Not Sure What to Blog About? Try These Data-Driven Tactics

Blogging has long been regarded as one of the cornerstones of a solid inbound marketing strategy, but anyone who’s been at it for more than 24 hours will tell you that just writing blog posts does not guarantee more leads, sales or conversions. In fact, many marketers struggle with trying to build their audience through blogging, often citing a lack of engaging post ideas as one of the main culprits behind the lackluster performance of their blog.

Perhaps you’ve been in that same boat as well – you want to craft informative and inspiring blog posts that will attract your target audience, but you feel like you keep drawing a blank when it comes to generating viable content ideas. So how can you get those content-creating gears turning? The answer can be summed up in three words: data-driven blogging.

What is Data-Driven Blogging?

The basic premise behind data-driven blogging is to present an idea that is relevant to your audience’s needs or interests based on their behaviors and expressed preferences. The reason why data-driven blogging is so effective at garnering audience response is that you’re “speaking their language” right off the bat, which automatically lends an air of trustworthiness to your content. By referencing topics that (according to hard data) tend to resonate well with your audience, you boost your credibility and position yourself as an authority in your given niche. This naturally leads to higher levels of audience engagement, because your content will be viewed as more helpful, insightful and relevant to their needs.

Four Data-Driven Tactics to Inspire Blog Post Ideas

1. Create Data-Driven, Curiosity-Provoking Headlines 

It is a well-documented fact that blog readers tend to “skim” a post first before they settle down to read the entire thing. At first glance, your headline will be the most prominent feature of your blog post, so be sure to create an attractive headline based on the well-known needs, desires or pain points of your audience. By adding your personal insights to a data-driven theme, you will win the trust of your audience and spur more meaningful engagement.

2. Let Your Own Website Analytics Inform Your Content Strategy 

The data provided by your website analytics is a veritable gold mine of information you can use to inform your strategy for content creation. Find out which topics on your blog tend to get the most page views (this is why tagging and categorizing your blog posts is so important), and zero in on some of the common denominators found in those blog posts. For example, do people respond more to your how-to posts, video shares, infographics, or list posts? Also analyze other key metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, leads generated, social shares, and/or email opt-ins gained to determine which topics tend to hold your audience’s interest.

3. Take Advantage of Google’s “People Also Ask” Feature 

If you have a general theme in mind based on the topics that tend to do well with your audience, plug that topic into Google to unearth other keyword searches that are closely related to your chosen subject matter. Google often includes these related queries in a small snippet on the search results page entitled “People Also Ask.” The logic behind this strategy is if people are interested in your primary topic, they will more than likely gravitate towards related topics as well. Use these queries provided by the “People Also Ask” feature as idea fodder for new blog posts.

4. Leverage Quora to Discover Common Questions Asked by Your Audience 

Quora is an outstanding research tool, as it can help you discover the types of questions your audience commonly asks. Simply type your chosen topic into Quora’s search bar to see the types of questions people are asking about it, and then tailor your blog content to address those questions in an informative way.

If you feel like you’ve been in a “drought” in terms of coming up with new blog post ideas, don’t despair – there is hope! Use the data-driven blogging tips outlined above to help you unlock fresh content ideas that will meet your audience’s needs and broaden the reach of your brand.