Idea Generation

The single thing content marketers struggle with the most is figuring out what to write. Content on your website has to be informative, authoritative, and most importantly, engaging to your audience. The pressure to come up with fascinating subjects complete with witty titles is enough to drive a person insane with writer’s block. However, the good news is there are plenty of resources you can use to develop ideas for great content.

Brainstorm with Coworkers Two (or ten) heads are better than one! Bring things back to basics with a good old-fashioned brainstorming session. Feeding off of each other’s ideas can really help you come up with engaging topics and interesting themes. Bring out the whiteboard or have a notebook on hand to jot everything down, no matter how silly, there’s bound to be some truly fresh gems.

Observe Online Groups

Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, or even reddit, there’s bound to be a place online where people in your industry gather and talk. Finding groups online, especially if the members are customers, is a great way to gain customer insight so you can create content that really connects with your audience. These groups are usually discussion based, beneficial in that you can learn what your customers want in their own words. Sometimes group members will share interesting articles, and this is good because you can see what type of content resonates with customers the most (and tailor your own content accordingly).

Other Online Tools

There are plenty of online tools that help content marketing to generate great ideas. Blog topic generators can generate gripping topics in even the most niche industries. UberSuggest is a great tool for keyword research as well as Google Trends. The best thing is that the vast majority of these tools are free so play around a bit and watch the ideas start pouring in!

Look at What Your Competitors are Writing About

There’s nothing wrong with scoping out the competition, especially if they seem to have found a good formula for customer engagement. Pay attention to what topics are being shared or commented on the most by customers and think of how you can put your own spin on them.

Don’t let writer’s block stress you out. Though it may seem like you’ve written about your industry in every conceivable way at every conceivable angle, looking outside for inspiration will prove that there are always new ways of looking at things. If all else fails, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just repurpose what you already have. It’s always good to update your material to reflect current times and new trends.