It is difficult to create very good content to run a successful content marketing campaigns. Even highly experienced marketers make mistakes. It is often exhausting and difficult to keep having to think about the necessary new content and create something the audience will love.
Fortunately, you should not worry about it too much. This is because there are many things that you can do to find some inspiration.
When you run out of ideas, just take a break. Re-evaluate the content marketing strategy you use and you can find simply perfect content marketing topics to cover. Just remember the following.
Always Document The Content Strategy
Even before we talk about the tips (they will be presented after this), I have to mention a very important thing. When you document a content strategy, you have to go way beyond the surface. Ask yourself questions like:
- Who do you create content for?
- Why do you create the content?
- What marketing channels will be used as support?
A very alarming statistic is that just 42% of the content marketers actually document the strategy they use. This is a huge mistake.
Tip 1 – Define Your Organizational Goals (And Understand Them)
In content marketing, you need to choose the best topics and set the correct goals for every piece of content you create. This all starts with a foundation, which is understanding organizational goals.
Many B2C and B2B brands and companies do not even know why they create a content marketing strategy in the first place. The most important organizational goals can be increasing brand awareness, lead generation, driving engagement, or increasing newsletter signups, just as examples.
Based on your organization’s needs and goals, you choose the best content marketing channels and build your strategy.
Tip 2 – Take Advantage Of Your Analytics
In any form of marketing, it is mandatory that we measure everything. Your analytics can give you vital insight into what your target audience likes. Whenever you are stuck and you do not know what topics to consider, analyze the top-performing content you already created and see if you can try a brand new spin.
As an example, after working with an SEO company in Canberra, I once hit a huge block and I couldn’t figure out what my next article will be about. All I had to do was hop on Google Analytics and check the best performing content in the past year. I quickly noticed that there were some great topics that were not complete. I then went on to SEMRush to do some keyword research and I found 10 topics that would work for the content marketing campaign I was working on.
There are numerous analytics platforms you can use and you should use right now. Use the ones you like and take full advantage of the data delivered. Is there a specific content type (like video or text) that always performs better? Maybe you can identify some different engagement levels on social media. You WILL find some information to use.
Tip 3 – Talk To Your Audience
One of the easiest things you can do to find great content marketing topics to use in your strategy is to ask your audience. You will be surprised to see how many in your audience will be happy to share ideas. They will tell you what they want to see from you and you can take advantage of the information you receive.
Sometimes, something as simple as a poll on social media can help you get the answers you need.
Another thing that you can do is to use your FAQs. People keep asking questions and when you see some that keep popping up, you can be sure that the answers will be very valuable.
Tip 4 – Always Define A Goal For Content
Every single content piece you create needs to have a goal. You cannot simply just blindly create articles, images, videos, and so on. Having a goal will also be vital when it comes to a fundamental part of marketing, setting up the correct KPIs (key performance indicators) you need to measure and track.
As a very simple example, when your goal is lead generation, the content you create needs to be appealing for customers that are various buying journey stages. Content types that you could create includes white papers, case studies, and e-Books. When you want to make sales, your content needs to inform and build brand trust.
Final Thoughts
Never underestimate the importance of the topic you choose when you launch a content marketing strategy. This would be a costly mistake. Take into account the tips mentioned above and you will surely choose better topics. However, remember that there is much more than could be said. Please only consider these as starter tips.
Always learn and improve!
