7 Content Marketing Ideas When You're out of Ideas

If you haven’t started utilizing content marketing by now, you’ve at least heard of it. And, if you haven’t already done so, there’s no better time than now to get started. Companies who prioritize content marketing are seeing real results. For example, Kraft estimates that it generates four times better ROI through content marketing than through targeted advertising^[1]. However, as many content marketers know, it can be hard to come up with new, engaging content on a regular basis. We’ve pulled together some tips on how to come up with new content ideas when you’re running dry.

Use what you already have

Chances are, your company already has a plethora of content that can be used for content marketing - even if you’ve already distributed it. 

 1) Slideshare

Slideshare is a great way to repurpose content and share it in a new way. Did you have slides you used in a recent webinar or presentation? You can quickly and easily upload them into Slideshare with minimal editing needed. If you have more time, you can also take a guide, white paper or longer blog post and turn it into a Slideshare document with added visuals. Keep in mind that your audience on Slideshare will most likely be viewing this without any audio assistance, so you may need to tweak slides to add more information or definitions for people who won’t have the benefit of audio like in a webinar or presentation.

 2) Infographics

Research reports are great content to share, the only issue is, sometimes they can be very dry. Infographics are the solution to this problem and a great way to visually share information. You don’t have to have a lot of in-depth research to create one, but you will need something of value that users will want to click on and share. As content, infographics tend to have a higher click-through and share rate than other types of content.

 3) Videos

More and more people are getting their information from videos vs other types of online media. People like short, concise videos that entertain them and provide value. This sounds like a tall order (and don’t be fooled, good videos require some work), but the payoff of videos can be huge. Not sure what to produce? Interview a client about a problem they had and how you helped them solve it. Have thought leaders within your company talk about a trending topic. You may even want to invest in video production equipment and software to bring your production in-house to more easily create videos on a regular basis.

Coming up with new content

Part of what makes content marketing hard to do well is that it’s something you need to do on a regular basis. While it’s great to repurpose old content, you will need to come up with new content as well. Here are some ideas to help you come up with new content:

 4) Use your in-house human resources

No, we don’t mean you should take advantage of your employees, but you should take advantage of the vast amount of knowledge they have. There’s a good chance the people in your company who aren’t directly related to marketing (think your research and development team, customer service team, etc.) have a lot of expertise on topics that you aren’t tapping. Have them create blog posts (or work with your marketing team to create posts) to show the vast amount of knowledge and expertise at your organization.

 5) Respond to a news article / trending story

Tread lightly with this content creation tactic. While it’s great to respond to recent news and topics within your industry, when you step outside your industry, you can run into trouble. Users are getting more savvy about newsjacking (writing about a trending topic just to get traffic / clicks), so unless you can directly tie a story into your company / industry, you should steer clear.

 6) Talk about your customers

Customers (and potential customers) will appreciate you shining the spotlight on them and their issues. Interview one of your customers about their problems and how you helped solve them (this doesn’t have to be a case study). Don’t be afraid to talk to them about issues they’re experiencing and how they solved them, even if they didn’t necessarily use your product / service. This will help boost your credibility as it will show that you’re not simply self-promoting.

7) Review partners and products that you use

Does your company use a marketing automation platform? Does it help you run more efficiently? Write a review about it and how you’ve used it to fit your needs. As long as it’s a positive review (which it should be, your blog is not the place air your grievances), most companies will be happy to have the exposure and links from your blog. Do you partner with other companies? Let people know why you decided to partner with them and what value they can offer to your customers.

Customers are more informed than ever before when they engage with a company to make a purchase or use their services. This is why content marketing has become vital to many marketing strategies - it helps you tell your story to potential customers that you may not be aware of yet. However, keeping to a content marketing strategy can be hard, especially when it comes to continually creating content. Using these seven tactics will help you keep your content calendar fully stocked with new material.

^[1] www.adage.com