Blog Posts for Local Businesses: What Should We Write About?
Creating blog content is one of the hardest marketing challenges for local businesses. It is hard to come up with a steady stream of ideas and execute them in a timely manner. As a result, it is not uncommon for a blog to publish content for a few weeks, and then go dark for a month.
But, consistency is an important part of content marketing and SEO. The more regularly you publish, the more effective your content will be. So don't let a lack of ideas hold you back.
We curated a list of potential blog posts for local businesses sorted by industry. Even if your business doesn’t fall into any one of these specific categories, you can use this list as a guide for generating ideas that relate to your company. With a little creativity, you can develop content monthly, weekly, or even daily for your brand.
Professional Service Providers
Professional service providers include financial managers, lawyers, real estate agents, mechanics and other small business owners who help people with various aspects of their lives. These service providers do not off tangible products and often rely on recommendations and repeat customers to stay in business.
A few blog content ideas include:
- Remind customers about time-sensitive check-ins or deadlines that customers should be aware of.
- Share "how-to" industry basics (how to balance a checkbook, when you should change your oil) that can make customers more informed.
- Announce any professional awards that your company or someone in your business won.
- Offer discounts for customers who schedule appointments or recommend friends and family members.
Home Service Providers
Home service providers include any company that specializes in house calls to offer services to the community. Professionals in this field include plumbers, HVAC technicians, in-home veterinarians, cleaning professionals, and pool cleaners.
This field is varied, but many of the blog content themes are similar:
- Post reminders for seasonal check-ins or important information about home care.
- Write personalized blog posts explaining why your business is better than other service providers in the area.
- Create employee features that help customers build trust in your staff.
- Develop detailed tutorials on basic home problems and how to fix them.
Restaurants and Bars
Restaurants and bars have a lot of creativity when it comes to blog posts. Their setting is fun, which means they can make their blog content inviting.
A few post ideas include:
- Promote seasonal specials that customers can only get for a short time.
- List upcoming bands and nightclub events that your customers don't want to miss.
- Talk about the origins or history of some of the top dishes in your restaurant, whether you thought of them last year or they have been part of your cultural heritage for centuries.
- Teach customers how to make your top drinks or how to pair certain wine and beer types with food.
Recommended Reading: Use This Roadmap to Create Your Restaurant Marketing Plan
Salons, Spas, and Health Centers
The wellness movement is deeply centered around education, which is great for spas and health centers. There are plenty of blog posts for local businesses that you can tap into with a health and care theme:
- Highlight recent studies proving the health benefits of receiving certain salon treatments or working out.
- List a few tips for your customers to pamper themselves or care for their hair/nails when they are not in the salon chair.
- Promote upcoming classes or seminars that your business is offering to educate your customers.
- Introduce new treatments that your customers might not be familiar with.
Hotels and Tourist Destinations
SEO is particularly important for hospitality businesses. They likely only have a few days to convince visitors to connect with their brand, which means they need to get noticed immediately. A few ways to do this include:
- Compile lists of top dining, drinking, or family destinations in your area. People turn to the experts for advice (like TripAdvisor) and you can position your brand as a top recommendation engine in your area.
- Share photos of events that already happened, like wedding parties or fundraisers, to promote your venue as an event space.
- Encourage visitors to book ahead of time to save money before the busy season.
Recommended Reading: 12 Content Ideas for Your Boutique Hotel Blog and Newsletter
Retail Stores
You might not think that a retail store needs a blog, but these posts can increase website traffic, help with branding, and drive people to the store.
A few blog post topics include:
- Offer sneak peeks of hot items and seasonal goodies arriving at your store.
- Provide in-depth reviews of specific items and offer customers tips on making the most of your products.
- Share top trends that are hot this year that everyone will want to buy.
- Let customers know about any upcoming changes, closures, or news that they may be concerned about.
Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofits rely on the generous time and monetary donations of community members. Their blog content should highlight the value that they provide while providing clear calls to action for how to donate.
For example:
- Post different opportunities to volunteer, donate, get involved, or support your work.
- Share personal stories about people or animals who were helped because of your non-profit.
- Explain why your mission is so critical to raise awareness for your cause.
- Thank donors and local businesses for fundraising for your cause.
B2B Companies
B2B (business-to-business) companies are small businesses it. Many B2B firms only work with a handful of local businesses and specialize in supporting their local economy. Examples of these B2B businesses include marketing agencies, local insurance firms, business-focused legal firms, and supply providers.
A few tips for their blog content include:
- Announce upcoming conferences that someone in your business plans to attend, sponsor, or speak at.
- Post important updates related to changes in the industry.
- Highlight customer reviews and testimonials talking up your brand and encouraging people to buy from you.
- Provide advice for customers or potential customers to position yourself as a thought leader in the industry.
Get More Ideas for Local Business Blog Posts by Joining MyArea
One type of content that every local business can share on their blog is local news, events, and updates.
Promote local happenings in your community and encourage people to participate or visit during the celebrations. This helps you form a connection with your local area and give nearby customers a reason to return to your website.
Never struggle with finding local news to share by joining your MyArea Network. It's free to join and it allows you to tap into a variety of local content ideas you can share with your customers. Get a weekly newsletter with ideas of local events and news you can share with your audience.
If you still feel like you don’t know what to post about for your company, we can help. Contact MyArea Network and let us brainstorm a collection of ideas that you can apply to your business. We specialize in creating marketing resources and blog posts for local businesses. Our team can make sure you get off on the right foot.
