One of the keystones of inbound marketing is the content you’re releasing into the world. Trouble is, it’s sometimes (ok, almost always) really hard to come up with new content ideas that will add value to your readers. The trick here is to have a few frameworks that will help you brainstorm ideas for new content.
1. Decide specific business goals you want to accomplish with content
The content you’re creating should be based around getting you a result you need in your business.
Want to convert visitors into clients? Create content that shows them you’re an amazing option to solve the pain they have.
Need to draw attention to your newly created business? Figure out what the community you’re targeting is talking the most about (and give them something they’ll what to share with others in the community).
2. Learn from your current base
Talk to the clients and leads you already have to see what pains they have that your content can help with. You’re not giving away the bank here, you’re trying to be a valuable resource to folks who’ve already decided you’re worth listening to. If you can provide suggestions that help your current contacts, then it’s likely that future visitors will find it value-adding too.
3. Pull from competitors & industry websites
Think of yourself as a curator of content and bear in mind that just because you read something on a blog or industry site doesn’t mean your own readers will find it too. If you find something that you think would be great for your constituents to know, then take the idea, make it your own by adding your own insights (straight plagiarization has its own circle of hell), and distribute it.
You’re an expert in your field and you should be applying that expertise to help weed out fact from crap. By curating and repurposing content so that it’s customized for your needs, you’re also adding value to your community as a whole.
4. Think like your customer
The mindsets of a customer and a business owner/manager typically differ. You may see an issue one way, and they see it another. The trick here is to put yourself in your customer’s shoes so that you can figure out what they’re looking for. As Charlie Munger likes to say “Invert. Always invert.”
So if you want a visitor to become a customer, act like you’re a prospect for your own company. What would you be looking for from this company that would inspire you to become a customer? What trust signals do you need? Once you start working from this approach, you’ll be amazed at all the ideas you generate.
5. Go to conferences
What are others in your industry talking about? By going face to face with others in your realm, you’re sure to be exposed to new ideas and methodologies that you didn’t even think of before. Since some of the approaches may be pretty new and untested, you’ll add value to them by vetting the ideas and working them to truly be applicable for your content consumers. Also, listen to what others in your community are working on or struggling with, you might just have a far-reaching solution for them already but you didn’t know they were looking for it.
So instead of treating the next conference or trade show you go to as a way to network or find new business, view it as a buffet of new ideas and content suggestions.
6. Get input from experts
One person can only do so much well. That means you likely don’t have a perfect framework when trying to solve an issue your base might have currently. That’s when you turn to others in this specific space that specializes in the problem you’re addressing.
Let’s say you have a product that helps users improve their golf swing. By reaching out to and engaging with golf-pros, you can get some insights on what they think is important to improve their swing. Take those inputs and create content that marries those ideas with your own and creates value in the world.
Need some more input and advice on what content you should be creating in order to grow your business? Feel free to reach out to us at enotto so we can help you out!