It is frustrating to have a blog with great potential yet run out of content ideas to keep it busy and buzzing with leads.  

Sadly, it happens to brands all the time.

Blogging is a never-ending cycle, and although it has enormous benefits for your business, from traffic generation to the ongoing engagement and conversion of new leads, it can be overwhelming to find content ideas consistently.

Without a system for finding content ideas, best believe there will be many days when your creative team will have nothing to work with except blank pages and empty content calendars.

If you stick around until the end of this blog article, you’ll learn a thing or two about finding content ideas for your blog and building an arsenal full of them. 

1. Ask you audience

Think of your favorite brand and its blog that has got you hooked. Now, think of all the many blog topics you can’t wait to see them write about. If you had a chance to suggest content ideas to that brand, you’d have a long list.

Well, the same is true for your audience

As simple as it may sound, you’ll be amazed at how many content ideas you can come up with by simply asking your audience what and what they’d like to see from your brand. 

Don’t shy away from asking your audience for content ideas—do it often.

As content consumers, your audience will know better and recommend blog content ideas that best resonate with their needs.

One of the best ways to do this is to utilize the social media channels your audience is most active on. You can create polls, set up surveys, and use direct questions, like ‘What topics would you like to read on our blog?’

You should also review your comments on your blog from time to time. Aside from helping you communicate with your audience, it also gives you ideas about their pressing interests and needs, some of which you can address in new blog topics. 

2. Hang out where your industry folks hang out.

Depending on your niche, several forums and groups exist on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, where like-minded industry folks hang out and spill secrets now and again. It is a good idea to join some of these groups as they can become a source of content ideas for your blog.

You can also scour general forums where your audience hangs out, like Quora, for questions about your products and services. This way, you can create blog posts centered on those topics.

3. Spy on your competition

If your competition offers similar products and services as you, there is a high chance you have similar audiences. 

What content ideas are your competition exploring?

What is their top-performing content about?

The only way to find out is to launch spy operations on their blog pages regularly.

Is it okay to do this—spy on your competition? 

You bet it is; they are likely spying on you, too.

The goal of this exercise is not to copy their ideas and replicate them on your blog page. Instead, it should be to get inspiration and gather insights you can expand uniquely to align with your brand goals and objectives. 

Thankfully, with tools like Semrush, Ahrefs,  and Ubersuggest, you can gain insight into your competition’s top-performing content. 

4. Follow the trend

We live in a world of trends. One minute, one thing is on everyone’s lips, and the next, everyone moves on to the next trendy thing.

With every trend that comes on the scene in your industry, there are several content ideas for your brand. All you have to do is follow the trend—listen to conversations, get on Google Trends, sign up for newsletters that stay updated with trendy news, and whatnot. This way, you will stay on top of the trend and milk it while it lasts. 

5. Dig into your frequently asked questions.

The frequently asked questions section of your website represents the queries the majority of your target audience has regarding your brand and its products and services. 

While answering these questions in a small segment of your website is a good idea, it also helps to expand them into rich and compelling blog content that appeals to your audience. Think of it as using one stone to kill two birds—you are answering your frequently asked questions and keeping your blog page active with consistent content. 

6. Share your brand success stories.

Everyone loves a success story.

At whatever level, your brand has stories to tell.

Do you have clients who have achieved results with your products or services? Tell their stories in blog articles.

Did your brand just get recognized for something outstanding within your industry? By all means, share the story on your blog page.

Do you have a fascinating founder’s story that will create a connection with your audience? Write about it, too.

If you look inward enough at your brand, you’ll find stories waiting to be told—you’ll find creative blog ideas your audience will love to hear.

7. Ask your salespeople

Your brand most likely has a team of people doing different things to keep it up and running—creative teams with creative work, project managers coordinating tasks, content managers handling content, et cetera. 

Among these, you have salespeople whose job requires communicating with people outside your company. This means they’ll have a more detailed knowledge of the needs and interests of your audience. 

Now and then, talk to your salespeople.

Find out from them what your clients and potential leads are talking about and what they are interested in at every given time. You can transform these into blog content ideas.