Provide a steady stream of curated content and soon enough your audience will look to you for great ideas
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Is your content stale and redundant ? John Foley , Jr .
Here are ten ideas to kickstart your creativity
Boring , wordy blog posts and repetitive social media updates are a surefire way to get your content passed over . If your content is stale and redundant , why would customers and prospects come back for more ? Trust me , I understand that coming up with great , image-rich content when there ’ s so much going on is no easy task , especially when it feels like you ’ re aimlessly staring at a blank screen scratching to come up with anything for the next blog post or newsletter . So the next time you find yourself out of ideas , try these ten tricks to kickstart your creativity and inject new life into your content :
Monitor social media I know this may seem redundant , but hang out on social media . Find out what your audience is talking about – what are their worries or concerns ? Once you know where the conversation is , you might find inspiration for your genuine input .
Ask your readers Ask questions . If you ’ re not sure what to write next , ask customers or prospects who engage with your content what they ’ d like to see more of . Review the tools you set in place to measure content , and give them more of what they ’ d like to read !
Write a review Review an article or viral piece of industry content . Pointing out what does and doesn ’ t work can help to not only get you in on the conversation , but also position you and your business as go-to thought leaders .
Interview someone interesting Interviewing members of your business community , or a person who has insight in the field of a prominent vertical of yours will give you plenty to post about , and provide valuable information to your audience .
Think locally Local journalists have a practice where they take a national story and relate it to their community , so why can ’ t you ? Take a big story , or something going on in pop culture , and find a way to make it relevant to your audience . It will capture their attention and keep them wanting more !
Brag a little Go ahead , tell your viewers what you did right ! A strong success story with an emphasis on learning new things will not only give them great insight into your business , but also show them what you can do .
Show you ’ re human Share a lesson you ’ ve learned from past mistakes of others , or maybe even your own . Sharing this kind of information is a brave step that , when done right , shows the human side of your business , which is relatable . Just be sure to cover something that was resolved in a positive , productive way . When you talk about past learning experiences , make sure you focus on present and future success .
Curate content List ten of your favorite blog posts in your industry , five mustsee videos , or three books your customers and prospects should really look into . Provide a steady stream of curated content and soon enough your audience will look to you for great ideas .
Crowdsourcing Put it out there that you need ideas . Let your co-workers know you ’ re out of ideas and ask them to freely send you over anything that crosses their minds , or ask them for guidelines . You might find their ideas will provide months worth of content , and you might open the door for someone in your office to show off their creativity .
Think themes Create themes and stick to them ! Often , I find it ’ s easier to come up with a post or an idea for a piece of content if it fits into a category . A great example of this is a themed monthly newsletter . Each month , your newsletter follows the same outline .
Provide a steady stream of curated content and soon enough your audience will look to you for great ideas
Producing strong content is a skill , one you can improve upon with practice . While you ' re using these tips to gather ideas , make sure you take note of which ones you want to return to later . Don ' t let your ideas get away – and use them to keep your content fresh .
John Foley , Jr . is CEO of interlinkONE and Grow Socially . John and his team speak with print companies on transforming their businesses , and offer an affordable and easy-to-use marketing automation solution , MAX . Learn more about John at JohnFoleyJr . com .
34 | December 2017 / January 2018 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE graphicartsmag . com