You’re a business owner with limited marketing dollars, but you feel you should crank up your content generation. Every article you read says “Content is King!” However, you’re not really sure where to get started.
Need Content Generation Ideas? Just Look in the Mirror…
As a very experienced (a.k.a. “old”) copywriter and content marketer, I can tell you that one of the best places to start is actually your mirror.
OK, I’m not saying you need to physically get up and walk to your bathroom mirror. But by taking a good look at yourself, your company/team, your products/services, and your industry, you should be able to find inspiration for a variety of content pieces to use in your marketing.
Start Producing – 4 Content Generation How-To’s
1. Be the star of your own show.
You might have told your story 10,000 times – but that just means there’s a few billion people who haven’t heard it.
Write up a press release on the anniversary of the day you founded your company. Heck, it could be something like “Smith Widgets Celebrates 10 Months of Success” – and talk about your growth in that time.
Turn that press release into a blog post, then share it on your social media accounts. And you’ve got some usable, sharable content.
Another thought-starter:
– An “interview” with yourself (conducted by your marketing person or a fictional “interviewer”), talking about your company’s history, growth, news, etc.
2. Pump up your team.
Whether you have two employees or 2,000, there’s always good content to be found among your staff. Plus, it’s a morale booster when you highlight someone and/or their achievements.
Maybe a regular “Employee Spotlight” showcasing employees’ work anniversaries, professional accomplishments, new certifications/licenses… anything positive you can share is great.
Pro Tip: Give the showcased employee a printed/framed copy of the content, and consider having their photo taken professionally for mounting on a building at your location.
3. Brag about your products/services.
If you’re not regularly publishing new content on your products and services… why not?Even if you haven’t introduced any new products or services, you could be writing about the ones you already have.
Talking about your product line/services can range from unique features and benefits to case studies or testimonials from satisfied clients.
And if you do have new products or services to showcase, that’s awesome. Take that information, write it up and run with it!
4. Examine your industry.
There’s always something going on in your industry. (If you don’t agree, you might not be as tuned-in as you should be.)
That big merger of two leading companies? The latest product innovation that everyone is copying? The new regulations that affect manufacturing or product quality? It’s all gold, Jerry!
And if you really want to go for the “thought leader” and “influencer” titles, take a step back and look at the big picture. Put together a thought piece on the state of the industry and/or where you think it’s headed in the next 5, 10, 20 or even 50 years.
For Effective Content Generation, Remember Your Readers
From the natural starting point of being the star of your own showto the morale-boosting benefits of using an Employee Spotlight feature, and of course, the never-ending changes and fluctuations in your industry (and that’s ANY industry), you have some great places to start generating usable, quality content.
Remember too that you want your content to be relevant and newsworthy – so make sure it’s of interest in some way. Think like a journalist and have a solid “hook” that will catch a reader’s attention and get them reading.
Who knows – that reader could go from prospect to customer very quickly in this day and age. If you give them a worthwhile reason to read, they’ll see you as a worthwhile option for business. So go ahead, take a look in that mirror – and get started!
Have you created any recent content you’re proud of? And do you have a plan for developing regular content? Post in the comments below and please share with your social networks if you found it interesting!
