Warning: The following blogs are gonna be boring. They're for industries that you most likely don't care about -- most are B2B businesses, so the chances of you being interested in that content and also a reader of our blog are kinda slim.
But, there's no denying that these blogs absolutely rock. Though you may not always be interested in the topics or industries that these blogs talk about, they are kicking some serious butt at doing their job for people in those industries.
Because we've talked about quality content being decided by your audience, we've got to give these amazing blogs in totally boring industries a high-five. So prepare yourself to be blown away. And who knows? By the end, you may be subscribed to a few of them ;)
1) Intercom
A CRM business, Intercom isn't exactly the hottest type of business around (I know that my friends' eyes glaze over when I start geeking out about them). That being said, Intercom makes it seem hot -- all from the moment you land on the blog homepage. Seriously, just look how gorgeous it is:
The layout is clean, yet interesting. I love how the bars behind the titles overlap and how it's easy to discover new content in the sidebar. Bonus: Authors are listed as their Twitter handle, helping them build their personal brand.
And, of course, the information inside the posts is awesome -- they're easy to read and filled with engaging images. Definitely a blog to learn from, regardless of the industry you're in.
2) Memphis Invest
Are you interested in the nitty-gritty of real estate investments? Maybe not, but you should still check out Memphis Invest for some blogging tips. What I love about this blog is how consistently great it is at answering the exact questions people are searching for about real estate investment.
The blog also features a variety of content -- some fun posts include inspirational quotes, some are just in-depth answers to questions people ask, and some include visual content like infographics. All in all, the blog is just consistently doing a great job with inbound marketing -- and that's not an easy feat!
3) Zendesk
The customer service software company's blog is probably one of my favorites on this whole list. The layout is gorgeous, the information is interesting and informative, and it's super easy to discover more content you like.
But what especially stands out on this blog are its featured images. Images are specially designed for each post -- each is simple, colorful, and to-the-point, making me want to click on article after article after article. I especially love that most people could replicate images like them in PowerPoint!
4) Maersk Line
For a container shipping company, Maersk Line sure gets creative with its content -- especially for it's #TripleE campaign that ended in November.
To celebrate the maiden voyage of its first Triple-E vessel (whatever that is), the company decided to live blog the adventure. Every few days, the ship's captain would post an update on the blog, often with pictures -- a great way to engage with the segment of its audience who is interested in travel.
Bonus: The campaign was truly multi-platform, with plenty of social media support and integration. Nice job, Maersk Line!
5) THE BOSS Snowplow
Next up: A snowplow company's blog. Though THE BOSS Snowplow has a pretty robust and great social media presence, we're most impressed with its blog.
Blogging can be used to suit a variety of business needs -- it can generate leads, nurture leads into customers, or even help keep your existing customers happy. Somehow, THE BOSS Snowplow manages to do all three on its blog, all while being incredibly helpful and educational.
Some content will teach you general safety tips for snow plowing, while others will help you use specific BOSS Snowplow products. Seriously, a great balance of content.
6) Allstate
Discoverability (how easy it is for people to find the content they want to find) is actually kind of hard to do on a blog. Chances are, you're blogging about multiple topics for more than one audience -- and things can get really murky when those audiences want to see drastically different content.
Allstate seems to have solved that problem through its fabulous blog homepage features. The slider at the tippy-top automatically rotates a new featured story every few seconds to surface content you may like, all without it being distracting.
Below that are Trending Topics, which basically are the most popular story types at the moment. Using social proof (a.k.a. designating certain posts as popular or trending), Allstate makes it easy and desirable to discover more blog content.
7) Gild
It's hard to stay on top of trends in your industry and write about them, but that's exactly what Gild does on its blog.
Every week, the company posts a roundup of top stories in industry that its audience will like to hear. Because the posts are timely, relevant, yet not a ton of information to digest, Gild's readers eat them up. For those of us who need to be better about consistently blogging, this is a really great example to follow!
8) AmeriFirst
Speaking of consistency and awesomeness, AmeriFirst is another paragon of both. Featuring new posts at least once a day, the blog always has topics that AmeriFirst readers want to learn about -- and that's not just mortgages. The company writes about pretty much anything to do with buying and taking care of your home.
That strategy is perfect for attracting top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) leads -- people who are looking for information about their homes most likely need a mortgage ... but they're most likely not ready to buy or change their mortgage when searching for random household tips online. With this strategy, AmeriFirst can be a resource for people long before they need to buy a mortgage.
9) iOffice
When you first visit the iOffice blog, I'm struck by how clean, yet colorful the design is. From the color scheme, to the white space between posts, to the front-and-center author photos, it just feels inviting.
The facilities management company then backs that gorgeous layout up with fantastic content: a mixture of how-to posts, recent trends in facility management, and even an infographic or two. Having a diverse collection of content is crucial to keep your audience interested in your blog and brand.
10) Neenah Paper
Last, but certainly not least, is a real-life Dunder Mifflin (but one that's way, way cooler). Neenah Paper makes -- you guessed it -- paper, stationary, and cards. Though it's a pretty traditional product, the manufacturer has anything but a traditional blog.
The homepage of Neenah Paper looks just like a media site -- lots of featured stories, all presented in a highly visual layout that's similar to Pinterest. Then, once you dive into their posts, they're filled with even more images.
You can pretty much spend hours browsing the images on the blog ... which is exactly what Neenah Paper wants you to do. :)
Which "boring" blogs do you like to follow? Give 'em a shoutout in the comments!
