You’re determined to keep your clients and prospects up to date on your offerings with a regular content marketing campaigns. That’s a smart decision, as blogging and email marketing are still the most effective ways to attract the right prospects and to keep your current customers informed and loyal to you.
But – what to write? Are you sitting at a blank screen?
Following are 10 ways to combat writers’ block.
1. Keep a special content notebook (yes a real one) and a pen close to your work station. When you’re speaking to a client or prospect, jot down the questions they ask you. Write down the answer you gave, as soon as possible. Your notebook of questions is actually a vault of future content.
2. Is your business seasonal? Even if it doesn’t appear to be, start with the four seasons and write down a few topics that appear relevant for your business under each of the seasons. What does each holiday make you think of? (Groundhog day counts!) The more out-of-the-box creative ideas the better.
3. What’s going on in your industry? Is there a new law about to be passed? A new product about to be launched? An inquiry or scandal recently published? Is a celebrity in the news discussing a topic within your industry? Write your professional opinion on this new development.
4. Is there something about your product or service that everyone finds mystifying? (“How DOES this work, anyway?”) It may be obvious and second nature to you, but everyone else finds it vague. Clarify things for your public – explain that product or service in a way anyone can understand – no jargon – and your fans will LOVE you.
5. Do you work well with another business? If you have synergy with a local business that is not in competition with you, ask them for a cross-marketing opportunity. They provide a guest blog post for your marketing, and you guest-write for their contacts. You don’t have to write something new – recycle an article in front of a whole new audience.
6. Have you been experimenting with your own products / services and discovered a new feature or a new way to use it? Document it, photograph it if possible, and you have a brand new article.
7. Highlight a customer using your product or providing a testimonial about your service. Interview them with a few questions. People love to see their photo and a story about them published. Just ask – you’ll be surprised how many people say yes.
8. Dig into your archives. Look at past articles you’ve published 3 or 4 years ago. Update them with the latest developments – put a new spin on the topic – and re-publish them. People appreciate getting up to date information.
9. Go with the flow. If you have an idea, an inspiration, write it down immediately, and keep going. Sometimes one idea generates another. Don’t limit yourself to only writing one article at a time. Write 3 or 6 or however many come to you on a quiet Saturday morning or lazy Sunday afternoon. Use your phone (hands free) to record your idea while you’re driving. Knowing you can schedule them ahead of time means you can get months’ worth of work done in one day.
10. Proofread, edit, spell-check, test and tweak. While this one isn’t about content, it’s vital to allow your content to sparkle without the distractions of silly errors. All too often, we are rushing through a project and not proffing bfre we hitt sand. Proofing your article, no matter how short, is a message that your audience is important to you.