As a service provider, sharing consistent blog content is imperative to our brand’s success. Here are the five strategies for coming up with weekly blog content ideas.
And as an added bonus, you can also pick up the Blog Content Calendar Workbook in the Brand Resource Library by clicking here!
Including today, Witt and Company has posted 42 blogs in 2020. Nearly every single week, we’ve been publishing consistently. Partly because I absolutely love writing but also because I believe (and teach!) in the value of showing up regularly for your community.
Now of course, every week isn’t a walk in the park. Sometimes I feel like I could write for hours, other times it’s like pulling teeth to try and get the words flowing. On the days when the creativity is a dried-up well, these five strategies always seem to spark at least a little writing inspiration.
Content Idea Number 01: Look at the Last Five Posts
This tactic either helps me decide what topic is off-limits OR if I could to write a follow-up to a recent post. I’ll do a quick scan of the post, make a note if anything has the possibility for expansion and then move on to the next post.
Content Idea Number 02: Analyze my Google Analytics
By taking a look at my analytics, I’m able to see the most popular posts on my blog. No need to guess – thank goodness because I would be way off base if it was left to my own assumption. This is usually a great way to spur some inspiration. If you’re not sure where to look, from your Dashboard go to Behavior, then Site Content and select ‘All Pages’.
Using this strategy, I discovered that the blog post ‘How to Create Consistent Brand Visuals – A Faux Case Study’ was a very popular post, specifically in Pinterest. Knowing that, I created two different posts, all revolving sound this idea of consistency:
Brand Consistency vs. Consistent Marketing
What is Brand Consistency + Why it Matters
By understanding what is already working in your content, you’re able to then create something similar. This allows you to gain even more clarity on what your audience is looking for.
Content Idea Number 03: Research the Topic on SEMRush
Piggy-backing on the Google Analytics strategy – once I identify the popular post, I’ll then head over to SEMRush (a keyword analysis tool) and type in various keywords to get more ideas.
Running with the brand consistency example – I used SEMRush to analyze the various keywords around consistent branding and then those words, phrases and questions became the baseline for creating more blog posts.
There are some free tools to use as well: UberSuggest and Google Keyword Planner (you have to set up a Google ads account for this one, but don’t need to run any ads, so it’s still considered a free option!)
Content Idea Number 04: Start and Review the Idea Bank Folder in Google Drive
Sometimes, I’ll think of this amazing idea and then begin to write about it for an hour or two, and then all inspiration just dissipates. Instead of throwing out that entire post or idea, I just leave it inside a ‘Content’ folder in my Google Drive. That way, when I’m really desperate for something to write about, I can go back and review things I’ve already put some effort into. Sometimes it’s just a title, sometimes it’s random notes from books and articles, and sometimes it’s a blog post that’s 90% complete. Either way, it’s an idea that needs to be brought to the finish line.
Content Idea Number 05: Think About the Customer’s Journey
The last strategy I refer back to is my trusty Customer Journey (want more info on this? click here.). I think about that perfect-for-me client and where they are in their business. More specifically, what do they need to hear from me that will provide value and help them move a step forward in their journey to success? And if that question alone doesn’t spur anything, I will physically map out the journey and see what step I haven’t written about in awhile.
None of these strategies are rocket science by any means, but if you’re struggling with creating consistent blog content (or whatever medium you’re operating in) hopefully some of these ideas will spark creativity and inspiration!
Happy branding!
All my best,
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