Content Development: How to Research Your Industry for Blog Content

Content Development: How to Research Your Industry for Blog Content

Keeping your blog up to date sounds like a great idea, since it keeps your website fresh and can help you connect with customers and prospects. But the actual job of creating the content and finding topics to talk about gets more difficult as time goes on.

Research your industry to find new ideas to bring to your blog. We’re not talking about just copying blog topics from your competition — while some topic crossover is expected, you will get more value from your content if you create the topics yourself.

To make researching simple, create Google Alerts of certain keyword phrases related to your industry. You provide Google your search queries, and it periodically sends you interesting news, blogs, and other links to your inbox. We’d recommend once per week, or else the emails just become clutter.

Use 2 to 3 search terms for your alerts, so you’ll be sent information on your industry. You should also use your business name in an alert so you’re more likely to see content where your name is mentioned. You should keep an eye on industry magazines and websites for the latest news as well.

Much of the industry news won’t peak the curiosity of customers and prospects, so ask yourself this question when you’re considering a topic for your blog: What’s in it for the reader? If you don’t know, then don’t write about it. If there is a benefit, then proceed!

By keeping up with industry news, you show readers you\’re an expert in your niche and that you’re trustworthy on the topic.