content ideas

 

Many of us are not naturally good writers, and it can become a hassle to force yourself to write a 1,000 word article under that pressure. Many of our customers are already busy with the other responsibilities of running their small business and are not sure where to begin their content marketing plans for their website. One of the concerns I hear most often from clients when we discuss content development for their website is something along the lines of, “I’m not really sure what to write” or “there is not much to say about X, Y, or Z”.

 

Bottom line is that quality content is important for your website because it helps to sell your product or service. Luckily for us all, not all content needs to be long articles. You have options and access to fresh content ideas. After all, writing is a creative process, so don’t feel like you need to fit into certain constraints to make your content marketing plan work.

 

 

5 Content Marketing Ideas When You’ve Hit a Wall

 

 

1. Do Your Product Descriptions Provide Enough Information?


Often times, business owners are too close to their products to realize that they may not be giving website visitors enough information to make an informed buying decision.

 

product information

 

Product descriptions need to be detailed and descriptive. Take a step back, put yourself in your customers’ shoes, and take a look at your product descriptions to see if they offer enough detail to encourage a visitor to take the next step and purchase the product. Even if you do not sell your products online, visitors need enough information to take the next step to contact you, whether by phone, email, or request form.

 

Pro Tip: Make sure your product has a picture! No matter what the item for sale, a high quality picture of your product will only increase your chances of making the sale – people want to see what they’re buying.

 

 

2. Are There Other Ways to Shop Your Products?


Websites often present their products in one, singular way, with a list of major product categories available for sale. Ask yourself if there is another way that visitors might want to shop your products.

 

For example, if you sell boats, you might display the categories on you site by type. Well, what if someone did not want to shop by the type of boat, but rather what by brand, color, price, or features. You may then want to develop a page for your website that outlines some of the more common uses for your product and then list the various product options you have available that would fulfill those needs. A simple place to start would be to look at the markets you serve and determine which of your products meet the needs of that market.

 

 

3. What Questions do Your Customers Ask on a Regular Basis?


Another easy place to start in developing content ideas for your website is to take a look at the types of questions you get asked by your customers most often and begin to develop a list of frequently asked questions. Not only will developing this list of questions help you develop more content for the website, but you will hopefully mitigate some of the extraneous phone calls and emails you receive by answering a customer’s question through a list of frequently asked questions.

 

Start with a couple and then add to this list as you begin to take note of what customers ask you most often.

 

customer questions

 

 

4. What Are Your Customers Saying About You?


What better way to sell your product than to have other people do it for you! Testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers are a great way to communicate the benefits of your products or services. Both positive and negative reviews can give you content ideas for longer posts. You can directly address customer success stories or struggles, so future customers will be able to see first hand accounts of customer experiences.

 

Testimonials and customer reviews can be a powerful tool in helping to make a sale, especially when the customer may not be able to physically see a product or test a service. Just like it mentioned in the frequently asked questions point, start with one or two reviews and grow your number from there as more opportunities arise.

 

Don’t be afraid to ask your current customers to post online reviews and once they do, include visibly on your website as well.

 

Google Reviews

 

Pro Tip: Record your customer testimonials so you can create videos with them later. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy and many times a tri pod and an iphone or ipad will give you the video quality you need. You can edit it together and then post it on your website and your YouTube channel (or any other social media platforms you use).

 

 

5. What Other Information Can You Provide About Your Product/ Service?


Think about the following questions: What are the best applications for your product? Is installation necessary and how is this done? How does your product compare to others? What are other ways to use your product other than the obvious features?

 

Anything that’s related to your product or service can potentially help to sell it if positioned the right way. When developing your product descriptions, try to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and determine what additional information might help them to make the purchase.

 

content marketing

 

When developing your content, make your topic clear and provide a comprehensive view of it! You only have a few seconds to grab and keep a reader’s attention!

  • Use bulleted/numbered lists or brief statements – not long paragraphs
  • Get to the point quickly – let readers know what’s in it for them
  • Have a clear call to action – tell your readers what you want them to do

 

 

In Conclusion

 

You can gather content ideas from a variety of resources. If you’re feeling burnt out and at a loss for words, you might be able to find content ideas in places you’ve never considered before. As long as you’re creating valuable, consistent content, you don’t have to worry.