What should your business write blogs about?

An effective way to win over your ideal buyers in the digital world is to become their trusted resource of information. Here are some of Xum Digital’s favorite blog topics that can help you get there.

1. Costs and prices.
2. Problems/challenges.
3. Comparisons and versus.
4. Best of lists.
5. Reviews.

Regardless of your industry, any company with digital presence (all should) would benefit from sharing information and educational content.

Content Marketing has many forms, however, writing valuable information, that is not only catchy but relevant to your target audience, is key to creating that trust with your customers that will help grow your business. The ultimate way to grow your business and motive customers to stay and/or come back.

While writing, please remember to think about what your customers and potential customers would ask, and then answer. Even if the answers are uncomfortable to you or you think that they may benefit your competition. Your honesty and commitment to service will always pay off.

Once you and your staff (ideally, all members of your organization should participate) get into the habit of writing, you’ll quickly establish yourself as a trusted resource in your space. It also gets easier and easier for your staff, turning into an internal motivator.

Even though the topics, or in this case, the questions that your customers may have, are potentially limitless, we would like to give you a short list of topics to start. Topics that consistently outperformed every other blog topic out there, regardless of what industry happened to be publishing them.

1. Cost

If you’re like 99.9% of internet searchers out there you may have gone online to research a product or service before you made a purchase. And most likely you were looking for costs and you couldn’t find clear answers. Did you feel frustrated and dropped the search? You probably did. And the business not only lost a potential customer, but it also affected their online presence (authority and others) and the opportunity to gain their trust.

Too many companies don’t want to talk about costs on their website — and it’s typically for all the wrong reasons. This is one of the main reasons you have an opportunity to show that you are not afraid of talking about costs.

You may also have many excuses to not talk about this sensitive topic such as:

· “Our product/services are custom designed for individual needs/preferences.”

· “Our competitors will find out how much we’re charging.”

· “But we might scare prospects away.”

All perfectly good reasons to not do it. But the benefits of talking about costs are huge and the ways to provide good information can be done in simple ways.

We know that each project you do is different and that costs may vary depending on factors. Then let’s write about the factors that influence costs and at least give a range of possible rates. It’s that simple.

Your competitors will learn about your prices? That, if they don’t already know everything about you. Better off, look at their website and see if they are discussing costs. If so, you better catch up. If not, it’s your chance to get ahead of them.

We believe that not answering cost questions will drive more people away. You have a better shot at gaining a customer just by answering their important questions. Honesty fosters trust. And people want to do business with businesses they can trust.

2. Problems

There are major types of problems articles you should be writing about: Problems/Solutions /Options.

Your service or product should be the solution to a problem your prospects are experiencing. Then writing about the symptoms of their problems and informing them of their options is a good way to highlight the solutions you can provide to them.

3. Comparisons

Customers are used to having options and a limitless number of sources to find their answers. Let’s keep them in one place, your place, and help them compare.

Provide opportunities to discuss each of their options, the pros and cons of each, how they compare in different categories, and which ones are better under different circumstances. This, again, develops trust and a strong bond between your customer and your business/brand. You are not afraid. You know how you are and what you offer. You will set yourself apart and get valuable and long-term customers that way. Make sure to be as honest as possible in your blog/article. And let readers know outright which of those products/services you sell.

4. Best of lists

It’s also one of the most common ways people search.

We want to put all of our options from worst to best and carefully review those on the far right of the spectrum. Here are simple examples of Best of lists:

• Best in Class
• Best practices
• Best tips

5. Reviews

As buyers are considering making a purchase, they often want to know if those that shopped before them are satisfied by their final choice or have remorse.

Reviews have become a must-do for many, to consider before making a purchase, and the influence of good or bad reviews is huge.

Keep on writing and write about whatever your ideal buyers are asking the most. You can always run a content brainstorm with your sales team, asking them which of the questions they’re getting asked the most often.

Maria Luisa Fuller