Small Businesses

How To Find Blog Post Ideas For Your Small Business Blog

Created: 09 Mar 2022 / Categories: Blogging for businesses, Content Creation, Small Businesses

Every so often, the perfect blog post idea drops out of the sky and into your lap. But for many small business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s rarely that easy.

Creating and maintaining a blog takes time and effort — and finding fresh new blog post ideas is no exception.

But with the right tools and inspiration, you can hunt down great new content ideas with ease. It’s all about knowing where and how to look.

Establish your audience

Before you start thinking of ideas, you need to know who you’re writing for and what they want to know. This will help you stay focused on your objective.

Consider the age, gender, income, wants and needs of your ideal buyer. Note these down. Now you have a broad picture of who your reader is, you should be able to focus on finding the most relevant content for them.

Knowing your audience is crucial to any good content marketing strategy. If you don’t know who you’re writing for yet, figure this out before you go any further.

Establish your objectives

Once you know who your readers are, you can start to hone in on your objective. Do you want to help them solve a problem? Spark their imagination? Educate them about a subject? All of these — and many more — are valid objectives in your blog.

You’ll also want to consider your objective from a business perspective. Do you want better SEO? To be seen as a thought leader? Or shareable social media content?

When you start searching for blog post ideas, hundreds will suddenly dawn on you — so knowing your objectives will help you sift through your ideas to find the golden ones.

8 ways to find great new content ideas

With your audience and objectives nailed down, you’re ready to start hunting for content ideas that will help your readers find your website with ease. Use these 8 tools and techniques to find brilliant new blog post ideas.

1. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner should be the first port of call for any business blogger looking to boost their SEO.

Open up the tool and enter some keywords associated with your product or service. Keyword planner will then tell you how often these terms are searched each month, and offer alternative keywords that could also be relevant to your business.

Choose the best keywords and form titles around them, using common phrasing like “how to” and “10 ways to.”

2. Google Trends

If you’re looking for ideas on a broader scale, take a look at Google Trends. You can search the popularity of your entered subjects and search terms over time, and use this information to plan future blog posts.

Google Trends also offers geographical search data, so it’s ideal if you’re looking to reach a global audience. Plus, it recommends other relevant topics, helping you find other topics you can blog about that you may not have considered.

3. Reddit

Reddit is a treasure trove for business bloggers. Find the relevant subreddit for your industry — trust me, there will be one — then sort by new and hot posts to see which posts Redditors are most interested in. You can then use popular topics and regularly-asked questions to inform your next blog title.

This is a great way for businesses to find blog post ideas, particularly in modern innovative sectors such as cryptocurrency and renewable energy.

4. Your existing content

Sift through your existing content to see if it sparks inspiration for a new post. Many blog posts only address some of the key questions on a particular topic, so if you feel there’s more you can offer on a subject, elaborate on it in your next post.

Repurposing content is a valuable skill, but self-plagiarism definitely isn’t. When searching through your previous content, resist the urge to copy and paste chunks of text. It’s not valuable to your readers (or search engines) to see the same content repeated throughout your website, so use your existing content for inspiration only.

5. Answer The Public

Answer The Public is a useful tool for finding popular search terms around a particular topic. It’s much more intuitive than Google Keyword Planner, although not as detailed. You only get 3 free searches each day, but used wisely these can give you plenty of great blog post ideas.

6. HubSpot Blog Title Generator

If you’ve already got some potential topics to write about, but just need to find the right title, use Hubspot’s blog title generator tool. Enter up to 5 subjects and receive 5 blog title ideas for these terms.

These are just ideas, so you shouldn’t use them blindly. Make sure they align with your audience and your objective before you settle on a title.

7. Social media

If you’re part of an active social media community, ask your followers and connections what they’d most like to read about from you. This is a great way to engage with your readers online, and show that you value their input and suggestions.

Trial Twitter and Instagram polls as well as open questions to find out the best way to communicate with your followers and get ideas for your next blog post.

8. Current events and trends

Everything from national holidays to industry news can be a source of inspiration for business bloggers. Take a look at the calendar and see what days of interest are coming up. As well as the big ones like Christmas and Eid, think World Book Day and National Apprenticeship Week.

You can then plan, write and distribute your blog posts in plenty of time for the big day.

A foolproof 3-step plan to writing a blog post

Coming up with blog post ideas is just the first step. You then need to write the thing.

Take a look at this 3-step blog writing formula that breaks the process down into simple, manageable chunks.

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6 Reasons To Start A Micro-SaaS Business in 2022

Created: 02 Mar 2022 / Categories: Small Businesses

In 2022, it seems like everyone has a side hustle. If you want to join the ranks of solopreneurs and startup founders, starting a micro-SaaS business could be the right choice for you.

Micro-SaaS businesses are a subset of software-as-a-service products. They’re usually started on a low budget with a super small team behind them — sometimes just one person.

If you’re going solo, you’ll need to know how to build software in order to create your product. You’ll also need some knowledge of marketing, customer service, and finance. But with a few basic skills (and a lot of on-the-job learning), you can make your micro-SaaS idea a reality.

Here are 6 reasons to start a micro-SaaS business in 2022.

1. Micro-SaaS businesses bring in recurring revenue

SaaS companies work because they generate revenue month-on-month through your existing customers. Most SaaS companies offer subscription on a monthly basis, with discounts for longer commitments. That means you’ll get paid every month simply for providing your service.

2. You can work on your micro-SaaS business from anywhere

The beauty of running your own business is that you can work on it whenever — and wherever — you want. You won’t need a fancy office or even a spare room to work out of. With remote hosting platforms and WiFi available more or less everywhere, you can create and manage a micro-SaaS business from anywhere in the world.

3. The SaaS model makes it easy to retain customers

It’s easy to retain customers when you run a software-as-a-service business. You’ll need good customer service and a product that delivers on what it promises to encourage customers to subscribe to your service in the first place. Then, as long as you continue to deliver, you can be sure customers will stick around.

4. Micro-SaaS companies are inexpensive to set up

Unlike ecommerce startups, micro-SaaS businesses don’t require a lot of capital to get off the ground. In fact, if you’re a software developer, you already have all the skills you need to build a micro-SaaS product. If you’re not, you may need to hire a freelance developer to help you bring your software idea to life. Beyond that, you can invest as much or as little as you like in your micro-SaaS startup.

5. More businesses are looking for tech solutions

The marketplace for SaaS businesses is thriving right now. With companies facing upheaval from all different directions — from the Great Resignation to economic uncertainty — they’re constantly on the lookout for great tech solutions to their challenges. Find and relieve their pain points with your micro-SaaS product and you’re on to a winner.

6. You’ll have lots of growth potential

Because there’s so much scope for startups in the B2B world right now, there’s a lot of room for growth once your micro-SaaS business is launched. Whether you want to run your micro-SaaS company long-term, or sell it to the highest bidder once it’s profitable, scaling up is an important part of any startup enterprise. Starting a micro-SaaS business is a great way to ensure your business has room to grow in future.

Want to start your own micro-SaaS business?

Now you know why you should start a micro-SaaS business, it’s time to put your plan into action. Find out everything you need to know about building a micro-SaaS company from scratch.

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How To Start A Micro-SaaS Company in 2022

Created: 16 Feb 2022 / Categories: Small Businesses

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business models are increasingly popular among technology firms. Usually offered on a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription basis, the SaaS model allows businesses to make a regular income from their service.

SaaS is a good deal for both vendors and clients. Vendors get a steady income. Clients get a contractually-sound service that includes customer service, technical support, and regular updates as standard. That’s why companies like Netflix, Spotify and Hubspot offer SaaS products.

The SaaS model has now started to filter through into the startup world. More and more entrepreneurs are beginning to set up micro-SaaS companies.

But there are challenges to starting and running a micro-SaaS business. So what exactly makes a successful SaaS startup? And is it the right choice for your next venture?

Jump to:

What Is A Micro-SaaS Business?
What Makes A Successful SaaS Business?
Why Start A Micro-SaaS Company?
How To Start A Micro-SaaS Business
Do You Need To Be A Developer To Start A Micro-SaaS Business?
Things To Consider When Starting Your Micro-SaaS Business
Successful Micro-Saas Business Examples
The Best Sectors To Set Up A Micro-SaaS Business In 2022
Start Planning Your Micro-SaaS Business

What Is A Micro-SaaS Business?

Like a regular SaaS company, a micro-SaaS business offers a service — usually software — in exchange for a regular subscription fee.

The key difference is that micro-SaaS companies are usually run by one person or a very small team. This person or team is responsible for operations across the business, from developing the product to delivering customer service.

What Makes A Successful SaaS Business?

The best SaaS businesses put one thing above all else: fantastic customer support.

After all, a great product is worthless if your customers can’t trust you to deliver it to them. As a micro-SaaS company, you’ll need to go above and beyond for your customers so they don’t turn to more established software firms.

But this isn’t the only thing you need to build a successful SaaS company. You’ll also need the development nous to create a brilliant product and the marketing expertise to sell it. If you don’t have these skills, consider teaming up with freelancers or business partners who can help with these crucial skills.

Why Start A Micro-SaaS Company?

Once your initial business is set up, running a micro-SaaS company is relatively inexpensive. You won’t have as many regular overhead costs as other businesses, since you won’t need to buy inventory or pay lots of staff members.

As more businesses turn to software to solve their day-to-day problems, there’s also great demand for customer-focused software companies in 2022. With the right positioning and marketing approach, you’ll be able to access huge marketplaces in which you can grow your business.

How To Start A Micro-SaaS Business

While there are lots of reasons to start a micro-SaaS company, it’s not the easiest type of business to get off the ground. You’ll need to plan, prepare — and put in a whole lot of work before you even think about launching your product.

Here are 6 steps to starting a micro-SaaS business.

1. Find A Great Idea

Businesses in all kinds of sectors need new technology to get ahead of the curve. So wherever your interests and experience lie is a good place to start.

Conduct market research in sectors you’re interested in. What are the biggest frustrations they face day-to-day? What software do they currently use? Is it fit for purpose? What could be better?

When you’ve spoken to a wide pool of people, you’ll be able to use this data to figure out what tech the industry is missing — and the kind of product you could create to fill the gaps.

2. Discover Your Ideal Buyer

When you’ve got your great idea, you need to know who you’re going to sell it to. Is it teachers? Sales representatives? Plumbers? Parents?

Every demographic needs a different marketing approach, starting with the language you use and your product’s functionality. There’s no point perfecting an incredible AI function if your target buyer won’t use it.

Find out what their problems are and solve them. It’s as simple as that.

3. Write A Business Plan

With your product and audience in place, you can start writing your business plan.

A great business plan is concise, clear, and relevant. It’s the skeleton of your business: it doesn’t go off on tangents or set out detailed roadmaps.

Your business plan should include:

The problem you want to solve
The solution you’re going to build
The market research you’ve completed, including a brief analysis of your competitors
A SWOT analysis
The strategy you plan to use to bring your business to life

4. Build your MVP

Now you have a strong plan of action in place, you can begin building the minimum viable product (MVP). Your MVP is the smallest possible incarnation of your product that still has market appeal.

Ultimately, you may want to build an all-singing-all-dancing CRM system — but that could take years to build. To start seeing returns sooner rather than later, you can build an MVP and build on it once you have some customers under your belt.

This strategy isn’t just good for ROI. It also means you can get feedback on your existing features from your customers and finetune them before you roll out new features.

5. Test your MVP

Put your MVP through its paces before you let any customers loose on the platform. Ask someone you trust to use the software and see what they think. Do they find it easy to use? Is the software intuitive and easy to navigate? Did they find any broken links or errors?

Remember that it’s often difficult to find flaws in your own work. That’s why it’s important to get someone to test it before you launch.

6. Find Your First Subscriber

Once your MVP is built, it’s time to put your marketing into fifth gear. Get the word out about your new product across social media, and through a strong content marketing strategy.

Make it as easy as possible for people to sign up for your service through your website. Use video tutorials, onboarding plugins and secure payment gateways to ensure a seamless sign-up process.

Some SaaS companies — especially if they’re selling to other businesses — choose to demo their services to potential buyers before they sign up. This is great if you’re asking for a heavier investment into your service. If you go down this route, make it as easy as possible for your customers to book a demo with you.

Do You Need To Be A Developer To Start A Micro-SaaS Business?

In short, no — but it does makes things easier.

If you’re not a developer, you’ll need to partner closely with someone who shares your enthusiasm for building a micro-SaaS business. Building software from scratch takes serious time and energy, so you’ll need to be patient with your freelancer or business partner. This is especially true if they’re working on the micro-SaaS as a side hustle alongside their full-time job.

Together, you should create a realistic roadmap for development, testing and launch. This will allow you both to start with the same expectations, which can prevent conflict down the line.

While your service is in development, you can focus on the operations and marketing. Ramp up excitement about your new service with regular video snippets, launch date teases, and an intriguing informative website.

Things To Consider When Starting Your Micro-SaaS Business

Starting a micro-SaaS business is a brave but rewarding career move. But that doesn’t mean you should jump into it blindly.

Make sure you consider these 6 factors before taking the plunge and starting your own micro-SaaS business.

1. Your skillset

If your skills are more entrepreneurial than technical, a SaaS business isn’t the easiest route to success. Without extensive software development experience, you’ll be reliant on others to bring your vision to life. This isn’t necessarily a barrier — but you should consider carefully whether you want to take on a business partner, or whether you want to go it alone.

2. The cost to build your MVP

Like all startups, you’ll need some capital to get your initial product off the ground. Whether you use your own money or find external investors, you’ll need to carefully consider the cost of the initial product build. This should factor into your business strategy. How long will it be before you or your investors see a return on this? Does your MVP make financial sense?

3. The cost to find your first customer

Marketing is another expense you’ll need to consider. From online ads to influencer marketing to strategic copywriting, there are literally hundreds of ways to spend your marketing budget — so choose your strategy wisely. When conducting your market research, ask your ideal buyers questions about their buying habits to find out the best places to reach people like them.

4. The marketplace

Ensure you understand the challenges impacting the marketplace you want to enter. A thorough SWOT analysis will help you here. If your customers are affected by economic uncertainty or other widespread trends, you need to know about them before you start your SaaS business, as they can impact buying decisions.

5. Your marketing strategy

You can’t sell a product without a good marketing plan. Even if it’s a basic cold email strategy, you need to know how you’re going to find, connect with, and convince your customers to buy. Bear in mind this will sometimes mean persuading them away from another solution — so what value does your service have that others don’t? Knowing your value is the first step to launching any marketing campaign.

6. Your potential for growth

Most startup founders love to innovate — but they love to grow, too. Make sure there’s ample scope for your business to expand, whether it’s via new markets or a broader service. That way, even if you decide to sell your SaaS startup further down the line, investors will be attracted to the growth potential of your business.

Successful Micro-Saas Business Examples

Lots of micro-SaaS companies are thriving across modern marketplaces. Let’s take a look at some successful SaaS startups running with a small team.

Snappa

Snappa allows non-designers to create flawless graphic design elements with ease. It’s a great way for freelancers and small businesses to upgrade their presence with slick online imagery.

With a 7-strong team, Snappa is a flourishing micro-SaaS company that’s used by thousands of people around the world.

Carrd

Carrd is similar to website builders like Wix in that it offers a free and a paid version. With the paid subscription version, you can attach your own URL — a must-have in today’s tech-focused climate.

Carrd was started as a side project by a single person, and has enabled thousands to create stunning responsive websites on its free and paid plans.

Complice

Productivity is a key focus of every business — and Complice makes it easier for people to achieve more every day. Complice focuses on helping people create fresh, achievable goals to boost productivity.

Complice was started by 2 people in 2013. Almost 10 years later, it’s still operated by this 2-person team, showing the true potential of a well-executed micro-SaaS business.

Everhour

Everhour is a time tracking add-on that integrates with many popular project management apps, including Asana, Trello, and Github. It helps people and companies track time spent on tasks and projects to improve time management and productivity.

Made by a small team in Belarus, Everhour is a growing micro-SaaS enterprise. They currently have more than 145,000 active users and just 18 employees.

The Best Sectors To Set Up A Micro-SaaS Business In 2022

Some of the most successful micro-SaaS enterprises — particularly those related to productivity — appeal to audiences across many industries.

But if you don’t have an idea for your micro-SaaS company yet, here are some of the sectors clamouring for tech solutions in 2022.

Education

Education is one of the most sought-after products in the world. As the cost of education soars — and more classes are undertaken online — schools, colleges and universities are under pressure to provide excellent value for money.

Micro-SaaS companies can take advantage of this by building money-saving solutions that also enhance the student experience.

Health

Healthcare is a huge global priority in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With existing healthcare bodies under severe scrutiny from governments and patients, technology can help them provide better care.

From personal health monitoring apps to medical consultation software, there are huge opportunities for micro-SaaS entrepreneurs to provide solutions in healthcare right now.

Finance

High-risk investment strategies are booming in 2022. From NFTs to cryptocurrency, more people than ever are looking for new ways to make money. Plus, as economies continue to waver under the weight of the pandemic, people with more traditional financial portfolios are also looking for new ways to manage their money.

As a result, people from banking backgrounds can build software to help people navigate the notoriously cryptic finance world. That said, there are lots of regulations you need to follow in banking and finance, so be prepared to do a lot of research before you start building the next Monzo.

Travel

As the world opens up after the pandemic, international travel is likely to boom over the next few years. That means it’s a great time to plan and launch a micro-SaaS service that helps people or businesses plan their next adventure.

Travel is thrilling, and with millions of people expected to book holidays in the next few months, this is a super exciting sector to build your micro-SaaS venture in right now.

Start Planning Your Micro-SaaS Business

Now you know what it takes to build a micro-SaaS business, it’s time to get started. Here are 3 actionable steps you can take today to get started.

1. Browse the Reddit page for your chosen sector. Which questions keep cropping up? What common pain points do people experience?
2. Decide if you’ll need to hire other people to help you launch your micro-SaaS company. Will you need a developer or a marketing expert on board?
3. Start researching other software companies in your sector. What do their social media pages look like? How about their website? You can use this information to inform your SWOT analysis later.

Find lots more useful resources for starting a small business here.

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How Case Studies Can Transform Your Sales Strategy In 2022

Created: 02 Feb 2022 / Categories: Marketing, Small Businesses

Reviews are important. Studies show that 93% of customers will look at reviews before they buy this year. So even when it comes to the smallest purchases, you want to make sure your customers are saying great things about your products.

B2C companies tend to use reviews to give other potential customers more confidence in their product.

But when you’re selling to other businesses — sometimes asking them to invest a lot of money in your service — it takes more than a few sentences to convince them that your solution is the right one for them.

Before they buy, businesses want to see results. That's why you need case studies. Case studies help you show that you have proven experience in helping other companies achieve their goals, so they’re confident you can help them reach theirs.

What is a case study?

Case studies are articles that show how you’ve helped a certain client or customer overcome a challenge and achieve success. They usually consist of at least 4 parts:

The challenge
The criteria
The solution
The outcome

Case studies show potential clients that you really can do what you say you do. They’re different from other types of marketing because they’re perceived as being more independent and factual than, for example, your website copy.

How is a case study different from a testimonial or a review?

Reviews and testimonials are typically short-form snippets left by individual customers.

The key difference is that testimonials are almost always positive, as they’re specifically requested by a business from a customer they know they have a good relationship with. Reviews can be more mixed, as they’re usually collected and displayed by an independent site such as TrustPilot.

Case studies, meanwhile, show the impact of your product or service on another business. They’re usually much longer than reviews, often running into hundreds or even thousands of words.

That’s because businesses are often looking for solutions to more complex challenges. In a case study, you can outline the challenges in detail, so other potential clients can relate to their struggles and see how your solution solved them. Potential clients also like to see facts and figures in a case study, such as the amount of money saved by switching to your solution.

The impact of case studies on sales

You can have the best sales patter in the universe, but your opinion is worth a whole lot less to your potential client than that of your past clients. That’s why you need case studies.

Case studies give your product value in the real world of business. They have the power to nudge a potential client towards your product when they’re making their final purchasing decision.

Used effectively, case studies can:

Generate more leads
Close more deals
Give clients confidence in your product

What makes a great case study?

Case studies can sometimes be a little dry. After all, unless you’re selling the next iPhone or a flying car, your product may not be the most obviously exciting thing to ever hit the market.

But a great case study finds the human element that makes your product exciting. Is it going to save staff time, so they can get home earlier and see their families? Does it boost productivity, meaning managers can give their staff well-earned bonuses at the end of the year? A great case study finds the story within the stats, and presents it as a compelling narrative.

Other signs of a good case study include actual results — the more specific the better — as well as images and videos that illustrate the story.

3 examples of great case studies

These examples will give you an idea of what a good case study looks like. Not every business is going to win contracts with the likes of Cadbury, but the point of a case study isn’t to impress with your previous clients — it’s to show how committed and proficient you are in providing your solution.

1. Cadbury and Google

Why it’s a great case study:

It’s built around a story
It’s clear how the product benefitted the client
It includes tangible results
It ends with inspiration and takeaways for other businesses

2. Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and Ideo

Why it’s a great case study:

It outlines the challenge, the solution, and the outcome from the start
It identifies human elements within a relatively dry subject matter
It highlights standout quotes from the client
It ends with hope for the future

3. SaidSo and Kyan

Why it’s a great case study:

It uses simple language and short sentences
It includes illustrative examples of a highly visual product
It explains why, as well as what
It ends with a link to the client’s website

How to get case studies from your clients

Because case studies are relatively long, and often use explicit data around ROI and savings from clients, it can feel like an imposition to request them.

But if you’ve done a great job for your client, there’s no reason for them to turn you down — so the best thing to do is ping them a no-obligation email asking if they’d be interested in providing the information you need to craft a great case study.

If (when!) they agree, be ready with a list of questions you can send straight over to them. It’s a good idea to do this while it’s still fresh in their mind, so they can whizz the answers straight back over to you before they get stuck into the next thing. If you’re not sure which questions you should ask, download this free list of 10 case study questions for your clients.

Written case studies vs. video case studies

Thanks to the rise of platforms like TikTok, video is a massive format in 2022. It can work well for case studies, as it means your potential clients can hear your current clients’ experiences straight from the horse’s mouth. It also adds expression, which can’t be underestimated when you want to highlight the human element.

But there’s still a lot to be said for written case studies. You can optimise text for SEO, helping draw more people to your website. It’s also much cheaper to create a written case study than a video case study. A video with low production value may do more harm than good when it comes to marketing your business. Written case studies are much cheaper to create and showcase, as well as being more accessible in the workplace.

For best results, get the best of both worlds. Find a video production company or freelancer to help you make a professional-looking case study video. Then use this content to build an SEO-friendly webpage that highlights the challenge, solution and outcome for your client.

Download a case study template

Get your first case study off to a flying start with these free downloads.

If you don’t have time to create your own case studies, a copywriter can help. Get in touch to find out more about how I create case studies for my clients.

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17 Free Tools To Make Blog Writing Easier

Created: 19 Jan 2022 / Categories: Blogging for businesses, Content Creation, Small Businesses

It’s not always easy to commit to writing a blog when you’re running a small business. Whether there aren’t enough hours in the day, or you find the blank page a little intimidating (which is a real thing even with the most seasoned writers), keeping your blog up-to-date is rarely the biggest priority for business owners.

But there are real benefits to having a business blog. From climbing in Google rankings to boosting your social media presence, a blog with a great content marketing strategy behind it can bring serious results. You can make more sales, connect better with customers, and grow your business faster.

17 free tools that will help you write better, faster blog posts

Sitting down to write a blog post becomes a whole lot easier with the right tools at your fingertips. These 17 tools are widely used by bloggers everywhere — and best of all, they’re free.

Use these handy links to find the right tool for your biggest blogging bugbear:

Idea generation
Finding the right words
Writing better and faster
SEO blog writing
Blog formatting
More blog resources

Free Tools For Blog Idea Generation

1. Google Trends

If you’re ever stuck for ideas, Google Trends should be your go-to website. Here, you’ll find tons of information about the latest searches, which you can refine by region, year, and more.

You’ll find out how popular your search topic is, and find other related queries you can research to add more value to your blog posts.

2. Answer The Public

For business bloggers, Answer The Public is a godsend. While only your first 3 daily searches are free, this is more than enough for small business owners looking for great ideas.

Simply enter a 1-2 word search term and find out what people around the world are asking about that topic. The easy-to-understand mindmap format is great for understanding which searches crop up most.

3. Reddit

If you already use Reddit as a casual browser, you’re halfway to seeing how you can use it as a mine of information for your business blog. Subreddits cover all kinds of topics — seriously, all kinds.

Search your industry to find and join related subreddits, then take a look at new and hot topics to find out which questions are generating the most interest. You can then use these questions as the basis of your next blog post.

4. Portent Content Idea Generator

If you’re unsure what title to use for your next blog post, use Portent’s Content Idea Generator to find lots of ideas around your subject.

While this tool is useful if you’re really stuck for inspiration, it uses generic templates to come up with specific ideas for your topic. That means you won’t get suggestions that delve into the nitty-gritty of your industry, or help answer the burning questions your customers are asking. For those suggestions, use Reddit, Google Trends, or Answer The Public.

Free Grammar Tools For Blog Writing

5. Grammarly

If you’ve browsed the internet for more than half an hour, you’ve probably encountered a Grammarly ad. And with good reason — the app is among the most popular writing software in the world. It’s easy to use, informative, and super helpful.

If you find spelling and grammar difficult to deal with, Grammarly is one of the easiest ways to tackle it. It will notify you when you misspell a word or misuse a punctuation mark, and even make suggestions for simplifying your writing.

6. Thesaurus.com

Get creative in your blog posts with a little help from thesaurus.com. If you’re sick of writing words like great or easy, find an alternative with an online thesaurus.

A word of warning, though: only use words if you’re 100% sure what they mean. And make sure they’re appropriate for your context. For example, obvious is given as a synonym for easy — but there’s a lot of difference between an easy solution and an obvious solution.

7. Dictionary.com

This is the sister site to thesaurus.com, so you’ll notice a lot of similarities in the design and user experience of dictionary.com. Here’s where you can check you’re using words correctly — which is especially useful if you’re also using a thesaurus.

It’s also useful to use a dictionary if you’re using a word with multiple meanings. Sometimes a word that sounds the same isn’t always spelled the same. For example, complementary colours are very different from complimentary colours.

Free Tools To Help You Write Better And Faster

8. Hemingway App

Writing with direction and finesse is an art — it takes a lot of practice to get it right. The Hemingway app (named after the famously spare-with-words writer Ernest Hemingway) helps you cut through the babble of your writing and get to the point.

Simply copy your text into the editor and watch the app work its magic. It’s a great way to help you get into the habit of writing concisely, with readability in mind. Plus, it takes a lot less time to write shorter sentences when you get used to it, so this app can help you save time on your blog writing, too.

9. Google Docs

If you don’t already use a word processing program, sign up for a free Google Docs account. You’ll get all the functionality of a program like Microsoft Word, but your documents will be stored in the cloud, so you can access them anywhere.

Google Docs allows you to collaborate with colleagues, friends, or editors on a single document. Simply send the link to your blog post draft to someone you trust, and they can proofread it before you hit publish. It’s a great way to spot errors before your blog post goes live.

10. Trello

If organisation isn’t your strong suit, a project management program like Trello can help you get your ideas in order before you start writing.

Use Trello to write down all your blog post ideas on separate cards. Then move them between three separate buckets: To Write, Written, and Published. Not only will this help you plan future blog posts, it’ll also give you a little motivation boost to see your cards moving through the workflow.

11. Evernote

Like Trello, Evernote is useful for helping organise your ideas before you start writing. I believe a good plan makes blog writing a lot easier, so by using a note-taking app like Evernote, you can plan on-the-go — so when you sit down to write, all your notes are ready and waiting.

12. The Most Dangerous Writing App

This one is only for the hardcore. The Most Dangerous Writing App is designed to force writers to concentrate on your project by deleting your work if you stop writing for more than a few seconds. I’ve used it, and it is pretty harsh.

When you stop writing, the screen begins to blur and fade. If you start writing again before the timer runs out, your work will be saved. If you make it to the end of the timer (choose from increments from 5 minutes to 1 hour) your work won’t be deleted, so you can copy it over from the app into your blog platform.

This tool is fantastic for helping you get words down on the page — but you should only use it if you’re confident you can write consistently for a sustained period of time.

most dangerous writing app text disappearing example

Tools To Help With SEO Blog Writing

13. Keyword Planner

Keyword planner is the number one tool you need to make sure your blog posts are SEO-friendly.

The keyword planner in Google Ads tells you how many people have searched for any given search term in a set period of time. You can use this information to decide whether it’s worth writing a blog post based on that search term — and whether or not you’re likely to rank well for it.

Keyword planner isn’t the most user-friendly tool out there for beginners, but it’s among the most useful tools you can use if you want to get serious about SEO in your blog writing. Google also offers this guide on how to use keyword planner effectively to help you get started.

14. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is the most commonly used plugin for monitoring SEO best practice on your website — and if you don’t already, you can use it for your blog, too.

Yoast tells you where you need to make changes to your webpage to give it the best possible chance of ranking in Google. You’ll enter the keyword you want to rank for, and Yoast will help you optimise your page. Best of all, Yoast SEO uses easy-to-understand language, so all business owners can make well-informed decisions about your website’s SEO.

Free Blog Formatting Tools

15. You Can Book Me

Not sure where to send your customers when they reach the end of your blog post? This handy tool is ideal for lead generation. You Can Book Me enables potential customers to schedule a meeting with you or a member of your team. Simply link it to your calendar to show when you’re available.

By embedding this form at the bottom of your blog posts, you’ve got an automatic lead capture tool — and a strong call-to-action you can use whenever you need to. It’s a great way to make sure you can connect with as many potential customers as possible.

16. Button Optimizer

Buttons are a great way to draw attention to the action you want your readers to take when they reach the bottom of your blog post. But it can be a bit fiddly to create buttons, especially if your design skills aren’t up to scratch.

Tools like Button Optimizer makes it easy to create and embed simple buttons in your blog post.

17. Canva

This one is great if you’re a whiz at writing blog posts, but less confident when it comes to design. Canva is a free design website that gives you tons of functionality over your images. So if you want to add photos, graphics, or other imagery to your blog post, you can give them a professional makeover with Canva.

More Useful Blogging Resources This Way

If you’re looking for more ways to make business blogging easier, take a look at my resource pages. I’m always adding new content to help small business owners grow their online presence. To make sure you never miss a trick, sign up to my newsletter — I’ll only send you content I think you’ll love.

The Perks Of Running A Small Business

Created: 05 Jan 2022 / Categories: Marketing, Small Businesses

Let’s make no bones about it — running a small business is hard. It’s time-consuming, stressful, complicated — even heartbreaking at times.

But it can also be a lot more satisfying than clocking in to a regular 9-5.

In fact, there are tons of reasons why starting your own small business can pay off.

If you’re thinking about starting a small business — or you want to remember why you started your business in the first place — here are 12 perks of running a small business.

1. Make your passions pay the bills

When you choose to run your own business, you can set it up however you like. Whether you’re an expert florist, designer, plumber, software developer — or a combination of all of the above — your business can comprise what you’re truly passionate about. So when you start making money, you can chalk it up to doing what you love.

2. Answer to no one except yourself

Being your own boss is a great feeling. There’s no clockwatching or micromanagement, and you’ll have the freedom to take on the right jobs for your business. You can adhere to your own vision and values without answering to anyone else.

3. Find greater work/life balance

Don’t get me wrong — running a business keeps you extremely busy. But you have control over your own time — there are no external expectations to keep you at the office well past closing time. You can choose when to work, so you can set your own schedule and adjust your work/life balance as needed.

4. Become a leader in your industry

As a business owner, you’re less likely to get lost in the crowd. You’ll be seen as a thought leader in your industry — especially with a great content plan in place that enables you to share your experience and expertise with your clients and colleagues.

5. Break the mould

Do something that nobody else is doing. Whether that’s launching a brand new product, offering world-beating customer service, or taking corporate social responsibility seriously, starting a small business is a chance to innovate in your industry.

6. Create a forward-thinking company

Sustainability, responsibility, diversity: these are some of the most important business values for customers and employees alike. By approaching your company with a forward-thinking mentality, you’ll find it easier to reach and satisfy new customers — and you’ll be doing right by society and the environment.

7. Create jobs in your local area

Small businesses help your local community by creating new jobs in the area. Whether you’ve got global ambitions or want to stay small, you can play a part in helping stimulate your local and national economy by providing new opportunities for people. Whether you’ve already hired your first employee or you’re looking to do so a little way down the line, this is a major perk to running your own business.

8. Build a business you’re proud of

With your own values front and centre, building a business from the ground up creates a legacy you can be proud of. It gives you purpose and motivation — helping inspire others to find and follow their passion, too. Plus, promoting progressive values will also appeal to your customers.

9. Make more money

When you run your own business, you’re in control of how much money you make. You can scale up your business at a rate that suits you. Plus, there are plenty of grants and funding available to small and medium-sized businesses, so keep an eye out for financing opportunities for your company.

10. Choose who you work with

Coworkers, clients, investors — when you run your own business, you can choose who you work with. While you’ll always run the risk of conflict in any line of work, being the boss gives you more control over the people you have around you. Work with positive, hardworking people who share your vision for the future.

11. Scrap the bureaucracy

While there are always rules you need to follow, running your own business means you can avoid a lot of the bureaucracy and office politics that come with a standard 9-5 job. Hire assistants or freelancers to help you take care of the paperwork, so you can focus on doing what you love.

12. Make use of your business expenses

You don’t necessarily have to grind out more hours to make more cash as a small business. Hire a good accountant who specialises in working with small businesses to find out about how you can best make use of your business expenses.

Find out more about marketing for small businesses

Marketing is a massive part of starting — and maintaining — any small business. While you keep your current clients happy, you’re also looking for opportunities to grow.

My marketing blog is full of tons of great resources for business owners — so sign up to my newsletter to be notified when I publish fresh new content. And if you’re looking for a little help with your content marketing strategy, book a free 30-minute consultation here.

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