7 Blog Post Ideas to Reach Your Target Market

I feel like constantly thinking of blog posts to write takes up half my time.

Is that you? That came from a business owner who recently reached out to me to take over her content. Thinking of new, relevant blog posts all the time (and then finding time to write them) was taking up too much of that business owner’s time—time she could have spent working on her business, networking, meeting with clients.

So, for everyone’s sake, here are 7 blog post ideas that will help you reach your target audience.

Blog About Real Life

Before you start typing, let me elaborate. I don’t mean you should blog about the movie you saw last night or what you had for breakfast this morning. I do mean that you should listen to your customers and ideal clients. What brought them to you?

For example, the business owner I talked about above was tired of trying to come up with blog post ideas. She directly inspired this blog post. I listened to her, I helped her, and now I’m betting there are others out there who feel the same way she did. Because one of my ideal clients would have benefited from this post, I want to write it to be helpful and to hopefully meet other ideal clients.

What is it that your ideal client needed? Is there something there you can use as a blog post to be helpful to others?

Blog About Your Process

If you’re a creative professional, then this one is really important for you. As creative beings, we’re quite mysterious
to those who operate purely from facts, logic, and strategy. It took me a while to realize that for my clients who were not creative professionals, not only did they not understand the creative process I employ in writing, but they were also quite nervous about my approach.

Because we want our clients to be happy, we should have a blog post on hand to show any new or potential clients that not only outlines the steps we take but the reasons we take them.

For example, when I’m writing website content, I usually don’t put anything in a document for the first round. I read every bit of information I have to consider when writing, and then I read it again, and sometimes again. Then, I schedule times to sit down to write. Sometimes, the first session is all I need to write out great, SEO-friendly content that perfectly expresses my client’s why and reaches out to their target market. Other times, I only write a sentence or two the first session. This is why I tell my clients that I need two weeks to complete work that, if we’re only counting the time I sit writing, will only take me a few hours. I rely on a creative process I’ve used time and time again to produce the best possible content.

By outlining a process and explaining the reasons why, I’m showing my client the level of care I take in crafting their content while simultaneously explaining several things such as: why I want all the information up front, why I asked for two weeks, and why I can’t begin until I have all of the information. I would also explain that by not following this process, the end result will be content that is less than my best. They will get a better product when I follow my creative process.

So, tell them about your process, why you take each step, and what happens if you can’t stick to your process.

Helpful Content That Highlights a Service

(Photographer, this one is for you.)

Write a post that would accompany one of your services or help them get the most out of your services. For example, if you shoot portraits as a photographer, then write a blog post all about the best way to dress and pose to get photos they’ll love.

Or, if you take engagement photos, write a post that’s highlights the most romantic locations to shoot engagement photos.

Whatever it is that you do, there is a post you could write that would prepare a client to get the most out of what you have to offer. For me, I should write a post that explains what needs to happen before a press release is written and distributed to have the highest rate of response. Why? Because I write and distribute press releases, but unless certain things are lined up and completed prior to the press release, the client may not receive a response from the press.

Anecdotal Posts

Blog posts that talk about a real life situation that others may find useful are great. Think of these types of posts as case studies. A good example:

I have a client who went from zero followers to over 1200 followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in three months. She also leveraged each platform to earn over 4k from those sources alone in that time period. With her permission, of course, a great post would highlight her success and how we achieved those numbers.

How-to Posts

You know how to do something that no one else does exactly like you. Talk about it. Tell the world how you do what you do and why you do it that way. Show them how to replicate the process. A good example of that is the free guide I created that shows people how to write their own bio. It’s a step-by-step post that outlines what they need to know for each step, and then how to put it all together.

By writing this guide, I’m helping those who are in my target market (entrepreneurs and business owners) without giving my services away. Those who are interested in writing their own bio were already interested in writing that bio and not likely to hire me to write it. By offering the free guide, I’ve introduced them to who I am and how I work. Maybe they had no intention ever of hiring a copywriter or content marketer, but now at least I’ve planted a seed that may grow into a sale or might just mean that I have a new friend. And I like making new friends.

(If you’d like access to the free bio guide, then check out the sign-up at the bottom of this post; if you sign up, you’ll receive the guide once you confirm your subscription.)

Lists

I love lists! While it may not be the most SEO-friendly post in the world, it will for sure draw people in. People like comprehensive lists that convey information in a succinct, easily-digestible format.

What are some examples of lists? Well, this post right here from Shayla Eaton over at Curiouser Editing is a great example of a list post done right. She briefly outlines each point and has event formatted it so readers can skim and get the most important points of information without reading the entire post. She also did something with this list that brings me to my next point.

Blog About a Pain Point

In Shayla’s post, she talks about building an author brand. She’s speaking directly to her target market and offering solutions to one of the biggest pain points authors face—building their brand and following.

By addressing the biggest problem her potential customers have, she is letting them know that she knows their struggle and has some solutions. She has positioned herself as an expert and as having the means to help them solve their problem.

There’s a recurring theme here …

Every blog post suggestion I offered has roughly the same premise: Be helpful to your target market.

Every post you write, ask yourself what your target market will get out of that post. Will it help them solve a problem? Will it teach them something new? Will it educate them?

Whatever you write, always remember your audience.

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