7 Unlikely Content Marketing Sources To Tap for Material
Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with new content ideas that can wow your audience. When you feel you’ve covered every viable idea in your niche, or you’ve reached the end of your topics lists, where can you go to find the next great theme for a piece? You have more sources around you than you may think to tap for new and interesting material. Today, we’re going to talk about seven of these easy but, at times, overlooked content marketing sources.
7 Sources To Spark Content Marketing Ideas
A good content marketing idea can come from anywhere. Despite a push to cover topics that are trending or receive high search volume, those aren’t the only ways to find winning topics. You can be part of the online conversation in ways that don’t require endless scrolling of search engine results pages (SERPs) or running keyword search programs. Here are some unexpected sources to consider when trying to find your next content topic:
1. Coworker Experts
Who knows what your company does better than your coworkers? You might be the content creator, but that information may cover someone else’s area of expertise. Use your company network to your advantage and take time to talk with or interview other people in your organization who don’t always get the opportunity to share their content ideas. Consider teams such as:
- Sales
- Distribution
- Information technology
- Customer service
- Accounting
- Human resources
- Product development
- Retail
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Scheduling question-and-answer sessions with different departments to learn about what they do, or holding one-on-one meetings with volunteer representatives are two ways to learn more about the other areas of your company. You may also consider using employee-generated content. Beyond interviews, you may choose to let these experts tell their stories without your third-party involvement. Consider content contests and submissions, sharing pieces from employees on social media, or asking for guest bloggers from other teams.
2. Training Sessions
If you’re looking ahead to the next big topic, consider using training, continuing education, and other similar presentations or meetings. These are helpful because you often take part in these events to learn about something new or upcoming. Topics covered usually include recent changes that affect most users or followers. The tips you pick up from training can morph into content ideas, such as articles on a particular topic, lists of tips, or a comprehensive checklist for a process.
3. Company Culture
If your goal with each piece is to share your company values, then look at your mission statement, organization goals, and tone of employee interactions for advice. Company culture is more than just the information that comes from management, it’s also part of your branding.
Think about the things that make your brand unique. Are there holidays you celebrate as a group or traditions in your office? Are there special skills your team members have? What about certain playlists you listen to in the office? All these things can lead to an idea about how to frame your content and share relevant information with the audience.
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4. Customer Reviews
Customer reviews can tell you a lot about what people think of your company. Both good and bad reviews have the potential to be content catalysts. Excellent reviews tell you what people are using, what works for them, and of what they’d like to see more. Negative reviews can tell you what isn’t working, customer pain points, and ways to address their frustrations. This not only betters your content but your company as a whole.
5. Old Content
Repurposing your old content, or updating, improving, or renewing it can be beneficial. Consider taking content you made in one medium and adapting it to another. For example, you could turn a written article into a video tutorial series. You may also look at past pieces that didn’t get the traffic you expected. Analyze them to figure out why they didn’t perform as expected. Mine these pieces for good points of further development or content extensions. Consider if you could expand on the piece to add more value or new information to increase usefulness.
6. Books
Many content creators scour social media, blogs, websites, and other online sources for content. This is helpful, but offline sources, like books, can be just as effective. Reading books in your niche, about content marketing, or even just for fun, can help you develop content ideas. Not only does reading reduce stress, but it can also expose you to many new ideas you hadn’t considered before.
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7. Casual Conversations
Simple as it seems, your everyday conversations with friends, family, or coworkers may lead to great content ideas. Even those that don’t directly relate to your company or niche could spark an idea and encourage you to do more research on a viable topic. Review your company’s communication channels for topics, too. They may contain information about industry-related topics, content from other sources, or discussions of upcoming trends.
If you’re still looking for the best topics for framing content, consider working with CopyPress. Our team of specialists can help you choose topics, craft valuable and SEO-friendly pieces, and create a long-term sustainable strategy that works for your business. Set up a call today to learn more about how we can help you.
CopyPress writer
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