So, content marketing is all the rage. But, what will make yours interesting amongst the deluge?
What people find interesting will depend on their personalities and their context. Are you answering a question? Solving a problem? Making them laugh? Making them cry? The aim is to tap into what makes them tick…
Here are some ideas for coming up with ideas:
- Brainstorm with your team.
- Ask your customers and web visitors for suggestions.
- Go through customer service enquiries to identify common themes.
- Keep a notebook with you for jotting down ideas when they come to you.
A top technique is to tap into things your intended audience already find interesting, and relate this in some way to what your company does. To help with this, I’ve put together an A-Z list of common themes, subjects and other things, that might get you thinking. And, I’m sharing every single one in December.
Now, don’t go saying stuff just for the sake of saying something… but, please do take a look at these ideas to see if you can think of how you might use it to create some content with an angle that your audience will find genuinely interesting, useful or amusing.
To get the most from this list, I’d suggest you pull together a few people in a room with a whiteboard and read out the prompts in this list. Then brainstorm around the room for how your business might use the idea.
I’m sharing every idea from the whole A to Z list, each day in December. There are over 140 of them in total!
Content marketing ideas beginning with the letter F
Facts
People seem to like facts and figures. If you can find a supply of interesting facts relating to your products, service or industry, then use them. An article that collates this information will always be gratefully received. Even better if it original research with graphs and charts that they can reference. And, of course, the funky thing to do these days is to turn this into a visually stimulating infographic.
Fashion
Keeping an eye on fashions and trends can provide opportunities for comment or promotions. If you sell product, and spot that a particular colour seems to be all the rage, you could point people to anything you have that’s complementary – maybe in a ‘style tips’ format to be less salesy. Or perhaps you’ve spotted a fashionista wearing something you sell?
Feedback
Whether its from an online forum, a customer satisfaction survey or a post-event feedback form – collating positive feedback into a post that sits alongside a page or a proposal for a similar product or service is always worth doing. You could even collate these into a presentation turn it into a slidecast and embed it as a looping video on the product page in question.
Festivals
Summer, for some, means music festival time. With Glastonbury at one end of the scale and local folk festivals at the other, packing up your tent for a weekend of fun with friends is ever popular. The 2010 Wedge Wellies hit shows how a festival-related product can make its mark. Are you able to create some sort of festival survival pack or guide?
Films
Building on our earlier analogy idea – using a well known film plot to explore a subject can be both informative and entertaining. Using Darth Vadar and Luke Skywalker to introduce the concept of dysfunctional relationships could certainly make a point. Or, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for appreciating what you’ve got. Think about your favourite films – are there any parallels to be drawn?
Finance
Relating your activity to key dates in the financial year can help you to pop up at the right time. Obviously, if you do financial planning for a living, timing your activity around when tax returns have to be filed or the end of the tax year is important. If you offer strategic planning services of some kind, timing an offer to coincide with normal financial planning cycles makes sense.
Fun
Remember that whatever line of work you’re in, people are people wherever they are. And if it’s appropriate, you can afford to have a little fun. In fact, fun can be just what’s needed to set your business apart as people to work with. Are there some fun questions you could add to liven up those professional profiles? Or, is there an online game to be made of something you offer?
© Bryony Thomas – The Watertight Marketer
