Content creation is a driving force in successful marketing. Over the past few years, it has become the center of digital marketing—we are living in the era of blogs and social media! Blog posts are extremely important for SEO, for providing your audience with the information they seek—even if it’s not directly related to your product or service—blogs are your main content hub, the source for much of what you share on social media.

1. Blog Posts: How to Generate Ideas for Outside-the-Box Topics
Content creation is a driving force in successful marketing. Over the past few years, it
has become the center of digital marketing—we are living in the era of blogs and social
media! Blog posts are extremely important for SEO, for providing your audience with
the information they seek—even if it’s not directly related to your product or service—
blogs are your main content hub, the source for much of what you share on social
media.
Deciding on content for your blog posts can be a
challenge, though. There is already so much
content out there, rehashing the same blog
topics or offering content that isn’t compelling
can actually hurt your results. Fresh perspective
and outside-the-box content will help you get
more results and create content that makes a
bigger impact. Keep these thoughts in mind
when getting your creative juices flowing for
your next content editorial calendar:
Marketing 101: Start with the audience - What
do your readers want to read about? (For
example: If you’re a recruiting company, job seekers would appreciate reading
blogs about any resume or interview advice you many have.) If you’re not sure
what your audience wants, ask them! Send a short survey to your database or
pose the question to your company Facebook followers or LinkedIn group.
People love having their voices heard, and they’ll be frank and honest about
the content they’d like to see.
Brainstorm with everyone – Marketing teams usually sit down or jump on calls
together to brainstorm blog topics. I think that’s a great start, but look for
ideas out of your usual comfort zone. Talk to your sales and customer service
teams and ask them about common issues they’ve seen lately. If it’s not a
technical topic, consider even talking to your extended professional
connections and friends—you might be surprised with the ideas you get from
talking to others who aren’t in your industry.
Piggyback on trending topics – What’s hot in the media or in pop culture that
can be used to pique reader’s interests? Can you take that buzz and tie it into
your blog? (For example, our president had a great idea last year to tie in a
client’s campaign with the popular Movember mustache buzz—which by the
way generated some great upper-lip visual content!)
Get edgy – Every now and again, consider blog topics about something that
teases readers or is somewhat controversial—say, why the iPhone is overrated,
or why outsourcing to India and China is great for business, etc. You may feel
slightly uncomfortable with this, especially if you’re in a highly regulated

2. industry, or if your company culture is not loose enough to allow for going too
outside of the box. But, getting a little edgy will help you stand out and
generate real, meaningful discussion on your blog and social profiles.
Remember, a blog is like the editorial section of a newspaper. It’s where you
can give your opinion. Yes, it’s on your company website, but posting author
names allows your employees to state their professional opinions aside from
your company’s formal stance, if appropriate. Readers expect to clearly hear
your opinion on blogs—that’s the essence of it! Being the right kind of edgy will
get you some additional clicks and will make you stand out from the clutter.
And who knows, you may just make new virtual friends who share the same
opinions as you do.
Consider the new – Consider deviating from the usual blog topics you write
about. Although not directly related to your specific position, you may have
areas of interest or expertise that can be applied to your company or industry.
Don’t disregard your hobbies and personal interests, plus trends and pop
culture—those can also be tied into professional blogs.
After you’ve decided on your interest-piquing content, and have written and published
your blog, you’re ready to share the heck out of it. In my next blog I’ll help you think
about all the different ways you can reshape it to reach your audience in different
ways and media. For example, a blog series can be turned into an eBook, or an
interview blog can actually become a vlog or a podcast, or both.
After your blog is done and repurposed, cross promote it. Post on your social profiles,
eNewsletters, emails and any other digital presence you may have—not just your
business’ but your personal profiles and your team’s as well. And when appropriate,
ask others in your industry to promote it as well.
How do you get your creative juices flowing when looking for new topics to blog
about? Let me know here, or reach me on LinkedIn.