Today, most SMBs understand the need to blog on their business website.  At the very least they understand the SEO value and how a blog “feeds” search engines fresh content to index.

Moreover today, you probably know how important content is as a way to engage prospective clients and build awareness of your brand.  Your blog content extends not only into SEO, but also your social media marketing, YouTube, email marketing and PR.

So you’re sold on the need to blog for your business.  Maybe you’ve even hired a writer. Now the big question:  What is your blog about?

This question is more nuanced that you may realize.  Of course your blog is about your business and what you offer.  It uses keywords to support your domain’s SEO goals.  It has an informal, useful tone that extends well to social media.

But let’s say, for example, that you’re a landscaper in Atlanta.  You’re not the only landscaper in your market.  In fact, you have dozens of competitors in your main target zone, and hundreds across the Atlanta metro area.

What are you going to blog about?  How are you going to reach your target audience in a way that’s unique and useful?

In particular, how are you going to be unique?  You’re more or less a typical landscaping business.  You specialize in water features and exotic grasses, but in most ways you offer what much of your competition does.

Everybody’s out there talking about the landscaping basics.  How to choose features, fauna, and trees.  How to design a space.  Yard care from A to Z.

It’s not like it’s going to be easy to write something so scintillating that people are going to share it on Facebook.  Something so unique every lead in the area will be drawn to you.

For the most part you’re a voice in a big crowd saying many of the same things.  How do you earn attention?  How do you gain trust?

Here’s one tip:  tell your audience what your competition is afraid to tell them.  Specifically, tell people what they can do so they don’t have to hire you.

Now wait a minute, you say.  I’m trying to sell these people my services.  Why would I give them information that would lead them to think they don’t need to hire me?

This strategy is somewhat counter-intuitive.  Today’s internet empowered consumers expect to be highly informed about purchase decisions.  Many are going to research their options – including if they need to hire a service at all – irregardless of whether or not you provide it.

The info your competition doesn’t want to provide may include:

• pricing options
• DIY methods
• money saving tips
• how to extend the life of tools/products
• how to avoid unnecessary products or services
• how to set acceptable expectations
• whether or not a product/service is a fit for your needs at all

There are distinct advantages to being the one who provides this information.  The first and foremost is trust.

Let’s face it.  Nobody trusts someone who’s trying to sell them for commission anymore. We don’t trust these salespeople with good reason:  they’re more concerned about their numbers than if what we need what they’re selling.  Everybody knows this.

The type of articles we’re discussing here turns this perception on its head.  When you’re honest about why someone should (or shouldn’t) give you their money, they trust that you have their interests in mind.

Let’s be clear here.  Trust is the Holy Grail of emotional responses with online consumers.  It’s make or break.  If consumers trust you, you’ll win the business of 90% of legitimate leads.  If they don’t, you’ll lose 90%.

Offering useful, honest information that helps consumers make the right buying decision is the best way to develop trust through your website content.

And as was eluded to, it’s also a great way to develop unique content.  The reason being is that most business owners haven’t made this adjustment.  They think everything they develop must be about selling their stuff.  They still shy away from transparency, as if the internet hasn’t totally open things up anyway.

You want great ideas for your business blog?  Say what your competition is afraid to say. Be transparent, honest, and useful.

You may lose a few clients who decide to go the DIY route – but you’d have lost them anyway.

What you’ll gain is the trust of the people who will become your best clients.  That, in a nutshell, is what your online marketing is there to do.