For local business owners, constantly creating fresh, relevant content for your website, blog, and social media can feel like a creativity drain. Many entrepreneurs lament having “writer’s block” and being unable to drum up new angles that will genuinely resonate with their target audiences.
However, the reality is that there are always more locally-focused topics to cover if you know where to look. While obvious subjects may be exhausted, an array of overlooked or untapped subjects still exist that local customers genuinely want information on.
The key is digging a little deeper through research and analysis to uncover these content goldmines right in your own backyard. In this guide, we’ll explore actionable techniques to rediscover inspiration when you feel like you’ve run out of blog post ideas.
Leverage Online Review Sites to Identify Customer Pain Points and Questions
Platforms like Yelp, Facebook, and Google Business are a goldmine for identifying issues, questions, and concerns real local customers care about. Here are some tips for mining these sites:
- Look beyond your overall rating and read through individual reviews.
- Pay attention to:
- Common complaints or disappointments
- Questions about your offerings, policies, location or hours
- Confusion over certain processes or offerings
- Specific needs mentioned for your type of business
- Consider both the volume of certain feedback as well as intensity. If multiple people mention difficulty with booking appointments, that’s a red flag.
- Notice niche issues beyond most common pain points. For example, a restaurant might see some comments on limited vegetarian options. Though not as frequent, this presents an opportunity to create specialized content.
- Compare your reviews to competitors to notice differences and gaps. Your clients may care more about certain issues than theirs do.
This genuine feedback should provide plenty of ideas for creating FAQ-style content, guides, and other educational materials addressing the customer pain points and questions that arise.
For example, a local fitness studio could create content based on reviews asking about:
- How to sign up for classes
- Directions and parking
- Modifying workouts for injuries/limitations
- Exchanging class packages
A specialty boutique could address reviews asking about:
- Sizing and fit for certain items
- Styling tips and what to pair together
- Ideas for wearable outfits for different events
And a restaurant could tackle feedback on:
- Reservations and wait times
- Takeout/delivery options
- Menu items for vegan, gluten-free etc. diets
- Bringing kids/babies
The goal is creating useful content that directly reflects the interests and concerns of local customers.
Research Competitors to Find Content Gaps
Your competitors are targeting the same customer base. So analyze what they are (and aren’t) posting on their own sites and social media. Look for gaps where you can swoop in and claim authority on topics they’re ignoring.
For example:
- Local gardening services may not offer much content on winter preparation, kid-friendly garden ideas, or low-water landscaping options suitable for the area. Articles on those topics would stand out.
- Yoga studios likely cover the basics like explaining different types of yoga or promoting teacher trainings. But they may not address modifications for seniors or prenatal yoga.
- Pet stores probably showcase cute animals for adoption. But they could better serve anxious new pet parents with guides on puppy proofing a home or picking the best vet.
- Hardware stores provide DIY project tutorials. But they may not cover niche needs like installing smart home gadgets or furniture assembly.
The goal isn’t copying competitors. It’s determining what topics they haven’t capitalized on where you can swoop in and claim thought leadership with truly useful local content.
Solicit Direct Customer Feedback on Content Needs
Speaking directly with your customers and followers is the best way to learn exactly what content they want to see more of.
- Casual in-person conversations when customers are visiting your shop are invaluable – ask what challenges they face or what content would be most helpful to them.
- Send occasional email surveys to your subscriber list asking customers to share questions they have or topics they want covered.
- Monitor social media comments and messages for questions and requests you could turn into content ideas.
- Regularly check with your staff on what customers frequently ask them about in-store that content could address proactively.
- Study reviews not just on public forums but also on your own website or Google listing for ideas.
Armed with these insights directly from the source, you can create content tackling the topics that are top of mind for local customers such as:
- “The 5 Best Stroller-Friendly Trails in [City]” for a hiking store
- “How We Can Modify Any Pie to Be Gluten-Free” for a bakery
- “Protecting Your Home From Water Damage This Wet Season” for a plumber
Hyper-local, high-value content like this is sure to hit the mark with customers who will appreciate the attention to their true needs.
Bonus Tactics to Spark Content Ideas
Along with the primary methods above, a few additional strategies can help shake up your thinking to discover unique topics and angles:
- Search online to see what common questions people are asking about your particular type of local business in forums, blogs, etc. Address those in your own content.
- Study local events, holidays, and seasonal needs you could create timely content around like fall festival guides or Valentine’s gift ideas.
- Immerse yourself in local publications, blogs, and social media to spot trends and topics resonating locally that you can put your unique spin on.
- Review your website and social media analytics to see which existing posts perform best as clues for related content that interests your audience.
- Enter local writing contests that require creating articles around a theme, forcing you to brainstorm new ideas.
- Check forums like Reddit to see what other business owners in your field are discussing and asking about.
- Interview or survey past customers who haven’t returned recently to understand why and identify areas for improvement.
- Talk to local non-competing businesses about what content engages their own audiences for inspiration.
- Brainstorm with your team by scheduling a working session to crowdsource ideas based on diverse perspectives.
How to Prioritize the Best Topics to Invest Time Creating
With a list of possible topics, you’ll need to prioritize what is truly worth your time creating. Consider factors like:
- Customer relevance – Will this directly help answer their questions and overcome challenges?
- Local focus – Is it laser-focused on interests and needs of people in your town vs generic?
- Gaps and differentiation – Does it address an underserved topic versus repeating existing content?
- Engagement potential – Does data or your gut say this is likely to attract clicks, shares, etc?
- Business goals – Will it help promote a new product, highlight key differentiators, drive sales, etc?
- Available expertise – Do you or someone accessible have credibility in this area to create authoritative content?
- Content diversity – Does it offer something distinct from your usual content, helping expand your audience reach?
By scoring ideas on factors like these, you can determine which are truly ripe for investment based on potential local impact and playing to your strengths.
While content creation can feel challenging, remember there are always more locally focused topics to explore if you tap directly into conversations happening in your community.
Leveraging local customer feedback, reviewing competitor gaps, researching customer questions, and actually speaking to your followers will uncover the goldmine of engaging content ideas right in your own backyard.
Getting creative with your research approaches helps rediscover inspiration when you feel like you’ve run out of blog post ideas for your small business. Customer-focused content addressing local needs should be a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy.