Your blog is set up on your site, your social media accounts are active, and you’re ready to start pumping out finding content for those media channels. Now what? It’s time to start coming up with subject matter to begin posting online, so that you can get conversation going and draw some attention toward your business. But how do you go about developing ideas for this content? And not only once, but on a continual, ongoing basis?
Don’t fret – potential material to use, repurpose, write about, and share is all around you! We are surrounded everywhere, every day, by perfectly usable ideas. The trick is to program yourself to recognize it. When you do, you’ll have a never-ending supply on hand daily.
The terrific place for discovery is within all of the information that YOU are already consuming each day. What blog posts have you read, video tutorials have you watched, or questions/tips/comments have you seen posted by colleagues or others in your field? Don’t mindlessly consume that material and simply go on about your day. Instead, pause for a moment and ask yourself some questions related to it.
Do I agree with what he’s presenting here?
If not, awesome! Now’s the perfect time to write a blog post contributing your own thoughts on the topic. Bonus points if your product or service is the ideal solution to the problem being addressed.
Did she skip something crucial and miss a key point that should have been included? Or could I actually teach that concept more clearly or concisely?
Boot up that video camera . . . you’ve got finding content for your next YouTube video right there.
Can I answer the question that @yournextpotentialcustomer just posed on twitter?
Crank out a short-but-sweet post covering what she inquired about, hit the “publish” button and reply to her tweet with a link. Not only might you help solve her dilemma but, quite likely, other people out there have the same question. Any immediate social media love + the future SEO benefits of now having a post on that topic on your site = a wise move on your part!
That’s an interesting idea – how could one in my field use that?
Hear of a cool new concept that someone is applying in a completely different line of business? Consider ways that strategy could be repurposed and used by companies or consumers in YOUR area of expertise. That development could very well be the genesis of a new how-to ebook.
If you make a conscious effort to develop this mindset, through which you view all the media you encounter each day as prospective material for your videos, tweets, status messages and blog posts, you’ll never be at a loss for finding content.
Have you ever had inspiration for a post or other content come from an unexpected place? Share about it with other readers in a comment below! And anytime you’re feeling writer’s block, Your Design Online is here to help you brainstorm additional ways to generate content and increase your company’s online marketing impact.
