I hope you’ve been following along this summer and implementing some of the ideas we’ve been discussing. Whether it’s getting ready for the fall conference season, targeting new sales prospects or even cleaning up your in-house database, the summer is a great time to work “on” your business. But we’ve got a few more to go…
One of the most popular tactics in marketing today – and it’s popular because it works – is ‘content marketing.’ That is, sharing information and ideas to help your clients and prospective clients. And in helping, it builds credibility for your firm and positions you as a subject matter expert.
This content most often takes the shape of blog posts, articles, white papers, case studies, ebooks, podcasts and videos. Throw in the occasional webinar and that about covers it.
One of the biggest challenges with content marketing is deciding what to write about… what the ‘content’ in ‘content marketing’ is going to be. Which leads us to…
Summer tip #7: Come up with 20 content ideas
So, while you’re working on your tan this summer (remember to use a strong SPF), grab some paper and a pencil – or your iPad – and start brainstorming about how to develop a series of topics to share with your readers.
Here are a few ideas to help…
- Start with very broad topics (e.g. online qualitative research) then think about all of the sub-topics you could break it into (e.g. online bulletin boards, webcam interviewing, mobile qual, etc.).
- Within each of those sub-topics, think about all of the different angles; e.g. under online bulletin boards, you could write about the various features, how they work, the cost of BB projects, a vendor comparison, the best applications for BBs, a comparison to traditional methodologies, etc.
- Think about key players in the industries you serve… and interview them.
- Attending a conference or two this fall? Do a recap. By the way, conferences are also a great place for doing interviews – see above.
- Got a visionary on your team – someone who’s get a real handle on the industries you serve and where they’re going. Tap into that.
- Conduct a study and report the results.
- Unless you’re a solo-preneur, get your employees involved in writing.
- One other form of content that many don’t think about is participating in online conversation, e.g. a threaded discussing in a LinkedIn group. Better yet… start a conversation.
Got 20 yet? I’m hoping a lot more. That many might very well take you through the end of the year!
Great – now put them into some sort of editorial calendar… defining their frequency and their form (article, blog post, etc.). You’ve got to put it in writing and commit to it.
Sharing your knowledge in a variety of ways will build awareness, position you and your firm and ‘prove’ that you have the necessary knowledge to deliver on what you say you can.
Take the time to think about and plan out your content marketing efforts before just jumping in with “What am I gonna write about today?” That kind of critical think will give you a competitive advantage over most other firms that don’t do that.
Need some help with your content development? Give us a call at (615) 415-3980 or drop a note to info@harpehtmarketing.com.