If you’re charged with finding content for your content marketing campaign, you will probably find that your well is eventually going to start running dry.
A person can only be so creative.
There are only so many suggestions for topics online.
Your staff is only so helpful when it comes to generating topics.
Here’s the bottom line: when you run out of content for your content marketing campaign, don’t despair.
Here are ten ways to get great content, whether you write it or you have someone else write it:
1. Chop up old posts.
If you’ve written a lengthy post that covers many aspects of your industry, it’s time to revisit that content and see if there are topics covered in that cost that can be expanded upon.
It’s likely that there are.
For example, if you’ve written a blog post talking about all the different types of services you dental practice provides, it’s time to revisit that post and write a post about each of those subtopics.
If that original list had ten, fifteen, twenty, and beyond items on it, you’ve got a multitude of new topic ideas to draw from.
2. Learn to newsjack.
It sounds bad, but it’s actually a totally legitimate blogging practice.
Essentially, you pay attention to anything new that has been published about your industry and you write a post about that topic for your blog.
It’ll be “of the moment” and relevant to your readers and the topic is presented to you.
If you do reference facts or use quotes from an existing article, be sure to link to that article.
It would probably be best not to link to a competitor’s blog, so look for an article from a news outlet.
3. Outsource to someone else in your business.
If you’ve taken on the burden of creating topics but your creativity well is completely tapped, it might be time to bring in a consultant.
Start with someone inside of your business.
Not only will they have a good idea of what topics are trending right now, they will be able to bring insight and inspiration you might not have gotten all on your own.
4. Outsource externally.
Finding a freelancer that specializes either in content creation or idea generation is a great way to get some outside help when you feel like you have nothing else to write about.
Not only can this person offer a fresh perspective, they might also be able to take the creation of the content off of your hands.
When you’re on a tight content marketing schedule, handing it off to someone else can lift a burden from your shoulders.
5. As your audience what they’d like to know.
There are probably some questions that your audience has that you haven’t yet answered.
Send out a Tweet and/or a Facebook post, asking for your followers to comment and ask you a question or suggest a topic for a blog post.
You can easily do this without sounding like you are begging for their help and you’re likely to get plenty of great suggestions.
Plus, if someone asks a question that you have already answered or suggests a post you’ve already written, you have an opportunity to link them to that post, which still helps your content marketing campaign!
6. Share content you’ve found in your niche.
Don’t copy someone else’s content and claim that you wrote it, but you can still share content that others have written on your blog. Images, infographics, and summaries of articles, all with links back to their original sources are all great ways to provide content for your blog, without having to do too much of the legwork yourself.
7. Write a conversation starter.
Instead of writing 2000 words about a topic, why not write a hundred words that really encourage engagement in the comments.
Let your readers ask questions, ask them for their opinions of a certain treatment or type of treatment, and then get involved in the discussion once it begins.
Answer those questions, agree or disagree with certain statements, jump in with facts to settle disputes, and more.
Just keep it civil!
8. Do an interview.
Why not interview one of your staff members about their opinions and thoughts about not just your business, but about the industry as a whole?
Why not have one of your staff members interview you?
An interview, whether you transcribe it or just post the video or audio to your blog, is a great way to engage with readers and provide them with some content that is a little bit different.
9. Find an old post that needs updating and update it.
You don’t want to just repost content that you’ve already used.
Longtime readers will be confused by this and it won’t make you look good on Google.
What you can do, however, is find an old post that is no longer completely correct or relevant, and update it with new information.
The more information you can provide, the better off you will be.
10. Tell a personal story.
Your readers are just as interested in you as they are in what you have to say about your industry.
Take this opportunity to write about why you got into the industry, how you started your business, your upsets, setbacks, and failures.
This kind of information will provide an insight into who you are as a person and why they should give you their money.
People like to do business with other people.
Getting personal on your blog can show your readers that you are a real person!
