Everyone says you need a blog, but do you really?

I think you do, but not the blog that your thinking of when  I say blog. Not a blog about your life or what you ate for breakfast your blog should be used as a way to give your customers a reason to come back to your site over and over for information that will educate, inform engage them. Your main business may be selling pizza but that does not mean all your posts have to be about your pizza or you as a matter of fact.

For your blog only about 20% of your posts should be about you, the other 80% should be of anything else your customers need on their life that will educate or entertain them.

 (great book by the way The 80/20 Principle)

What else do they do?  Curate content to help educate, inform and entertain them. 

Here are 25 ideas to get you started with your blog:

• Spotlight a new item: Once a month make a point to choose a new item on your menu and explain why its a favorite and how you make it. Take pictures using these tools or even make a how to video.

• How to’s: How to make pizza at home, homemade dough or pizza sauce. Link to these items that  they can also purchase on your website.

• Review other local places: Pick a local business you use and your customers should try out. Make an honest review of them and after you do, send that business a note telling them that you did. This is a great way to cross promote. 

• Talk about a local sports team: There is always a local little league or hometown sports team doing well Write a post letting your customers know about them and how they can show their support. 

• Have a local business teach something: Reach out to a local business such as a real estate agent or attorney and have them write a guest post teaching about their industry.

• Create a Contest: Come up with a unique way for your customers to get involved (hide a gift card around the city and post clues to instagram or ask them to take pictures of themselves enjoying your food…)

•  Create a hyper lapse video: Download the hyper-lapse app on your android or Iphone. Shoot a few hyper-lapse videos around you business or town (life of a pizza, traffic around your business, your fastest pizza maker)

• Best of for your city: Create a list of the best things to due in your city or town. Break it up into months, the best things to do in ____ in February for example. That will give you a new piece of content every month.

• Round-up of blogs: Make a monthly round-up of useful blog post that you come across. A few great tool for this is feedly (save your favorite blogs for future reference) and All-Top search for blogs with specific keywords ( like restaurants or recipes for example)

• What drinks go good with what pizza: Best beer to go with our pepperoni pizza, best wine with our ____ pizza. Best kids drink with ______ pizza. Make a few suggestions for each. Whats your favorite. 

• Make a list of local resources: Make a list of local resources (attorney, plumber, landscaper) use the people you know and use this as a way to reach out and cross promote.

• Make a guide to your town: Make an in depth guide to your town. Tell the towns history and things to check out around the town. Research and describe the different neighborhoods and schools as well. Create guides for your neighboring towns too. This is also a great way for you to get to know the area better.

• Things to do in (seasons): Every town has there “season” are you a ski town and need ideas of what to do in the summer or are you a summer town and people need ideas for what to do when it snows. Use this to write a new post for all 4 seasons.

• Things to do when it rains: Everyone gets stumped when it rains, what is there to do in your area when it rains out? Find out and write about it.

• Spotlight on your staff: Pick a new member of your staff every month and introduce them. Tell their story where did they grow up, why are they working for you, what do they want to do in the future. Great way to keep your staff engaged as well.

• Give a real estate update: Team up with a local Realtor and have them do a guest post once a month about the local real estate market. How are home values and what are some tips on selling.

• Tell your story: How did you get started and why are you still doing this? What motivates you to keep going? Your customers will love your honesty and to hear it from the owner.

• Local news update: Tell whats going on in your town once a month.

• Talk about some customer: If your have loyal customers pick one every month and give them something for free. Interview them and put them on your website.

• How to have a successful party: Curate ideas for organizing and throwing a successful party.

How about you?

If you have any ideas that have really worked for you or ones I should add to the list. Leave them as a comment, I’ll add them to it. Thanks for visiting!

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