Every simple guide to digital marketing will tell you that content is king. We need to be creating fresh, valuable content that helps our users engage. Simple, right?
Well, not exactly. We are not all born storytellers and we all get a little writer’s block from time to time. So how can we keep creating consistent content that actually makes a difference? Thankfully, the digital world is a treasure trove of ideas.
See what’s trending.
You only have to log in to Twitter to see what the world is chatting about that morning. This is your opportunity to be creative: rather than contributing to the echo chamber, put your own spin on the latest story. In industry terms, we call this ‘newsjacking’.
Stella Artois showed us how it was done by tweeting about the Oscars – inviting others to guess film names. It spawned a whole lot of social media engagement and some creative hilarity from other Twitter users.
Ask Google the same questions your customers are asking.
The industry term for this would be the ‘skyscraper technique’. You ask Google what a potential customer would ask, for example, “where are the best tourist attractions in Sydney” and view the results. Your task is to recreate that content with your own spin – and do it better!
Hint: make it long-form to nail multiple keyword terms.
Find out what your customers are asking.
New to the game or targeting a developing market? Find out what people want to know about your product. You can use the ‘people also ask’ feature on Google, or go to AnswerthePublic.com and input a keyword. It will return all the interrogative terms for your keyword, such as car leasing, and could inspire the entire blog series.
Use third-party tools.
Sometimes, when inspiration is waning, you have to turn to the robots. Tools like BuzzSumo will allow you to input a keyword and see the trending topics over the last few months. It can also give you deeper analysis, such as news sources to follow, or the best influencers to work with to help your content work harder.
Run your own primary research.
There’s nothing wrong with asking your peers their opinions to help you put together an article. Using hashtags such as #journorequest on Twitter will alert people when you’re asking them for their insights. You can quote them in the piece and tag them – which results in more engagement!
Other tools include ResponseSource, which is free to use for those (mainly journalists) who need a source to enhance their content. Simply type in your enquiry and go.
Stay in the know about your industry.
If you want to be a thought leader in your field, you have to keep your finger on the pulse. Follow your competitors on Twitter. Subscribe to newsletters from relevant trade publications. Join groups on LinkedIn. The more information you can absorb about what’s going on, the more you can talk about – and the more value you can offer your customers.
Looking for inspiration? Speak to our Chorley content creators
The best way to get started is to create a content strategy with provisions for both proactive and reactive content. At Tall Zebra Designs, we’ll develop a thorough understanding of your industry and help you to create content that matters – which really converts.
Get in touch with us here and say goodbye to writer’s block.
