“I don’t know what to write about!”
When it comes to creating marketing content, whether it’s a blog post, an email drip campaign, or an eBook, one of the most common challenges faced by small business owners is deciding on a topic.
As business owners, marketers, or salespeople (many of us are all 3) we have no problem talking all day long to prospects, customers, and business partners about the problems we solve, how we help, or what’s going on in our industry.
But when we see that blank screen and that blinking cursor we suddenly at a loss and full of doubt. What should I say? Is anyone going to read this? Will anyone care?
Now I know this doesn’t always happen, but when it does it can be pretty frustrating. I’ve been blogging for over 6 years and I know I’ve gone through periods when I sit down to write and end up with nothing. Zip. Zilch. Bupkis.
Maintaining a list of Foundational Content Themes is a great technique for overcoming this content creation frustration.
Each of your themes should be a substantial topic related to your business or industry. They may also represent important keyword search terms. John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing encourages people to think of your list of themes like the contents of a book where each theme represents a chapter in the book.
I’ve found that some people like to write one topic (they write 1 chapter) each month. Others like to write a little bit about each topic (a few pages of a chapter) and then circle back to the first topic when they reach the end of their list. Either way is fine; try both and see which one works best for you.
This exercise is often done in conjunction with creating an editorial calendar, leading many people to start with 12 foundational topics. Twelve is a great number, but don’t feel you have to limit yourself to only twelve. And if you can’t think of twelve to begin with, that’s fine too. Most people “discover” new topics to include once they get into the rhythm of planning, creating, and evaluating the performance of their marketing content.
Each business will have their own unique list of foundational content themes, but here are some hypothetical examples that may help you get started:
An attorney or law firm’s list of topics might include:
- Business entities (how to select, pros and cons of each, how to form, etc.)
- Business succession and estate planning
- Contracts
- Intellectual Property
- Employment Law
A IT firm’s content themes could include:
- Network Infrastructure
- Information Security
- Mobile Devices
- Social media policies
- Cloud Computing
While a CPA or accounting firm might chose to focus on:
- Sales & Use Tax
- Payroll Tax
- Impact of the Affordable Care Act
- Employee Benefits
- Managing cash flow
Once you have a your list of content themes, think about the conversations you have with prospects and customers. What questions do they usually ask? What misconceptions do they have about your industry, service, or one of your content themes?
The next time you are stuck trying to figure out what to write, pretend a customer or prospect asked you one of these questions about one of your themes and answer them – just like you would if they were sitting across your desk.
Do that consistently and you’ll soon be attracting more of your ideal customers and growing your bottom line.
