Running Dry On Blog Post Ideas? Talk To People.

Extroverts have it made.

If you’re an extrovert, you’re comfortable in groups and love talking to other people. I can drop you into a room full of business men and women and you’ll work the room like a pro.

Introverts and ambiverts (I’m one of the latter) on the other hand, have a harder time of things. We would prefer not to have so much interaction with others, and might go so far as to avoid networking and social situations.

The thing is, talking to other people can not only be a great source of leads and relationship building for your business, these conversations can also inspire blog post ideas!

So if talking to other people isn’t your thing, how can you take advantage of this source for great blog topics?

Use Social Media, and Facebook in particular.

Social Media offers introverts and ambiverts a level of “protection” and control that traditional social settings don’t offer. I can decide the level of my activity and interaction on social media, and “walk away” from the conversation whenever I need to.

And even better than a local networking meeting, social media presents us with opportunities to connect with people around the world.

For instance, every day on Facebook, I have conversations with people from San Diego or Toronto or even the UK. We engage each other through posts and comments as well as Facebook Lives, and these conversations never fail to spark ideas for me about new blog post topics.

To facilitate this, you should be making an effort every day to connect with new people with whom you might want to have interesting discussions. Whether they’re peers or potential clients or just personal relationships, be deliberate and selective about whom you follow.

If you’re struggling to find these connections and get real value out of Facebook or whatever social network you prefer, I suggest trying this 10 Day Challenge:

• Each day, for the next ten days, do a search within Facebook or Twitter on topics that interest you. The topics can be personal or professional.
• Look for 10 posts by other people that strike your interest and leave a comment. A meaningful comment. Take the time to read the post, and the article if there’s a link, and offer your own opinion or response.
• Do that every day for ten days and you will have engaged in conversations with 100 people! Some of these discussions may not go anywhere, but many will spark additional conversations and engagement. Feel free to follow these people if you want to, but that’s not a requirement initially.

Another option is to join a mastermind group like 360 Marketing Squad. This private Facebook Group is, at the outset, a learning opportunity. You’ll be treated to regular Live Video Training sessions as well as the ability to post questions in the group and get smart answers from Jenn Herman, Stephanie Liu, Amanda Robinson and myself. But more importantly, this growing membership is a chance to network with other business owners from around the world, and have some truly great conversations.

Make sure then that you always keep your blogging and content marketing goals in the back of your mind. For instance, any time someone asks me a question about social media or technology, once I’ve answered the question, I always take a moment to think about whether or not I’ve answered that question on my blog before or not. A great example is a post I did on HootSuite vs. Buffer. That post was in direct response to several questions I received on social media from people I talk to who wanted to know why I use both services (I now use Agorapulse exclusively).

If you’re regularly taking the time to talk to people on social media, you’ll create positive opportunities for yourself, and spark all kinds of blogging ideas.