When it comes to figuring out how to spice up your boring niche blog, the idea well can run dry pretty quickly. How much can you really say about Software as a Service or wood flooring? After one or two posts, it may feel like your blog is actually a bog…where ideas get sucked down and start to stink. But all is not lost, give your niche blog a makeover with these five simple tips.
1. Be Broad
Just because your business is niche, it does not mean that your blog has to be. You are promoting a certain kind of lifestyle, even if it is in the smallest possible way. For example, if you are selling wicker furniture, you are not just addressing people who are interested in buying wicker furniture. You are also addressing people who may like to spend time outside, who may put some thought into their home decor, who may live in warmer climes. In short, it is a bigger audience than you may have originally thought. When you zoom out, you may actually find that there are quite a few topics on which you could be writing.
2. Be Useful
If there is potential for your blog to be useful, seize the opportunity! Your readers will most certainly appreciate it. And with your new broader scope, you have even more opportunity to do this.
Let’s try this again, if you are a commercial printing company trying to be broad, your audience will probably include just about everyone—from a company developing pamphlets to individuals looking to promote themselves through business cards or portfolios. Some useful content could be a DIY tutorial on designing such a pamphlet or a post about what should go into a professional portfolio. The more informative and useful your content, the more likely it is that you will gain readership and, eventually, some new customers too.
No one likes to feel as if they are “on the hook” to make a purchase, so creating relevant and helpful blog posts will always generate more interest than a thinly veiled sales pitch.
3. Be Visual
This is true for pretty much any blog, niche or not—people respond to visuals. We all know that, yet many blogs still put out mostly solid blocks of text. If you are struggling to make your blog more interesting and are lacking the topics to do so, trying a more visual route might just bring the spice for which you are looking.
For example, try creating an infographic explaining how your product works or how it may fit into a larger process. You may also try creating a Vine or time-lapse video of someone in your team actually using your product. The tools to make good visuals are easily at your disposal, all you need is a camera or smartphone and some imagination, and your readership will be hooked.
4. Be Playful
Are you seeing a trend here? The idea is to vary your content enough to appeal to a wider audience by finding an interesting angle for even the most boring of topics. Another way to do this is to be playful with your posts.
Take a look at what gets all the reads on other blogs—top ten lists and quizzes frequently top the charts. Even if your niche product doesn’t immediately lend itself to such contortions, be creative and you may just be surprised. Who wouldn’t be interested in finding out which bathroom tile fits their aura or what kind of bathroom soap you used in a past life? Yes, it’s silly, but it may just put a smile on someone’s face and make them return to your blog a second time.
5. Be a Part of a Community
Connect with the larger community around your product. For example, if you are selling toilets, maybe ask a guest blogger from a home decor blog to contribute on creating a soothing atmosphere in the bathroom. Not only can guest bloggers infuse some freshness into your blog, but their audience may just pop in to take a look at what’s going on in your neck of the woods.
In conjunction with other blogs in your industry, you may also consider doing some contests or encourage clients to write in with questions to which you can offer answers. Building a community with your readers, as well as your colleagues can go a long way to creating a healthy blogging atmosphere.
So there you have it, making your niche blog appealing has never been this simple. All you will need is a little bit of inspiration and a dose of brainstorming, and you are on your way to a whole new blog.
