Oh, how the search for interesting and thought-provoking ideas to provide feedback and insight on your company blog is a never-ending job...
But really, how does one continually come up with fresh ideas to write about? Well, social media should be the first answer that pops into your mind. Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram–the list goes on.
However, in addition to popular social media outlets and competitor blogs and reliable news sources, websites like Bottlenose, Topsy, and Quora can also aid you in the hunt for concepts and themes to use in your own company blog.
Here's a quick overview of each one with some suggestions on how to use them:
Bottlenose
Bottlenose allows any person or company looking for emerging news, opportunities, trends, and so on–within all forms of social media–to discover and track interesting activities as they unfold. The innovative Bottlenose features enable users to not only take a quick overview at what's happening in real-time, but also to categorize the data by demographics, timeframes, locations, topics, and so on.
Not sure what you're looking for? Bottlenose's Sonar is a great way to just sit back and discover. Revolving around a central idea–such as Oscars or Fashion Design–Sonar provides a map with trending topics, people, links, and more that relate to that idea. The never-ending stream completely engulfs your computer screen, alongside live messages and conversations by others, showing you live updates as they happen and providing you with even more to explore.
Topsy
If you're simply looking to browse around, and if you're not exactly sure what it is you're hoping to find, then Topsy could be the perfect fit for your information needs.
The Topsy homepage features a list of links titled Trending Today, which has dozens of new and interesting things to click on and look through. The homepage also allows you to search within 7 categories–Everything, Links, Tweets, Photos, Videos, Experts, and Trending–in case you are looking for something specific.
A final Topsy option worth mentioning is the free Social Analytics tab. Here you can enter up to 3 different keywords–including .com, @username, #hashtag, from:sender, and more–to search and compare trend data. You're then supplied with a nice little graph and a list of links with information on influence, momentum, peak, and velocity so you can see wha's on its way up and what's on its way out.
Quora
This search-engine-type application is another good source for blog ideas because of how easy it is to use.
With Quora, there are 3 main ways to find new information: (1) ask a question and get answers from other users, (2) create a feed of information based on topics you choose and browse others' questions and answers, and (3) follow active blogs that share knowledge related to your industry niche.
With over 250,000 topics, you're sure to find something worth writing a blog post about.
Other Options
On top of digging through social media and the websites detailed above, you should always be on the lookout for good blogs in your niche industry. If you want to be an expert in your field, you must continue to grow alongside the heavy-hitters in the business. So read what they write, and browse through the comments they receive.
And, of course, it goes without saying that it is never a good idea to rip off someone else's unique ideas. But it can be advantageous to you and your readers if you provide your own fresh take and commentary on a subject brought up by someone else. If you agree with the original write-up, then tell your readers why. And the same goes if you disagree, too.
Have a Pawsitively Tail Waggin' Good Day!
P.S. This information was provided by Ruff Haus - Your Loyal Marketing Companion. Established in 1997, we are a special breed of brand design company that works with a premier pack of clients. We bring a fresh outlook and tail-wagging enthusiasm to your marketing program.