Most businesses, whatever their size are realising just how important a company blog is. It provides a hub for your other social media activity, allows you to establish yourself as an expert and provide some added value resources to your customers and prospects.

Yet a common complaint I get is that it isn’t suitable for them. We’re too small. We’re only a small business. We’re too specialist. People think they have nothing to write about or that no one will be interested in what they have to say. Some of this is good old British modesty. But if we were honest with ourselves, we shouldn’t be in business if we don’t have some insights, opinions or knowledge about the sector or industry we work in.

So to give everyone who finds themselves with one of the above excuses tripping off their lips, here are 10 ideas to get you started ... no more excuses.

#1 Industry Updates & News

Most of us do not exist in a vacuum and we should be up to date with the news within our sector. If you subscribe to trade magazines or websites have a look at what people are talking about and write a blog that comments or adds to the discussion. Following other people’s blogs and social media such as twitter are a great way of keeping up to speed on this. If you have a pile of trade mags still in their cellophane waiting to be readf, then look at following that publication on twitter as most will feed their stories with links in handy twitterbites.

Blogs are not sales tools. You can’t start waxing lyrical about your producst and services as it will turn people off. You can however position yourself as someone who is in the know and an expert in your field. That can be a more compelling sales tool than any piece of marketing spiel.

#2 Forecasting Future Trends

You can take this ione stage further and instead of simply talking about what is going on now you can publish your thoughts and ideas on the future of your industry. Again you need to keep abreast of what is happeneing not just in your sector but also in the wider environment.

You shouldn’t be too strident but pitch it more as being thought provoking. Perhaps you can make the link between what has happened in other industries and what may happen in the future of yours.

#3 Tips and Guides

This blog is an example of my next tip. Publish tips, how to’s and guides. It could be around usage of your product. It could be more as a knowledge exchange.

Especially popular are the ‘how to avoid ...’ type articles which give readers some very valuable advice. People are sometimes scared to share their expertise. As if by letting people in on their secrets it will devalue what they offer (especially if they are offering a knowledge based service). But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes you will get those people who take your blog and use it for their own gains. But there will also be those people who say ‘I want to find out more about that’ or ‘I need to speak to that person, they know what they are talking about’ and these are your potential future customers and contacts.

# 4 Client or Customer Story

This is one of the easiest articles to write. If your clients or customers do something incredible, or if you have just finished a very exciting project with them you can write a blog about it. If you can get them to contribute by way of testimonial or even write the blog as a guest blogger, then all the better.

#5 Exciting Business Story

Many businesses are faceless brands or corporations, but they are run by people. So if something exciting has happened in your office or store then write about it. Has your staff taken part in something fun or interesting? Did a celebrity pop by? Why not write up and tell everyone about it.

Has something exciting happened in the office? Did a celebrity stop by? Did someone do something amazing? Why not write it up and tell everyone?

These stories are great because they show how your company is not just a faceless brand. Instead, you’re showing that you can be exciting and that fun things happen.

#6 From an employee’s point of view

It doesn’t always have to be you that provide the material for a blog. What about getting your employees to create a blog about something they have done, or something that is dear to their heart.

You could ask them to review a product. Talk about their experiences on a large or complex project. Have they gone above and beyond the call of duty for a client or are they invoved in charity work. By highlighting what you staff are doing, it not only adds variety to your blog it also shows that you have great people working for you.

One word of warning on this, make sure you moderate and check their entry before it is posted as this is something that is representing your company.

#7 Behind the Scenes

It doesn’t always have to be exciting information, customers are also interested in how your business runs. Just look at the interest fly on the wall style documentaries have.

Look at focussing on people or departments who make your business run smoothly. It all helps to promote your business as a people run by people and some of your systems and processes might even impress.

#8 Company Updates

OK so maybe this isn’t as much fun as the others and a blog only featuring company updates would be a little dull BUT customers do want to be kept updated on company events such as promotions, events or even sales.

If you are sending out press releases, then you should also be including this information on a blog and if you have success getting coverage in the press, you can talk about that as well (but don’t forget to add in a link if it is published online, or link to a pdf of the article on your website.

#9 React to current events

Weather extremes, strikes, bizarre government stories and scandals could all provide the springboard to a blog article.

The recent cold weather in December affected lots of businesses. But it also gave us lots to talk about. How should companies handle staff absences. How can you use it to your advantage with immediate marketing messages. Like all blogs, it is about having an angle and opinion on something and when it is in the news and people are in the thick of a situation, you need to react quickly and that is the flexibility a blog allows you.

#10 Executive Thoughts & Guest Bloggers

Lastly if you have an Chief Exec or Chairman you can ask them to write a blog or article. These don’t have to be frequent, but should be on a subject with some gravitas. Again it is giving another level of personality to your company blog.

And if you are a small business so having many bloggers is not possible, think about inviting guest bloggers. They could be clients, suppliers, peers or even people you have built a relationship with through social media, blogs and forums.

And finally ....

It can be all too easy to look at other people’s blogs and be daunted by the amount and quality of the content. But in the end you need to take the bull by the horns and just have a go. If you are unsure, then set up a personal blog first so you can get the feel of it. www.blogspot.com allows you to create a free blog that can be set up in minutes.

And once you have set up your company blog, then make sure you integrate it as much as possible throughout all your marketing activity... but that’s a subject for another top tips blog.