Not that long ago, we discussed the importance of publishing original content. This can feel easier said than done. Consistently developing new copy isn’t as simple as snapping your fingers. However, it’s not impossible either. These five tips can help:
1. Create a List You Can Take Anywhere
Inspiration doesn’t always strike at the perfect moment. Often times ideas and thoughts come when you’re out doing things or you’re in the midst of a project. Sometimes they happen after a client meeting or while you’re driving to your son’s baseball game. That’s just the way of life.
The trick is to capture your ideas as they arise. By keeping a running list of thoughts and topics, you’ll build a virtual goldmine of content inspiration. You might want to do this in a notebook, but chances are pretty good you won’t have your notebook with you as often as you’ll have your smartphone.
Google Docs and Evernote are two online document applications. Both allow you to host information on the web and access it from any device of your choosing.
2. Utilize Writing Prompts
While your inspiration list will definitively provide a solid foundation for generating unique topics, sometimes you need a little push from an outside source. Writing prompts are a great tool to get your creative juices flowing.
These are three of our favorites:
Simple XXXX fundamentals – XXXX represents an aspect of your business that interests your ideal reader. If you run a car wash company, these fundamentals might be paint maintenance. If you run a staffing agency, they might be resume writing.
The myth of XXXX – What’s something your clients or prospects often assume about your industry? Why does this assumption occur? Why is it wrong?
Breaking free from XXXX – This prompt is about addressing what your product or service solves for your customers.
3. Ask Your Audience What They Want to Know
As much as we’d all like to believe we know what our audience wants, the only way we know for sure is by asking. Ask your customers and prospects what they’d like to know about your company? One of the easiest ways is presenting them with a list of options and an opportunity to offer additional comments.
For example, a request from us might look something like this:
Knowledge is power. We want to share some of ours with you because your business’ success is our goal.
Please select which of the following topics you’d like to learn a bit more about:
* Facebook statuses
* Holiday communications
* Responsive design insights
* Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
* Local search
* Analyzing analytics
Is there another topic you’d like to know about? Please list it below:
Let’s make your business brilliant.
4. Expand Upon Your Already Popular Content
Which email blasts, blog posts, and social media statuses have already been successful? Why reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to? Expand upon those topics that your readers have already shown you are useful.
5. Brag About a Client
Bragging about a client’s success has several advantages. Beyond giving you something to write about, it creates share-friendly content. Each share increases exposure about your own company. Bragging can help you form a better relationship with your client. Everyone likes a pat on the back from time to time. And, it allows you to show off whom you work with. Few things speak more highly of a company than the quality of their clients.
How are you sharing content with your clients? What technique for creating this information have you found useful?
