There’s always a way to incorporate fun blog ideas, even if you think you’re the driest industry out there.
Sure, we love the standing desks and our office sheds in the BuzzFarmers office, but my favorite space to work is the repurposed conference table made by the Lorimer Workshop. Why? Because usually, when one person sits there, another teammate will join him or her and some great discussion will ensue. And, if you’re anything like me (the office eavesdropper), you’ll almost always end up joining the conversation as well. Unless, of course, you have your headphones on too loud and have drowned out everything going on around you.
Why am I bringing this up? Well, last week we had a great discussion about corporate blogging, and how we choose what to share on our blog and the blogs of our clients.
Often, our new clients will ask us about the benefits of blogging, and trust us, there are so many good reasons to share content on your corporate blog. During our recent conversation, Amanda, Jim and I considered why all businesses should blog, and here’s what they had to say:
Amanda:
A blog is like a collection of 100+ landing pages that support the goals of your homepage and sales pages. They’re like your friends who help you out with your biggest informal questions, and then point to the best professional product to solve the question you asked.
Jim:
I also think of it as a more detailed or curated source of social media. It’s a way to share your company’s personality, and help your audience get to know you better. And that is, of course, not even considering the direct ways you could use a blog for advertorials.
They’re right, and guess what? There are even more reasons why all companies should have a thriving blog. At BuzzFarmers, we blog because we want to teach our audience what we know about corporate blogging and social media best practices. But is that the only reason to share content? Can fun blog ideas be shared on a company blog, or should you just stick to the “important” or “professional” posts? Our conversation last week turned toward this question, and I was really motivated by Amanda and Jim’s thoughts on fun blog ideas, and how they can actually help a business blog.
Amanda:
The fun ones snag loyalty points beyond expertise. Everything in business is about relationships, and fun posts are like the conversations you have during lunch with a potential client after your big business meeting.
Jim:
From a business standpoint, I think fun blog posts are important because they give your company a personality. It gives you depth that you can’t project from things like sales, stats, and facts.
From a customer standpoint, I like fun blog posts because I like to know who I am giving my business to. I’d buy from a “friend” any day, even if their prices are higher. Fun blog posts let me, as a customer, feel like I know the business beyond what is on the website or the storefront. I can go anywhere and get a good chef’s knife, but I would rather buy that knife from someone who I know loves to cook and has a passion for sharing a good knife with me.
You may have noticed recently that we’ve been trying to add a little personality to the BuzzFarmers’s blog. We’ve written about the best coffee shops in Rhode Island, music we listen to while working, and what remote working looks like to our team. We aren’t writing about things that don’t somehow relate to our company, we’re just sharing a little more about us because we want you to get to know us.
We thought it would be a good to come up with a list of fun blog ideas companies could pick from every month to add a little personality into their corporate blog. We challenge you to have some fun with your blogging.
Fun Blog Ideas For Your Company Blog in August
1. August is American Artist Appreciation Month:
Follow the Smithsonian’s lead by highlighting an American artist or a piece of their work on your company blog. You don’t need to work in the art industry to write a relevant post about the importance of American art. If you’re a marketing company, you can write a post about some of the most iconic American marketing. The possibilities are endless.
2. International Lefthander’s Day: August 13
Time Magazine posted an article about the Top 10 Lefties last year in honor of International Lefthander’s Day. What leaders in your industry are left handed? Find out and write a post in their honor or take it a step further and write a post highlighting a few left-handed professionals from your industry.
3. Joke Day: August 16
Every field has a joke related to them. Share a few jokes in an industry-specific post. If you can’t find any good jokes to share – and we bet you can if you poke around a little – ask your employees to share their favorite – appropriate – joke.
Hubspot shared a great post full of marketing jokes. Follow their best practice and allow your readers to Tweet the jokes you share.
4. National Dog Day: August 26
I’ll be honest, this special day was included at the prodding of Napa, our office dog. Find a famous dog in your industry or a company that has office dogs working for them and write about it. Oh, and don’t even think that you won’t be able to find a famous dog to highlight. Those office dogs above work at a hotel, an ice cream company, a landscaper, and an employment review company. I’ve been told you can check out the office dogs Napa has interviewed if you’re looking for inspiration.
5. August is Audio Book Appreciation Month
Listen to any good audiobooks lately? Are there any industry professionals whose audiobooks you’d like to check out? Do a list post sharing these audiobooks for your readers. Another idea: a car or travel company could follow Oprah’s lead and write a post outlining some of the newest and best audiobooks to listen to on a road trip.
Will you take our challenge and write a post based off of some of these fun blog ideas?
We hope so! If you do, please come back and share your link in the comment section so we can check out what you have to say.
And don’t worry, we’ll be back next month with more fun blog ideas you can use for your September posts!
