Ever feel like you’re in a content rut? Or perhaps you are faced with a deadline for an article or blog and have no idea what topic to cover. As marketers and content creators, we write every day both for our clients and ourselves. But even the pros are faced with the challenge of generating new ideas for articles, blogs and other forms of marketing content. Writer’s block happens to the best of us, so we’ve developed this list of 10 ways to keep the creative juices flowing:
1. Create a running list of topics.
Don’t wait until it’s time to write to decide what topic you’ll be covering. Instead, set aside time to research, brainstorm and write down potential topics. Don’t worry about crystalizing your ideas—you can perfect the topics when you start writing. When it’s time, simply pick a topic from your list and start writing.
2. Sign up for newsletters.
Get content ideas delivered directly to your inbox by signing up for industry newsletters. They’ll keep you current with trends, news, research and events.
3. Visit competitor websites.
Browse through your competitors’ websites. What are they covering in their blogs, resources, press releases and FAQs? What are people saying in the comments? This isn’t to say you should steal ideas or plagiarize content. Instead, use the topics as inspiration for your own unique content.
4. Google a topic.
If you have a general topic in mind, search for it on Google. Look at all the results that pop up when we searched for “content marketing.” All of these could be jumping-off points for original topics. Also check out the list of related searches at the bottom of the first page of results. Not only are these topics relevant and current, it’s safe to assume they are already optimized for SEO.
5. Leverage your own data.
You don’t have to be a data analyst to discover what topics are trending on your own website. A quick peek at your website analytics can show you the most recent comments on your blog, most popular pages (including blog posts) and the top searches that brought people to your site. If you don’t have access “behind the scenes” of your website, ask the administrator to set you up as a user or provide you with regular reports.
6. Use a topic-generator tool.
There are online resources that can help you generate ideas for new content. The HubSpot Blog Ideas Generator transforms one or more keywords into five blog topics in just a single click. The Portent Idea Generator is another simple tool for creating catchy titles based on a keyword.
7. See what’s trending on the internet.
Free online tools like Google Trends, BuzzSumo and Ubersuggest provide insight into what keywords are trending and also provide related keywords that can spur ideas for new content.
8. Explore industry conferences.
You don’t have to attend conferences to generate ideas for your marketing content. Check out the agendas and see what the keynote and workshop topics are. Look for videos or transcripts of roundtable discussions to see what people are asking and what the experts are saying about your industry or those of your target markets.
9. Scour content-sharing sites.
Platforms like Medium and SlideShare can be an excellent resource for user-generated content. In addition to searching for new topics to cover, consider posting your own content to increase marketplace visibility and SEO.
10. Refresh your old content.
Your existing content shouldn’t be discarded or forgotten. Review older blogs, articles or white papers and write newer content from a different or updated perspective. Check out our blog on recycling content for ways to reexamine, reimagine and repurpose content you already have.
Quality over quantity
The demand for marketing content has never been greater. Marketers in every industry are leveraging content marketing to increase visibility, enhance credibility, drive brand awareness, improve brand reputation and grow their customer base. But pushing out content just for the sake of keeping up with the competition isn’t enough. Producing high-quality content that provides real value to your target audiences is the only way to stand out in a sea of information. To learn more about how to create high-quality content that delivers results, schedule a short call with us to talk about how we can help.
