5 Ways to Come Up With Content Ideas
The concept of content creation likely isn’t new to you.
You’re bombarded with content from other companies all day long whether it be via social media posts, videos, or blogs and every time you scroll past you have that nagging feeling that you should be showing up more.
But you also have concerns:
With so much content already out there do people really want to know what I have to say?
Will what I write matter or make a difference?
I have so much else on my to-do list, is marketing really something I should be spending my resources on?
I already wrote a post about this, am I repeating myself too much?
I have no more ideas or nothing to say.
I spoke about some of this resistance towards content creation in my blog about content processes, and (spoiler) I debunked each of these concerns.
In order to develop a sense of trust with your audience, you need to show them that you can help them begin to solve their problems. You need to let them know you understand where they’re coming from, that you’ve been where they are, and that you’ve come out the other side.
This is where your content comes in. It gives your audience the touchpoints they need for your message to start really resonating. It helps to fill any knowledge gaps about what it is you do or how you can help. And it helps to educate and entertain so your audience can connect more deeply with your brand.
Here are 5 ways to come up with content ideas so you’re never struggling with what to post again.
1) Check the data
Data is the answer to a lot of indecision or confusion when it comes to marketing. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when creating content.
Instead, take a look back at old posts to see what performed well. KPIs (key performance indicators, or stats) like saves, likes, shares, page visits and the time spent on a page can be very telling!
Once you’ve gone through old posts, consider how they can be repurposed. Is the content still relevant? Can you simply re-share the link? Do a couple of edits or updates need to be made? Maybe re-publishing the post is in order?
There are a lot of great ways to repurpose old content, especially when that content is evergreen.
And if you’re worried about repeating yourself -- don’t be!
Your audience is always growing and changing which means there are always people who haven’t yet heard some of your pillar pieces of content like your brand story (who you are and what you do).
Even if someone has been around for a while, revisiting certain topics or content pieces can be helpful in reminding them of important concepts and refreshing their memory on why they should work with you.
Plus, with the number of content consumers are presented with every day, the chances of them seeing everything you post is quite slim.
If you don’t already have a backlog of content it’s time to do some market research! What’s performing well for your competitors? How can you put your own spin on it?
Related blog posts
2) Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal client
In order to create content that resonates, you need to ensure you have a clear understanding of your target market.
You need to work on figuring out what content would be most valuable for them. What are their pain points? What’s the price of not taking action or ignoring your advice?
People purchase most often based on emotion so you need to connect with them in a way that creates a connection and lets them know you understand them.
Most often, this is done effectively through storytelling,
“Stories have been our way of connecting from the beginning, from warning of danger to documenting events. We’re compelled to tell and consume stories. And you can use stories to convey information to your audience that will give them the information they need.”
From my blog, Use storytelling to speak to the needs of your audience
And before you say you’re not a good storyteller, know that stories don’t require perfection. Your audience simply wants you to share how you’ve helped others in a similar position find the answers they’re looking for.
Consider,
Do you have your own story of how you turned your life around or solved a problem your target audience has?
Do you have any telling testimonials?
Develop content around sharing these stories and you’ll likely find it easier to connect with your consumers.
Related blog posts
3) Ask your audience
When in doubt? Ask your audience!
You can conduct really great market research simply by reaching out to those in your community.
Conduct focus groups, create polls on Facebook or Instagram, send emails requesting replies or set up 1:1 phone calls to get a really good idea of what your audience is looking for.
**Ensure that these are your ideal clients or you’ll get skewed results.
Consider asking questions like:
How often do you think about [ insert your area of focus here ]?
When you think about it, what thoughts normally come up? Is there a problem, struggle, or sticking point related to [ insert area of focus here ] that you frequently think about?
On a scale from 1 - 10 how important is it that you solve this problem (1 being not that important 10 being very important)?
If I could snap my fingers and grant you any wish related to [ insert area of focus ], what would that be?
From there, start to create content that answers some of their biggest concerns and questions! To create more variety, consider taking each point and looking at how you could approach it from an inspirational, educational, entertaining, and solution-based perspective.
This process should give you some key content pillars that you can rotate through to help your ideal clients start learning from you.
From there, begin to test your content (circling back to point 1 here), looking at the data to ensure that what you’re posting about is connecting with your larger audience.
Look for data like engagement with your posts, high click-through rates, and your demographics to ensure you’re reaching the right audience with the correct content.
Related blog post
4) Refer back to your values and point of view
In addition to ensuring your content is resonating with your audience you also want to make sure it accurately represents you and your brand.
What are your company values?
Why did you start your company?
What’s your point of view?
These questions will not only help you to get clear on your brand story and what you stand for, but will help you come up with content too.
When you have a clear point of view you’ll know when it makes sense for you to speak up on world events or issues or when to tackle industry problems.
And when you have a clear point of view, it’s easier for your customers to connect with you (assuming they have a similar viewpoint).
Related blog posts
5) Get someone else to write for you
If content really isn’t your thing, there’s an easy solution. Find ways to outsource or collaborate so the onus isn’t always on you.
One of the major challenges with being a small business owner is the number of hats you’re expected to wear and the reality is we can’t be good at everything.
So, if marketing and content creation is causing you more stress than good, there are ways to get it off your plate.
Outsourcing or delegating directly can give you consistent, reliable production of content week in and week out so you can stay on top of your marketing plan and content output.
Collaborations (like guest bloggers for example), can be a great way to expand your audience, and share new viewpoints beyond what you may have expertise on.
Regardless of which way you choose to go, you’ll free up more of your time to focus on serving your audience in ways that bring you more joy and don’t drain so much of your energy.
Related blog posts
It’s content creation time
Now that you have a few more ideas for places and ways to come up with content it’s time to get creating!
Start brainstorming all of the ideas you already have for content without filtering anything out. I think you’ll be surprised how much you have to say and how much momentum builds when you stop questioning yourself and simply start writing.
Keep a running list of ideas, organize them into content pillars, find new ways to revisit old posts, and share your new content creation system with any and all involved team members.
When you have structures and systems in place it’s much easier to stay on top of things.
Want to learn more? Visit the links in this post and you can also go join my brand new Magnificent Marketers Hub to get access to my mini-training that covers how to Generate Content Ideas Quickly. The Hub is free and so is the training!