If you run a gift boutique, you may be wondering what kinds of things you can write about on your blog. It helps to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. What are they looking for?
Think of blog ideas that will help solve your customers’ gift-searching dilemmas. When you take that approach, you will come up with so many ideas you can’t wait to write.
Here are some examples that will really help you connect to your customers:
Gift Guides
Have you ever struggled to pick out the right gift for someone? Their birthday is coming up, you’ve been in and out of shops, but you just can’t settle on the right thing?
That’s a common experience for your customers. They want to choose a special gift, one that’s meaningful to the person receiving it.
That’s where your blog comes in. With your experience in the world of gifts and watching customers try to find the perfect gift, you’ve got amazing insights to share.
What are the most overlooked gifts people love to receive? A blog post that highlights five ideas just might create that lightbulb moment your customers need. You solve their gift-search dilemma while highlighting some of your products at the same time. It’s a win-win-win: for the customer, for you, and for the happy gift recipient.
Think about other gift guides you could highlight on your blog:
- 5 amazing and appreciated gifts under $20.
- 3 last-minute yet thoughtful gift ideas.
- 5 practical gifts for bird lovers.
When you start thinking about writing top-3, top-5 gift guides, your blog calendar will start to fill up, and your customers will be so thankful for your help. Be sure to give each post a gift guide category label so blog visitors can find your guides easily. You can even make a web page listing and linking to your gift guides.
For gift guides that go a step further, you can share gift kit ideas. Not only are you helping customers choose gifts. You are also creating a gift kit experience for the customer and the recipient.
For example, take a look at my portfolio article, 3 Thoughtful Gift Kit Ideas for New College Students. You can write a blog post that inspires customers to put together a wonderful gift kit for a specific occasion. This gives you a great chance to highlight your products while creating an enjoyable experience for your customer and their gift recipient.
The Story Behind a Gift
People enjoy reading product stories. A story adds a special touch to a gift. When someone gives a gift, they enjoy being able to share how it’s specially made or what is unique about it.
Perhaps you sell gifts handcrafted by a local artist. You can write a feature blog post about this artist that includes gift highlights.
I know a mom and daughter team who used to sell hand-poured candles locally. Whenever I gave one of those candles as a gift, I told their story: how they got started, why they loved making candles, and why they chose certain ingredients.
Those are the kinds of stories you can feature on your blog. Those stories create connections. And they create a unique atmosphere around the gifts you sell.
Ideas for Using Gifts
Friends and I walked into a gift shop and saw a beautiful piece of fabric. We thought perhaps it was a scarf. But the shape was unusual. We couldn’t figure out how to wear it. A shop attendant showed us, and we were amazed.
That’s the kind of topic you can blog about, and not just for unusual styles of scarfs. Even for regular scarfs, people receive them as gifts, or consider buying one for themselves, and they don’t know how to wear them. A blog post that talks about 3 stylish ways to wear a scarf is helpful.
If you sell tea sets, consider writing a blog post for how to host a fun tea gathering. That kind of post encourages people to use their tea sets, buy a new variety, and refer tea party guests to your shop. And it removes the sense of intimidation many people feel when they think about hosting a tea event.
Even a blog post that shows customers how to care for a product is helpful. An article like my portfolio sample, How to Care for Your Beeswax Candle, gives people confidence to use and enjoy that gift candle. When they experience the joy of the candle and read about how easy it is to care for, they’ll likely buy more.
Ideas for Seasons and Occasions
Recently I was searching for an idea for gifts I could share at Christmas. It seems all my friends have their Christmas niche gift, whether it’s homemade cookies, potpourri, or fuzzy winter socks. Every year, they give their traditional gift. People love receiving these gifts. Because it’s the same gift each year, my friends don’t have the stress of figuring out what to give. I wanted to find my niche.
A list of seasonal gift suggestions would be so helpful. As a gift boutique owner, you have the insights to make those recommendations. People like me would be so grateful.
Aside from major holidays, we have gift occasions like birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s Days, Valentines Day. Then there are special occasions like retirement parties or graduations. What kinds of gifts would you recommend for those events? What are some simple but appreciated hostess gifts for a gathering? A list article on any of these topics would go a long way toward helping your customers choose their gifts while promoting your gift items.
Shop Owner Favorites
A blog post that features your personal picks for the month or for a particular occasion is helpful for readers. Not only will you give them tips on what kind of gift to give. You’ll also create a sense of connection.
Customers will get to hear your voice shining through in your writing. They will learn something new about you. They’ll feel like they know you better, and that’s how trust grows. They will see you as someone who wants to make their gift-giving easier, someone willing to share helpful insights.
Gift-giving is not always easy. For many of us, it’s a challenge. It’s easy to feel stressed and to worry that we will pick out the wrong gift. For those of us on a budget, we are often concerned we can’t afford a good gift. And as we celebrate the same friends’ birthdays each year, the same Mother’s and Father’s Days, we might feel like we’ve run out of unique ideas.
You’re in a position to help us through your blog. You have the ideas, the perspective, the experience we don’t have. We need your insights and encouragement.
This week, take a look at the list above. Pick one idea and write about it for your blog. Start with a top-5 list if that’s easiest. Or choose one gift item to write about. Hit publish, and then plan a time for your next blog post. Your customers will thank you.
Janet Eriksson 