Today, Problogger challenged us to write a post that solves a problem for our readers. He provides 7 ways to identify the problems that need solving:
1. Solve Your Own Problems: Well now, if I could do that one, life would be much easier 
! But, I have written a few posts that are attempts at solving a few of my problems. The most recent was what do do when life changes drastically, and the best way to approach the situation.
2. Look for Questions in Search Referrals: Search referrals are the words that most often bring visitors to your site. This can be analyzed using a tool like google analytics, or my favorite, wordpress statpress. It’s like analytics without having to go anywhere other than your own wordpress dashboard. My top search terms? Creative tools, elevator pitch & creativity in business. I think I covered all of those in my last few posts…like the right tools to make you more creative.
3. Analyze Internal Searches: I don’t use a tool to cover internal searches, but here is what problogger says about them, “Another related way to find information on what your current readers problems and needs are is to watch what they search for when they are on your blog. This will show you what those arriving on your blog are still searching for once they’ve arrived. This is great because it shows you questions that they’re asking that you’ve often not already written about. There are a few tools that show you internal search keywords. One I’ve is used is Lijit.”
4. Ask Readers for Questions: Sometimes a question isn’t what you think. When I first read this, I couldn’t think of a post that I had written like that – then I remembered! I asked all my readers to de-lurk. Although it wasn’t a question they needed to answer, it was a task that they needed to do (no surprise, it got the most comments this month so far!)
5. Look for Problems on other Sites: Many of the blogs I read had posts about some thing that went wrong in their life/business/cooking, etc. It stimulated me to think about what happens when things fail – and to put together a list of the best way to deal with failure.
6. Use Social Media to Gather Questions: I’d rather use social media to gather pictures! It not only gave me great motivation and inspiration, but it was really fun to see what everyone else really likes!
7. Ask ‘real life’ Friends and Family: Most of my real life friends don’t understand my whole blogging thing – they support it but just don’t get it. But I have had a few real life conversations that helped create a few posts.
Finally – I decided to highlight one post, from when I first started blogging, that I still feel had one of the best messages I have ever written: Creating your own Everest. Where I am in my life now, it just has so much more meaning…
Hopefully, one of these posts with solve a problem you have been having – or help stimulate a creative idea for yourself!
Related posts:
- A question that just has to be answered.
- Achhooo! My page had a sneeze…
- Forums and blogs – is there a connection?
Kirsten
