Content marketing is a useful and effective tool for generating website traffic and sales leads, but the demand of creating content can be heavy for the busy business owner. In a 2012 study by the Content Marketing Institute, more than six out of 10 respondents said their biggest content marketing challenge was “producing enough content.” For everyone who identifies with these survey participants, we have compiled this list of content marketing ideas that can be applied to your websites, blogs and social media.

Check out our previous posts for an introduction to (and the benefits of) content marketing and how to develop a strategy.

Planning your content

  • Listen to what your customers are asking. Build content around their most frequently asked questions.
  • Conduct a customer survey and share the results. Ask questions such as: What caused you to choose us? What is your favorite product/service we offer?
  • Team up with others to plan and develop content. These teammates may be inside your organization or professional colleagues from outside. Consider bringing in non-marketers for “out of the box” ideas.
  • Conduct an audit of your past blog posts to determine which topics have had the best reader engagement. Build a six-month campaign around these most popular topics.
  • Interview industry leaders and share their responses via audio/video recording or written questions and answers (Q&A).
  • Host a webinar or presentation, or attend and interact with others at conferences. Share your experiences and insights, including pictures when possible.
  • Create a post on the “Top 10 Bloggers to Follow” within your industry. Include a link to each blog in your list.

Varying your content

  • Create an engaging infographic to communicate data and information visually.
  • Compile 20 to 25 blog posts into an e-book. Create a cover page, and write an introduction and a table of contents, then post as a downloadable e-book.
  • Make your website content available in audio format.
  • Record video testimonials by your customers and post them on your website and social media pages.
  • Share, or include links to, your presentations on SlideShare and videos on YouTube.

Writing your content effectively

  • Create a strong headline that engages readers and draws them into your pages and posts.
  • Be clear, concise and compelling.
  • Understand your audience. Use the words they are using; provide information they are seeking.
  • Avoid abbreviations, industry “jargon,” technical terms or complicated words.
  • Less is more, in many cases. Recent studies found the most effective Facebook posts have a maximum of 80 characters.

We hope you have found some new and interesting ideas here that will lighten the load of developing content and help you generate more web traffic to your site. If you have questions or need help with any of these content areas, contact us at Page Progressive. We have content writers on our team who can assist you, and we welcome the opportunity to help.

Image courtesy of EA/FreeDigitalPhotos.net