Business blogging is my jam. Period.

I thrive when I create content for fellow business owners.

Whether it is a mom photographer or a handmade jewelry storeowner, I just love to pull back the curtains on their business and share their brilliance with their audiences.

Since, at any given time, I’m creating content for at least 5-7 different businesses, I know that it can get tough coming up with ideas that resonate with their community and reflect their values as well.

If you, too, find yourself getting stuck on the question “What should I share or talk about?”, this post will give you the answer.

Yes, I know that blogging for business can be tough and when I asked about blogging challenges in The Biz Bistro earlier this month, one of the common themes was: coming up with creative original content month after month.

So, here is an easy, no-fail system to help you create blog posts that inspire your audience and increase engagement as well as sales: Big Blog Brainstorms.

Isn’t it cool that they all start with B? I do have a thing for these kinds of names. 😉

Any way, here’s how to make the most of a big blog brainstorm session, complete with a handy-dandy downloadable Blog Brainstorm worksheet.  Scroll right down to get to the fab freebie 😉 

1. Set a Timer

First of, set your timer.

I like 30-minute brainstorm sessions. You may want to start with 15-minutes or 60-minutes.

No rule here really.

Other than, choose a time limit, set your timer and then, FOCUS.

Shut off email, Facebook or other social media sites.

2. Coffee, Cookies and Company

Brainstorming always makes me hungry. No kidding. Maybe it’s all the thinking you have to do and talking, of course.

Plus, I *hate* to brainstorm alone. Luckily, for me, Mayank and I work together so we brainstorm together.

He’s my sounding board, in any case and it’s really fun to be able to bounce ideas off each other, throw topics at each other, see a different {newer} perspective, look at alternatives.

Whether you brainstorm with your spouse or with a trusted friend or an online mastermind community, like The Biz Bistro, I recommend making brainstorming a group activity.

Always fun and quite eye-opening too.

And yes, don’t forget to fill up your coffee flask and your cookie jar before you sit down. You’ll thank me later. 😉

3. Write Things Down

Please, please write or note things down.

Do NOT {I repeat, do NOT} make the mistake of having “verbal” brainstorm sessions.

You will regret it later when neither one of you can remember an amazing post or blog series idea that you’d come up with.

Whether you use pen-and-planner, a Word sheet, a mindmap, a tool, like Trello or just the Notes app in your iPhone, make sure you record your ideas.

4. Tweak, Tease, Tone

Once our 30-minute sessions are up, I take the ideas and then tweak them and tighten them up or even, discard some of them depending on what direction the client or we want to take with the blog. I make notes. Scribbles mainly but yeah, jot down my thoughts. 

I take certain topics or ideas and either combine them into one or break them down into series. I pull certain topics into the giveaways or collaboration section. Some topics go into the how-tos or tutorials section.

This is also when I do my initial keyword research since I specialize in content that’s engaging and also, optimized.

We go deeper into the search engine optimization during the content creation phase, but for now, I like to make sure that I have keywords in place as well.

Brainstorm FAQs:

1. What to do with ideas that don’t seem very good?

I put a cross against them but leave them on the main brainstorm sheet because I may come back to them at a later stage.

2. Digital brainstorming or paper brainstorm?

Either. I usually go with pen-and-paper because it’s easier for me to let the ideas flow and draw lines connecting topics etc.

But you can do that with mindmaps too, using a tool like Mindmeister.

3. How to keep all the brainstorming sessions organized?

Use ONE tool all the time. Whether you go with paper or digital, make sure you use that then ALL the time.

Say, you decide to use my Blog Brainstorm Sessions worksheet for brainstorming but then, have an impromptu session with a friend at a coffee shot and make notes on your iPhone, don’t leave those notes on the iPhone. When you come home, transfer them onto your worksheet.

Having everything in one place is KEY. You wouldn’t waste time hunting for different topics in different places.

4. How do I start brainstorming?

Good question! Start with where you’re at. Put yourself in your readers/customers’ shoes.

What questions do your customers have? What stories can YOU tell about your business? What is the WHY behind your business?

Need more inspiration? Download The Business Blog Brew that has 40+ topics for you to choose from as well as tons more to help you build a better business blog.

Ready to do your own Big Blog Brainstorm? Download YOUR brainstorm printable here