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    101 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your B2B Content

    Written by Jeffrey Willis on July 28, 2016

    B2B Content Marketing Tips"In writing, there is first a creating stage -- a time you look for ideas, you explore, you cast around for what you want to say. Like the first phase of building, this creating stage is full of possibilities."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

    Well that sums it pretty well. What more is there to say, really?

    As content creators we have all hit that wall. I believe the cosmopolitan call it “writer’s block,” but I prefer what, I assume, were the immortal words of The Incredible Hulk, “Thinking, writing hard.”

    So, how do you fill that blank page when your mind is just as blank? Here are 101 inspirational sources and tactics that you may not have thought of to get your creative juices flowing, and help create the perfect piece of content for your business.

    Internally

    1. Ask your sales reps for common objections
    2. Ask your sales reps for areas they often have to clarify
    3. Ask support about the most common issues reported
    4. Create a simple how-to guide
    5. Create a funny how “not” to use guide
    6. Pick one of your FAQs to expand upon
    7. Explain an unexpected use for your product/service
    8. Detail a process around your product/service
    9. Interview a coworker
    10. Take an internal poll of peers and discuss the results

    Competitors

    11. Read their assets and social media for inspiration
    12. Create your own version of their most popular blogs (try something like Buzzsumo to help analyze this)
    13.  where they are advertising, the advertiser’s message and your competitor’s message
    14. Create a compare/contrast
    15. Read the subheadings on their website
    16. Dare to agree with or compliment them
    17. Be even bolder and call them out on something
    18. Try to figure out what they are not talking about in your industry
    19. Further explore any external resources they reference
    20. Zero in on one of their markets in which you may not be as strong

    Customers

    21. Share a success story
    22. Explain a lesson learned from a failure
    23. Address a complaint
    24. Highlight a compliment
    25. Create a survey and then report on it
    26. Share a hack that a customer passed on to you
    27. Discuss your role in a current customer project
    28. Create a step-by-step guide on a topic for new customers
    29. Share company news about signing a big new client
    30. Create an anniversary or milestone post about a customer

    Analytics

    31. Tell your story through stats
    32. Examine Google Analytics and PPC for the search terms that brought them to your site
    33. Use data to explain customer habits and reveal patterns
    34. Focus on your most-read topics
    35. Based upon your blog categories, where do you have the least content
    36. Use customer data to create benchmarks for all clients
    37. Examine your web traffic’s referral source for inspiration
    38. Do a follow up on whatever asset gets your highest conversion rate
    39. Use keyword searches to explain how your industry uses specific terms or jargon
    40. Take a new angle on the subject of your web page with the highest or lowest bounce rate

    Industry

    41. Report on an event
    42. Debunk an industry myth
    43. Prove an industry myth
    44. Respond to an industry report
    45. Educate about a regulation
    46. Make industry predictions
    47. Explain how your industry has changed in the past few years
    48. Feature an industry thought leader
    49. Write an industry book review
    50. Express what you disagree with in your industry

    Technology

    51. Report on a webinar you have attended
    52. Use the Google Keyword Planner to get additional recommendations
    53. Set alerts for certain keywords where you can respond quickly to news
    54. Subscribe to RSS feeds
    55. Use something like Trello to allow brainstorming, organizing and recording of good ideas for future use
    56. Monitor backlinks to see why others are talking about you or your competitors
    57. Record a presentation and post the video. Even a simple GoToMeeting recording can become a solid asset
    58. Explore industry podcasts in iTunes
    59. Create a roundup of apps used by your industry
    60. Add a heat map (we use Hotjar) to examine what draws your audience’s attention

    Social Media

    61. Begin by looking at what’s trending
    62. Search interactions for questions or complaints
    63. Utilize a meme
    64. Use hash tags (create a #tbt piece)
    65. Post questions on social media and discuss the responses
    66. Create a roundup of who you follow and share their words of wisdom
    67. Report on a discussion from one of your LinkedIn groups
    68. Get inspired from a thought leader’s Pinterest board
    69. Convert a presentation into a SlideShare
    70. Longer industry videos on YouTube often may have a topic that you can pull out as a standalone idea

    Internet

    71. Subscribe to good blogs (they don’t have to always be industry-related to inspire you - and I hear the Marsden blog is at the top of everyone’s list)
    72. Create a checklist of valuable websites that influence your industry
    73. Read the comments sections of blogs and respond to an argument
    74. Answer questions asked in industry forums
    75. Search your keywords and examine the “related searches” suggestions
    76. Use a blog headline generator such as ones offered by HubSpot and Inbound Now
    77. Explore knowledge sites like Wikipedia or Quora to see where it takes you
    78. Search online retailers and explore the books and products that come up for your industry
    79. Do an image search on your keyword to see what inspiration you might find
    80. Try soovle for search suggestions from the top providers

    Pop Culture

    81. Everyone loves a good TV or movie connection
    82. Take a hint from the movies and write a sequel to your most popular blog
    83. Use a song lyric for inspiration
    84. Explore if a hot new app has a play in your industry
    85. Use a sporting event to create a metaphor
    86. Make your case on a topic by using a favorite quip from a reality TV show judge
    87. Tap into your favorite crime drama and detail a mystery about your industry
    88. Look to fashion or HGTV if you are wanting to discuss design
    89. Get inspired from Buzzfeed and other such sites to create your own quiz
    90. Use the antics of your favorite celebutante to teach a moral for your industry

    Community

    91. Share company charity work
    92. Reflect on a holiday
    93. Get personal about yourself and why you got started in the industry
    94. Celebrate a company milestone or story
    95. Promote events that you are attending or speaking at
    96. Everyone loves the weather, use it as a metaphor
    97. Use the lessons your kids are learning in Scouts or Little League as inspiration
    98. Your travels can always spark a story
    99. PTAs and HOAs are often reflective of the business struggles we all deal with
    100. Tell a story of customer service using a restaurant or retailer you frequent

    Bonus

    101. Find an inspirational quote (see first paragraph)

    Now that you have the ideas, discover that More is Better: More Content Equals More Leads.

    Topics: Content Marketing

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