Blog posts, videos, podcasts, webinars, ebooks, photos…you name it, it’s all great for fresh and unique content for websites. Content is great if you need inbound marketing strategies in place for your company’s website; it is king, after all.
That being said, we do understand that not everyone has the time or even patience to keep continually creating fresh, new content for marketing purposes. Making new content that is engaging and worth sharing requires organization, diligence, focus, and most importantly of all, dedication. That all involves some hard work, and if you’re not up for that, then this post will not help you. What we hope will help you is our tips on how to create fresh and engaging content—even if you feel tapped out of ideas.
Tip 1: Stay informed about your industry
Sometimes the best kind of content you can create is based upon the latest information and trends taking place and growing within the industry you are a part of. Whether that trend is about living a healthier lifestyle or the latest development in technology and how we use it, staying informed and having a response to that trend always makes for engaging content.
You can use applications to help you draw inspiration such as Google Alerts, and LinkedIn provides all sorts of content from experts in the industry you may be following. See if there are any posts you have an argument against or agree with, and elaborate on the subject using your own unique voice and opinion.
Tip 2: Combine ideas to make topics
Taking a few concepts and combining them into a single topic can help produce some content well worth writing about. For example, when you have two similar but different concepts such as gardening and farming, you can create topics such as “What farmers can learn from gardeners and vice versa” or “The major differences between farming and gardening that you didn’t know”.
Tip 3: Make lists
Lists such as top 10’s, pros and cons of things, and lists of tips are always a great means of creating content no matter what the topic. For example, top ten events happening in your neighbourhood related to the industry you serve or specific events your business promotes—these would be good lists to create and talk about. Debunking myths in a list form is also a good idea for content.
Tip 4: Use different means of creation for content
If writing blog posts is burning you out, set them aside and try something new to help freshen up the content you want to make. If the new format ends up working out better for your marketing, keep doing it, and if it doesn’t, try something else. Don’t stick to just one way of creating content if it’s not helping you out in the long run.
A blog post may not actually be enough to fully describe and inform others about what you have to say about a subject, anyway. Things like how-to’s, questions and answers, or major discussions can also be created into a video or podcast—and some people prefer to get their content that way. If you have a lot to say about your industry and have enough content written about it, consider putting it all into an ebook. A webinar can also be a constructive way to describe to others what you know about your industry and how certain aspects of it could be improved or used to their fullest potential.
Tip 5: Give yourself room to play
Play around with topic ideas and headlines before you finally decide on your next blog topic or topics. Your brain isn’t always going to come up with great ideas one after the other, and everyone needs a break from thinking about what to come up with next. Giving yourself room to play around with ideas can help you relax and come up with new ideas at your leisure.
Tip 6: Try using title generators
There are free online generators of titles and blog topics you can find simply by researching them on Google. Companies such as Hubspot, Tweak Your Biz, Feedly, and yes, even Twitter have some useful tools that can help people when they are really and truly stuck on topic ideas for their content.
Tip 7: When all else fails, take a break
Sometimes you may feel so burnt out and devoid of ideas that a break is much-needed. Step away from your computer, go out for a walk, have a cup of coffee, even take a bath (just not in your office!)—do whatever it takes to relax yourself. You may find that some good ideas, even great ones, can pop up when you least expect it! We’re sure that by the time you come back from your break, you’ll feel rejuvenated and energized enough to create some great content.
We hope these tips help you produce some amazing content for your website and marketing strategies! If you still struggle daily with content however, or simply don’t have the time to make new content, get in touch with us at V3 Media. Web design and development aren’t our only specialties—coming up with great content for marketing is one of them, too!