Twelve Dozen Small Service Business Blog Ideas

I was encouraging a contractor to start a blog for her business yesterday. She was stumped by the subject matter. She knew that geekspeak about her products and services would bore customers.

I told her the purpose of a blog isn't to shout product information at customers. It's to build relationships. And then, every so often (but not too often), make a special offer or directly promote the company.

How do you build relationships? Talk about things that interest your customers. Here's a checklist of blogging topics for a small business focused on a geographic market...

Garden Related

• Growing a herb garden
  
• Organic gardening tips
  
• Beneficial insects
  
• What to plant this month
  
• When to fertilize
  
• Vegitable gardening
  
• Roses and other flowers
  
• Planting bulbs
  
• Garden design
  
• Interesting garden pictures
  
• Local botanical gardens
  
• Composting
  
• Community gardens
  
• Butterfly gardens
  
• Attracting birds
  
• Repelling pests
  
• Color in gardens
  
• Xeriscaping
  
• Bonsai plants
  
• Lawns
  
• Watering tips

Household Tips

• Closet organizing
  
• Cleaning
  
• Simple repairs
  
• Decorating
  
• Crafts
  
• Recipes
  
• Grilling
  
• Cooking tips
  
• Car care
  
• Conservation
  
• Safety
  
• Pets
  
• Elderly
  
• Health
  
• Fitness
  
• Coupons

Kids/Family

• Rainy day activities
  
• Healthy kid friendly meals
  
• Places to take kids in your community
  
• Day trips
  
• Parks
  
• Hiking trails
  
• Fishing
  
• Horseback riding
  
• Canoe/kayak
  
• Birthday party ideas
  
• Kid crafts
  
• Scrapbooking
  
• Dealing with bullies
  
• Games
  
• Local events for kids
  
• Kid safe websites
  
• Puzzles
  
• Contests

Seasonal
Write about the history underlying holidays, holiday parties, profiles of people, holiday jokes, etc.

• New Year's Day
  
• Martin Luther King Day
  
• Superbowl
  
• Amelia Earhart Day
  
• Ben Franklin Day
  
• Chinese New Year
  
• Valentine's Day
  
• President's Day
  
• Fat Tuesday
  
• Mardi Gras
  
• Ash Wednesday
  
• St Patrick's Day
  
• First Day of Spring
  
• April Fools Day
  
• Daylight Savings
  
• Palm Sunday
  
• Passover
  
• Good Friday
  
• Easter
  
• Earth Day
  
• Arbor Day
  
• May Day
  
• National Day of Prayer
  
• Cinco de Mayo
  
• Mother's Day
  
• Armed Forces Day
  
• Victoria Day
  
• Memorial Day
  
• Flag Day
  
• Father's Day
  
• Juneteenth
  
• Canada Day
  
• Independence Day
  
• Bastille Day
  
• Parent's Day
  
• Labor Day
  
• Grandparents Day
  
• Patriot Day
  
• Rosh Hashanah
  
• Yom Kippur
  
• Leif Erikson Day
  
• Columbus Day
  
• Halloween
  
• All Saints' Day
  
• Guy Fawkes Day
  
• Veterans Day
  
• Remembrance Day
  
• Armistice Day
  
• Thanksgiving Day
  
• Hanukkah/Chanukkah
  
• Christmas Day
  
• Boxing Day
  
• New Year's Eve

School

• School lunch menus
  
• School calendars
  
• Performances
  
• Superlatives and acheivements (e.g., "Choir wins state competition")
  
• Sports results
  
• PTA
  
• Test results

Community News

• Police reports/crime reports
  
• Local news
  
• Business openings
  
• Local events (e.g., parades, Founder's Day, etc.)
  
• Local business profiles/reviews

Community Organization Profiles

• Rotary
  
• Lion's
  
• Optimist
  
• Kiwanis
  
• Chamber of Commerce
  
• Garden Club
  
• Local missions
  
• Salvation Army
  
• Red Cross
  
• Goodwill
  
• Junior League
  
• League of Women Voters
  
• Political Clubs
  
• Historical societies
  
• Humane Society
  
• Museums
  
• Zoo

Performances

• Community theater
  
• Symphony
  
• Ballet
  
• Opera
  
• Local bands/touring groups
  
• Sports/tournaments
  
• Lectures

Any item listed can be the source of one or more blog posts. And don't forget pictures from the community, inspirational videos from YouTube, heartwarming stories you receive by email (source or rewrite them), and so on. And then there are all of the blog posts you can make related to your industry, the products you sell, and the services you offer.

© 2009 Matt Michel