How to Blog if You're Boring

We preach blogging for business pretty relentlessly, and while there is a lot of information (read: endless) on how to blog, there isn't a lot to help you if the product or service you sell isn't particularly interesting. Keeping this in mind, I picked three examples of boring professions or industries, and outlined the challenge of blogging for them, and the solution that can be implemented. Without further to do:

Plumbers
I picked plumbers, because let's be honest, banging around with pipes and crawling under houses has very little appeal. Plumbing is a profession where writing conventional articles really wouldn't work for the average person. The goal of blogging as a plumber is to build trust, so that when people are Googling for a local plumber, they are drawn to you above everyone else. Sure, a few "how to fix a leaky sink" articles are fine, but I think if you want to produce compelling copy you'll need to tell stories.



Chances are if you've been a plumber for almost any amount of time you'll have at least a few funny stories about your work. Maybe someone "accidentally" floods an entire floor, or loses something valuable that you heroically fish out of a toilet. Whatever it is, people will be able to laugh, and they'll be able to relate to both you and the story. If you can compose stories that will keep people reading, and always get resolved, there is a good chance you'll be the plumber they contact.

The Office Supplies Industry
I picked office supplies because it's hard to argue that articles about staplers, highlighters, and legal pads are interesting. In fact, have you ever read about any of those things? What I'd propose for the office supplies industry is to do what Woot.com does, and write sarcastic and humorous descriptions, articles, and more. Here's 5 headlines that the office supplies industry could use:


Staplers: The Unsung Heroes of the Workplace
What your Briefcase Says About You
5 Things You Didn't Know About Highlighters
How Scissors Won the War of 1812
Why you Should NEVER use Purple Highlighters

I don't have an answer as to why purple highlighters should never be used, but you might. The point is, write funny articles that take mundane things we use everyday and blow them way out of proportion. If you choose to write "How Scissors Won the War of 1812", you'll need to channel Dave Barry, and in doing so put "Scissors" at the top of people's minds. A little alternate history never hurt anyone, but it could help you.

Gas Station Owner
I've never seen a gas station on Twitter, and honestly, that's a missed market. People need gas, and it would probably take only a little trust (I'm talking 5 minutes on your site) to get them coming back to your station or chain. In some ways, you can see Shell trying to build this trust in their commercials- by telling people their gas is fundamentally better than the rest of what you can purchase. I don't think you have to go as far as telling people that your product is better than the competitors, when you can simply put a face on your business. Nowadays people hardly walk into gas stations. We purchase gas at the pump, and are gone very quickly, only stopping inside if we want to pay with cash or buy a drink. I think that if you work to change people's image of your gas station from a faceless fuel pump to "Brian's Station", you'll begin to see real benefits.

Providing people with a little inside knowledge about your industry, tips on how to save on gas, and incentives to shop inside are all easy topics for populating a blog about your gas station. A compelling "About Me" section combined with an article about how most of the money you make at a gas station comes from what's inside (not gas) could send more people in to support you. If I knew that Brian owns the gas station I pass everyday, I'm not only more likely to get my gas there, I'm more likely to stop in and grab coffee or a soda. If you put a few signs up for your blog, you can tell people what they'll find there, and perhaps promise them some sort of coupon or other incentive. You could also suggest people give you their email address when they pay inside, providing the incentive of "a chance to win a free tank of gas each month". Writing a quality newsletter each month to these customers can both send them to your blog, and bring them back to your business.

Conclusion
Blogging has changed the way small businesses interact with the web. Today it's no longer good enough to simply have a static website that you never update. Even the most boring industry or job has something to talk about. Whether you're putting a human face on your small business, telling stories, providing useful information, or even simply updating people on your work, blogging is good for you. Just because you work in a 'boring' industry doesn't mean you can't create content that keeps people on your site, and keeps them coming back. A little creativity is all you need, and I hope you've found some inspiration here!