (sorry, Shirley).
Done well, a B2B blog can generate thousands of website visits a day if not millions. And an ongoing infusion of newsletter signups, eBooklet downloads, sales calls, and highly qualified leads.
You could hire a content writer with expertise in SEO blog creation and business copywriting — which generally costs anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars a post.
Or you could ask your agency of record (AOR) to produce blog content for you, and they’ll either do it in-house for several hundred dollars an hour or farm it out to a special writing agency like Henmar Creative.
But as the owner and founder of Henmar Creative, I believe there is a lot of low-hanging fruit that any business niche can execute on its own when it comes to blog post writing.
Here are the best ideas to get you started.
15 Actionable Business Blog Ideas
1. Beginner’s Guides
Write a beginner’s guide to a topic related to your business or industry. What would a beginner need to know about supply chain logistics or selecting the right type of roof shingles?
There are likely at least 3 to 5 main products or services that you sell to customers, and you could write a beginner’s guide for each one. For the different subjects or subtopics to cover within a blog post, there are a few ways to suss out the ideal content.
- Identify the top search terms bringing traffic to your website
- Research high-volume keywords that are relevant to your business
- Ask the sales team about common questions or misconceptions they encounter
2. Review What’s Trending
If there is a trending article related to your business or industry, link to the article and review it.
Offer your take on it. Comment on what you like, where you beg to differ, and how your business shines in addressing challenges they raise. You can also offer alternative solutions, perspectives, and insights.
And this tactic works for content other than articles. You can review reels, videos, tweets, social posts, books, interviews, podcasts, and more.
3. Thought Leadership
What big challenges will hit your industry in the upcoming year or decade? How will other businesses have to reckon with these changes, and what are you doing to help your clients future-proof their companies?
Share your experience, expertise, and ear-to-ground rumblings you and your team hear every day.
If you have a unique viewpoint that runs counter-conventional, share it and defend your reasoning. A unique perspective sets you apart and offers the reader a reason to read your blog.
Solicit contributions from:
- Top management
- Internal subject matter experts (SMEs)
- Department heads
4. Process Posts
Popular blog posts demystify the process for the reader and let them know step-by-step how to accomplish a process.
When I wrote SEO articles for the popular rewards site, Swagbucks, the most popular blog posts were articles that explained step-by-step with clear calls-to-action (CTAs) and screen grabs how to complete specific tasks on the site like cashing out a gift card, earning a set dollar amount, or earning a featured bonus.
In a B2B blog, you can write a post or a series of posts, that explains a common process your company has expertise in, whether it’s your hiring process or conducting an efficient technology audit. Write about what you do and how you do it.
5. Listicle
People love listicles. Our brains can easily wrap our heads around your 10 secrets or top 5 exert hacks because 79 percent of people don’t read online content; instead they scan it. Easily skimmed listicles are an effective way to address this challenge.
Think of a list of actionable things a business could do to solve a particular industry-related problem.
If you are a corporate event planning firm, you could share ideas on how to plan an event employees are excited to attend, or cost-effective ways to host an amazing holiday party.
6. Case Study
Share a story about how you helped a customer overcome an obstacle or achieve a specific business goal. Industry leaders and company decision-makers love working with businesses that have demonstrable knowledge and a winning track record.
If you have published case studies among your blog post topics, sprinkled in with quotes from customers, this is a powerful way to reach and convert new sales customers.
It doesn’t need to be a super-formal case study either. Just a blog article with valuable information about what you did and why and how it worked, along with a few key takeaways.
7. Relevant Infographic
Infographics are a powerful way to reach your target audience and an underused weapon in your content marketing arsenal.
Infographics don’t have to be a visual masterpiece. A successful infographic can just be 5 facts about a particular topic with condensed text and lots of visual appeal. Industry trends, ways to save money at Brand ABC, or how to generate business blog ideas are just a few ideas.
I’ve had success creating infographics for Upromise, a college savings and rewards program. I worked with a designer to create content about 529 college savings plans, a topic perceived to be both bland and complex.
The visuals simplified a more complex topic. As a result, a handful of different state departments of education reshared the content (.gov shares and backlinks are exactly what we wanted) and we increased our footprint in Google Search results for text and image.
Non-designers can use tools like Canva to easily create infographics and other interactive content. Or on Fiverr and similar sites, you can hire freelancers to create a design for you with costs starting at $5 to $25.
8. Ask an Expert
Talk to a thought leader in your business domain and interview them. It doesn’t have to be someone at your company. In fact, asking a company outsider could be a good marketing strategy. You’ll get a broader perspective from another industry leader, and benefit from their brand equity.
Additionally, the leader or the company may share the post on their LinkedIn, social pages, or email newsletter.
9. Highlight a Vendor
Write a blog post that features a specific vendor, outlining the value they deliver to your business and how they enable you to more effectively serve your client.
As a result of this cross-promotion, the vendor is likely to share the post on their social pages, blog, or newsletter. And they may in turn feature your company in their content marketing efforts as well.
10. Overcoming the Objection
This type of post. can kill lots of birds with one stone. You can overcome common objectives your business development team hears.
Related blog topics could be “Why ABC Software is 80% Cheaper Nowadays” or “How Investing $15K in XYZ Increased Company Productivity by 38% and Sales by 44%.”
11. Mythbusting
Similar to overcoming the objection, myth-busting articles tackle common myths people have about your industry, products, or services.
It can be a list of 5 to 10 common myths, why they are wrong or dated. For example, Henmar Creative might write an article about why ChatGPT can’t replace human content writers and share key findings about ChatGPT’s benefits and drawbacks — and even detriments.
Each industry has its own genre-specific myths that deter potential clients. Your blog can tackle them one by one, and discuss the realities of your industry with a highly relevant audience.
12. Double Down on Past Success
Maybe your business has had other blogs or blog articles that drove unbelievable results. Like that article about how to generate new ideas for your eNewsletter or ways to make existing content evergreen.
If you’ve had a great idea before that has driven lots of readers, sales leads, and revenue, double down and build off of that success.
Say you wrote an article about secret ways to get the best deals on Dell enterprise computers. You could apply that same idea to other brands like HP or Apple. Or you could write about ways to get the best deal on printers, hardware warranties, or other related supplies and services.
13. How I Went from X to Y in Z Years
Share your success – your victories as a leader or your organization’s broader wins. Blog about how you overcame a specific challenge, like building a brand from scratch, doubling your net promoter score (NPS), increasing sales, or winning back lost accounts.
It should be thoughtful, inspirational, and paint your organization and company culture in a positive light.
14. Before and After
Similar to a case study post, a before-and-after article can show the benefits of using your business product or service.
But beyond client-specific success, you can share the before and after approach for other business processes you’ve adopted.
- An unorthodox approach to recruiting new team members
- An off-site team volunteer day every month
- A new marketing plan that didn’t involve a popular, mainstream channel
- Impact of mandating 2 days a week in the office
15. Behind the Scenes
Give blog readers the inside scoop. What’s it really like working for Company XYZ corporate headquarters? Or what do business efficiency experts really do all day?
Beyond giving readers some useful information about your company — also debunking myths and sharing thought leadership for the future — it’s a great opportunity to woo candidates and buttress your HR efforts.
Jumpstart Your Marketing Strategy Today
This article has highlighted 15 blog post ideas that you can implement today to jumpstart your B2B marketing efforts.
Useful, original content about your business can build your brand’s equity and industry authority, attract potential customers, and crush the competition — or at least push them off the first page in search as your content begins to rank.
Of course, there are other SEO considerations when it comes to ranking on Google, Bing, and other search engines. But standing up the right type of content is the first step.
Don’t miss 79% of don’t read, they scan Find out why and what to do about it. Read now >>>
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