10 First Blog Post Ideas For Small Business Owners
Starting a blog for your business is exciting but it can also feel massively overwhelming. What you should really be doing before even thinking about sitting down to write something, is brainstorming your first blog post ideas. Taking the time to figure out what subjects you should write about, exploring what your audience are interested in, and researching which search terms people are typing into Google.
But what often happens is you jump straight into writing a ‘welcome to my page’ style post and then very quickly fall off the wagon. Which I get, because you’re running a business, there’s a lot to juggle, life happens, and blog post writing… well it moves to the bottom of the pile, right?
The thing is, if you want your blog to work for you, by which I mean drive more traffic to your website, grow your audience, generate more leads, you can’t write one half-hearted blog post and expect a miracle to happen.
There needs to be a purpose and there needs to be a strategy. And that’s where I can help you!
In this blog post I’m going to explain why those first blog posts matter, why you should be writing for your audience, and then I’m going to share 10 first blog post ideas to help inspire you to get started.
Why Your First Blog Posts Matter
Listen, I’m not gonna completely diss the ‘welcome to my blog page’ style posts. After all, having something up on your blog is better than having nothing at all. However, when that’s the only post on there and it’s been sat there gathering dust for months on end… that’s a problem.
As we all know, first impressions count, and this is no different for your blog. The first blog posts you share on your website sets the foundations of what both your readers and the search engines will come to expect from you. Your posts should make it clear what your area of expertise is, what your business is about, and how exactly you can help people.
And that feels like a big deal, right?
All that pressure to make sure you’re posting the right stuff. Fear of getting it wrong, not showing up in the best way possible, worries about being judged, concerns over how you’re representing your business. Your business, the thing you’ve worked so hard on, the thing that makes you money, the thing you’ve poured your blood, sweat, and tears into building. Of course you’re worried you won’t be able to do it justice and that your blog writing skills won’t be up to scratch!
One thing I want you to get firmly set in your head is that your first few blog posts aren’t going to be that good. This isn’t about you aiming for perfection. Christ I’ve been blogging for 13 years and I still don’t produce perfect blog posts. Remember – perfection is not a thing!
Whether it’s little spelling mistakes, things you might have done differently, or other ways of wording something, there will always be things you find to criticise. But if you faff around, finger hovering over the publish button, overthinking it too much, that first blog post won’t ever get published.
And if you don’t publish the first one, you won’t have a second, third, fourth one. There’s literally zero point in you blogging. Which seriously, is something to consider… perhaps blogging isn’t the right strategy for you.
Write For Your Audience
But I don’t want that to put you off. Because blogging is so valuable for businesses these days. It can massively help your business to thrive online and really help make it stand out from the competition.
Those first blog post ideas will pave the way to you creating something truly special. You need to see them as part of the learning experience rather than this massive make or break deal for your business. It’s really not that deep!
Blogging used to be all about the blogger. Blog posts were like journal entries, very opinionated, very self-centred, it was all very much me, me, me. At the time, people loved that, because this freedom of being able to write whatever you wanted was new. And there were far less people writing online back then, which meant it was that much easier for your voice to be heard and your posts to be found.
These days it’s different. It is so freakin’ crowded out there. And if you want to make your blog posts stand out, you need to stop treating blogging like a diary and start using it as a marketing tool.
The blog posts you write need to be centred around the needs of your audience. So that means they need to:
- Solve a problem
- Answer a question
- Provide value
- Be something your audience would search for
- Show off your expertise
Which is why intro posts like ‘welcome to my first blog post’ fall so flat. Because there’s no real point to them. There’s no benefit to your readers. And it kinda goes without saying that of course visitors to your website and blog are welcome… you really don’t need to spell that out!
Think about what your ideal client or customer would be searching for on Google. What words or phrases are they tapping into that search bar? Once you’ve figured that out, that’s your first blog post ideas right there.
10 First Blog Post Ideas For Small Business Owners
Something I get asked a lot is, ‘how many blog posts should I have before I start sharing them?’. I literally hear it all the time. And I totally get why people ask it, because there’s a worry their blog won’t look very good, or professional enough, if it only has 1 or 2 posts on there. But here’s the thing… even though you might be under the false impression that the whole world has eyes on your blog page, in those early days you’ll be lucky if you even get a handful of visitors to your site. And most of those will be your family and friends!
How many blog posts should you put on your website before sharing them… ? You might as well ask me to tell you how long a piece of string is. There’s no answer, other than me telling you to stop sweating the small stuff and to just take action.
The biggest barrier that will stop you from running a successful blog and being able to use that blog as a marketing tool in your business is YOU! Don’t allow yourself to become that barrier. You are better than that.
And let me make this crystal clear, your first blog posts won’t be the ones your website ends up ranking for. Not when you don’t really know what you’re doing properly yet, you haven’t developed your writing style and blog voice, and you haven’t yet got to grips with the basics of SEO. Those first blog post ideas should be ones that are easy for you to write and that you enjoy writing about. Because if you don’t, it will feel like a massive chore and before long you’ll give up on the idea altogether.
I don’t want you to get to a place where blogging becomes something you feel you have to do rather than something you want to do. And to help you overcome this barrier, I’m now ging to share some first blog post ideas that you can use to form a plan, to create consistency, and to give you that gentle kick up the backside you need right now.
- The Most Common Questions Your Customers Ask
- How To Use Your Product Or Service
- A Beginner’s Guide To (your area of expertise)
- The Story Behind Your Business
- Tools Or Resources You Recommend
- Day In The Life: Behind the Scenes of Your Business
- What to Expect When Working With You/Buying From You
- Mistakes People Make When (Doing Something You Help With)
- How To Solve A Specific Problem Your Audience Faces
- Your Values Or Approach – What Makes You Stand Out As Different
Final Thoughts
Listen, your first blog posts don’t need to be perfect, polished, and published all at once. What matters is that you take action and that you just get something out there. Each teeny, tiny step you take is progress. And as we know – progress beats perfection every damn time!
Your first blog post ideas won’t be your best, but it’s a million times better having something out there than doing nothing and just sitting there waiting for your ideal audience to come find you. Which they won’t. Because someone else out there is creating content, answering their questions, providing value, shining a spotlight on their business. And that’s where your audience will go.
So, let’s change that. Let’s get you writing blog posts that connect with your audience. Let’s turn that spotlight around and shine it on you. Are you ready?
Author Bio
Bex Stafferton is a blogger who started off writing her blog The Art of Healthy Living as a hobby when she was a stay at home mum and caring for her two young children. The same blog now earns her a full time salary while working part time hours.
Bex is on a mission to help teach businesses how having a blog on their website is a valuable marketing tool. Helping to build a strong online presence, grow an engaged audience, and increase sales.
When she’s not blogging, Bex spends her time hiking up mountains, trail running, cuddling her two cockapoos, and volunteering at a local wildlife rescue centre.
