Content marketing has become a core part of many businesses' marketing strategies. And with competition for consumer attention only getting more intense, it's important to keep up with the latest trends in content marketing. Luckily, there are plenty of ways that you can come up with great new topics for your content strategy—whatever your industry or niche may be! Here are some tips on choosing content marketing topics that can help your audience.
Understand what your audience wants
Understand your audience. Before you can figure out what they want, you have to know who they are and what they care about. To do this, look at data to get a better understanding of the type of people who visit your site/follow your social media accounts (gender, age range, location). You’ll also want to see how much time they spend on the site and their preferred method for receiving content (email or RSS feed). If possible, ask them what research topics interest them most so that you can start looking into these subjects in preparation for next year's content marketing plan.
For more information on how to reach your audience, read our blog; “How to do Market Research for My Online Business.”
Look at reports on your old content
Your analytics are the best place to start. Especially when you have enough data to make some meaningful comparisons, they can tell you a lot about what your audience is interested in.
For example, if you look at the average number of shares and comments on an article about a certain topic, it would be reasonable to assume that this topic is likely to do well with your existing audience and should be considered as a good candidate for future content development efforts.
Do a little competitive analysis
Do a little competitive analysis. Look at what your competitors are doing and analyse their content strategy. Are they covering topics that you could cover in a better way? Are there topics that you could cover in a different way? Take notes on what works for them and look for ways to improve upon it.
Create a content wish list
The next step is to create a content wish list. This is a list of topics you'd like to cover on your blog, and it's also important for understanding your target audience.
As you're brainstorming new posts, you can use this list as a guide when coming up with ideas. You may find that some topics are higher on your list than others because they're more relevant to what your readers want from the blog (and less likely to alienate them).
For example, if most of the questions in the "Ask" section of your blog are about how-to guides for different applications and software, then it's fair to say that this would be something worth covering in greater detail on your site—and perhaps even turning into an eBook or series of videos.
Another great thing about creating this wish list is that it helps get ideas for guest posts and interviews—another way that authors can expand their reach by partnering with other influencers within their industry who already have large followings and active social media accounts!
Consider the mood you want to create
You should also consider the type of mood you want to create with your colour scheme. The mood is not just about the colours you choose, but also how those colours interact with each other and what other elements are present (lighting, furniture, artwork). For example, dark colours can create a cosy feeling whereas light ones can make a space feel fresh and clean.
The most important thing when choosing any colour scheme is knowing what it’s going to look like in your home. So, if you’re thinking about painting walls or repainting existing ones, try doing some mock-ups using paint samples or samples of wallpaper or fabric that have been printed on paper. This will give you an idea of how different shades will look together before committing to anything permanent!
Looking to step up your content marketing?
When you’re starting out with content marketing, it can be tricky to find the right topics. But by keeping your audience in mind and looking at how other outlets are doing things, you’ll find that there is no shortage of ideas for new content ideas—and they may even surprise you!
Looking for assistance with content marketing? Don't hesitate to contact us to get on the right track.
