Developing engaging content that is original, relevant, and timely is a challenge for many. There are a few questions that should help you brainstorm for an idea that will captivate your audience.
- What is the headache du jour for your industry? I have recently blogged about the hacking of WordPress because trying to outsmart criminals has become a daily challenge. I might share ideas for nifty CAPTCHA or database backups plugins.
- What questions are your customer’s asking? This is an easy one as barely a day goes by that a customer doesn’t toss a how-to in my direction. Chances are that there are others out there looking for answers to the same question.
- What are people talking about in the industry? Do a quick scan of blogs or newsletters from your industry and find out what the hot topic is. Two weeks ago for me, it was Google’s vow to slap those who are not mobile-friendly.
- Storytelling about your brand. It’s always fun to share stories that will provoke conversation and build loyalty.
- What are your competitors doing? While you don’t want to mimic them it always helps to keep the creative juices stimulated by following the competition.
- What are the latest industry trends in your business? There is a learning curve in every industry and in order to be an authority in your field you need to keep up with the latest and greatest trends and share them with your audience so they know how savvy you really are.
- Look at industries outside of your own and think about how it is relevant to your line of work. I am always motivated by the marketing ideas of other industries. Last week I visited the M&M store in NYC and was fascinated with the various characters that were developed for each color of the chocolate-coated candy. You never know where your next big idea will come from.
