Brainstorming can be unpleasant at times, but it shouldn’t have to be. Before you start pulling out your hair, brainstorm potential eCommerce blog ideas with your executives, sales teams, marketing department and anyone else who interacts with customers.

These brainstorming sessions will help you form a list of topics that can be molded into any number of interesting blog posts. Gathering a large list of ideas is a great start, but further discussion is necessary to determine if they are a good fit for your company.

1. New Product & Sales Announcements

Take the time to write a blog about a new product or service your business offers. It will help your audience understand what sets the new product or service apart from similar offerings that are currently available.

By providing real life applications, you’ll elevate the relevance of your products and services, and it will help your readers connect your brand to their own lives.

Don’t be afraid to use your eCommerce blog as a sounding board for soon-to-be released items. Providing a bit of information will attract some consumers’ interests early and will pave the way for the opportunity to pre-order or test your product or service. In your blog, discuss the benefits of pre-ordering gifts for special occasions and holidays.

Instead of just listing your upcoming sales, give your readers a reason to come back. Try including a unique link only available on the blog that will offer a preview exclusively for your blog subscribers. They can see the future sale items with their reduced prices, and you can track their interactions.

2. Contests

Your blog is a great platform to launch a contest. Share one of your products, and allow readers one entry per day throughout the contest.

By requiring users to sign up with their email to enter into the contest, you’ll receive quality contact information. Just remember to provide these participants a way to opt out of future contact.

To keep customers returning to your blog, give them a reason to keep checking it. For example, you can provide clues within the blog as a means of winning the contest.

Additionally, setting up a contest with another company’s product is a good idea if you’re trying to reach a broader audience. Be aware, though, that some common items are associated with spammers, so choose your product (as well as your contest) wisely.

3. Product Reviews, Demos and Comparisons

Blog posts are a great outlet to demonstrate a product or service in a non-traditional way. Using eCommerce product videos to show your product in action – like how it works, its uses, the process of assembling the product, etc. – will give your readers hidden gems of knowledge that will both impress and empower them.

In your blog, discuss ways you to use your products other than how they are intended. Is there an opportunity for another industry to use your products? You may discover that your customers use your products in ways you’ve never imagined.

Review your products with an open and honest approach. Articles written with both positive and negative points will be respected more by your customers and ultimately lead to higher sales. Readers want you to interact with them honestly instead of as a salesperson.

4. Customer Testimonials & Questions

Do your customers often ask common questions? Even if your website has a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page, use a blog post to answer them. If you don’t have a FAQ page, then your FAQ blogs will help you create one.

Consumers want to save money while businesses want to make it. Make a post with tips on how to save money by shopping online. Show your customer your insights for universal topics like how shopping online has specific benefits at holiday time.

Get creative with blog posts highlighting great customer testimonials. A powerful approach is to turn a customer’s product review into a blog post. Empower your customer to become part of the community by including them in the conversation.

5. Share Your Experiences

How long has it been since you recounted the story of how your company came into existence? Let consumers see where it all started. Do you have old pictures that you don’t mind looking at while you talk about the past?

Share your corporate values, ideals or culture. But if this is all you talk about, it’s boring. Sprinkle in more people-oriented content so your readers understand the people behind the computer screens. Show how your company puts those values and ideals into practices through the work that you do.

Create a blog post that shows your celebrations. Let readers see photos of your recent store events, company picnic or holiday party. This can be a great way to humanize your content and store.