What do you use to come up with content ideas?

[SwanseaMedicine]

Buzzsumo charge and not sure it's worth it. didn't find Quora helpful. Any others?

[ronell-smith]

Hi,

I'm working on a presentation that helps brands answer this question. It really feels like one of those questions that should have a great, simple answer.

My quick-fast-dirty process looks a lot like this.

Brand-level

• Determine goals for brand
• Ascertain how content can help brand attain those goals

Competition

• Do a simple Google search to see which brands are competition for the same audience (e.g., using your money keywords)
• Pay close attention to the content they've created that's ranking well
• Try to create a short list of things you can do content-wise better

Audience

• Figure out who they are being visiting social media, Quora, Reddit, etc., and doing a keyword search to see who is using your terms
• Make at list of the folks who are influencers and what questions, concerns, issues are being raised
• Use this information to find other such platforms where similar audiences might be congregating (i.e., do a Google search or Twitter search or Facebook search to see what other groups key members might be a part of)

Content

Armed with your keywords, the questions you can likely answer and the types of content your competition is creating, you can being to think about the types of content you can and should create based on your brand's needs and goals.

For example, if you have an existing product that is now newer and better than ever, but you need to get people to learn about the changes, maybe you write a top of the funnel piece that includes your brand as part of a solution to a problem you found from online discussions. The maker of a sleek, redesigned wallet for millennials, say, might write a post titled "Why Your iPhone Case Should Never Double as a Credit Card Holder."

The key is to focus as much on the execution as the idea. That is...

• Have a clear goal with regard to each piece of content
• Know in advance which segment of the audience you're attempting to reach and what desired actions you wish for them to take
• Understand that publishing content is only part of the process. (It must be shared, promoted and, hopefully, amplified to be successful)

To help you get started, here are a few indispensable resources:

For help with what questions you should be answering:

* Answer the public

* http://keywordtool.io/

For how to come up with better ideas more easily:* Creating Demand for Products, Services, and Ideas that Have Little to No Existing Search Volume - Whiteboard Friday*GENERATING BETTER CONTENT IDEAS

[SwanseaMedicine]

Thanks, all. Regarding trying to guess what our customers are looking for, I've found from previous jobs that attempting to surmise a searcher's language can be tricky. I used to do digital marketing for a cookware company and we'd have a word for a saucepan, for example, whereas we found that searchers were using different language and terms.

Google Trends I like but doesn't it just give you an idea for the search volume over a defined period, and allow you to filter down geographically etc? I want to make sure that there is significant call/traffic to justify the pages that I'll be creating.

Cheers,

Rhys

[EGOL]

Go to SEMRUSH.  Check keywords that bring competitors big traffic and where I am not yet competing.  Make pages that will defeat theirs.

[pastcatch]

Amanda is on point with her suggestion. The 90 foot view is always where I start.

What are you user's actually looking for? Like really step into their shoes - they're human too remember - and ask yourself what kind of questions they have. We marketer's all have fancy terms for different levels of marketing funnels but ultimately it's very simple. A human being has a need and they look to Google for their solution. Given what you know about your customer/user/visitor - how can you make their journey easier, faster, simpler? Add value, be authentic and don't cut corners.

Once you have a few idea's that start with the person, use the tools Amanda has recommended to validate your theory and gain more understanding.

Good luck!

[AmandaValle.Digital]

Sounds simplistic but keyword research categorized by estimated volume based around semantic relativeness, Google Trends, competitor research, and the 90 foot view of those three things together to then define a content strategy.

~Amanda