Skip to content

How to Never Run Out of Content Ideas for Your Business

Many businesses create written content to connect with their potential customers – everything from email blasts and social media posts to blogs, videos, and podcasts. 

 

But as an entrepreneur, what happens when your content ideas start to run stale? When your writing feels repetitive and uninspired, how can you generate new ideas and make sure your words continue to engage your target? 

 

First, the amount of content your business needs to create depends on your target customer. When you create a brand strategy for your business, you will emerge with a clear understanding of what content platforms to focus on, what your business’s brand voice should sound like, and what your ideal clients want to see and hear from you. 

 

We made this free mini-workbook to help your business define your brand attributes and clarify your brand! Your brand attributes will be reflected in the content and visual designs of your business, and you can identify yours by downloading the workbook here:

 

 

Another consideration is the capacity your business has to create content. A solopreneur who is managing all aspects of her growing company will have less time to commit to content creation than a medium-sized business that has freelancers or staff solely devoted to content creation.  

 

Whether your business creates four blog posts per day or one social media post per month, here are three tips to ensure your business never runs out of content ideas: 

 

close up photo of orange and pomegranate slices

Create a Content Strategy 

Like any component of business, your content creation will become easier and more effective when there is a predetermined strategy guiding your actions. 

 

Take a moment to consider the primary goal of your content. While of course all businesses seek to generate revenue, not every post or email can be 100% targeted towards motivating a purchase – otherwise your target starts to feel like they are being spammed. Here is an article that explains the five major brand goals that can also be applied to your content strategy. 

 

Once you determine the overall goal of your content, take the time to map out what you want the next several months of content to look like rather than creating one post at a time.

 

Major magazines maintain editorial calendars that indicate what topics each issue will cover: for example, Natural Awakenings magazine decides well in advance that some months will have a “Woman’s Health” theme, others will have a “Natural Foods” theme, and so on.  

 

For ideas on what types of  content your target would love, you can take this quick brand personality quiz:

Your business can map out 3-4 core themes that your content will focus on. Once these themes are in place, you can break each one into smaller post ideas. For example, the theme of “natural foods” could include individual posts such as recipes, “did you know?” information about healthy ingredients, and local businesses that are focused on clean eating. 

 

If you’re new to thinking about content strategy, these ideas may not come easily at first. When in doubt, try to see from the perspective of your ideal customer: What types of posts would make them stop and pay attention? How could you position your brand as the solution to their problem before they even purchase from you? 

 

When I work with businesses on their brand strategies and content strategies, I encourage them to develop nine core brand stories to use and repurpose repeatedly. You can find my simple process for developing brand stories for your business in my book BrandFix: A Brand Strategy Guide for Busy Entrepreneurs. 

 

A hand holding a paperback copy of the book BrandFix by Kady Sandel

 

Engage with your Target 

The best way to understand the pain points, desires, and interests of your target is to listen to your target directly. 

 

If your business’s messaging emphasizes that your product helps customers “lose weight” or “have more energy” — that might be accurate, but it’s not as specific or compelling as it could be.

 

If your target is searching on Google and online forums about more precise solutions like “fit into my wedding dress” or “have the energy to run a 5K again,” then your business should tailor your content towards those queries in order to truly attract their attention. 

 

In the crowded marketplace of brands, consumers are weary of businesses who solely speak to their audience, ask for the sale, and then ignore their customers. Brands who communicate back and forth with their target customers will find more success in creating a loyal and engaged community of followers.  

 

 

Here are some places where you can engage with your audience and come up with content ideas: 

 

  • On online forums such as Quora, you can observe the common questions people have about your industry or area of expertise. You can also write detailed answers to their questions in order to position yourself as a thought leader. 

 

  • Depending on your target audience and what platforms they use, Facebook groups remain a popular way to connect with potential customers or referral partners. 

 

  • If your business sells products, you can browse the customer reviews of similar products on Amazon. Pay attention to both the 5-star reviews of your competitors and also the 1-star reviews which will show you how to set yourself apart from their weaknesses. 

 

  • If you have a social media following or email list for your business, you can survey your customers directly to understand what their problems are, how you can help them, and what types of content they would like to see more of. 

 

  • Sometimes you don’t even have to ask – you can simply look through your business’s emails and messages from customers to find their questions, compliments, and content ideas! 

 

woman creating a content strategy on her tablet

 

Analyze Your Results 

The content for your business will evolve as social media algorithms and platforms change and as you gain a better understanding of what resonates the most with your audience.  

 

As an example: If your Pilates studio creates YouTube video tutorials to educate and attract more customers, you can take a few minutes to investigate which of your videos have the most views and why. Is it because those topics resonate the most with your target, or because the titles were written in a more “clickable” way, or could there be another reason? 

 

Once you know which topics and formats are the most popular with your audience, you can alter your content strategy to reflect these results.  

 

We created this short quiz to help entrepreneurs evaluate their current branding. At the end, you will receive personalized advice on how to grow your brand and attract more customers. You can take the quiz here: 

 

 

I often encourage business owners to play around and experiment to see if sharing behind-the-scenes content captures the interest of your target. Even if your brand is B2B and targets business professionals, storytelling is a powerful way for your audience to connect with your brand on a human-to-human level. 

 

Aventive Studio often shares behind-the-scenes content on our Instagram stories so our followers can see the day-to-day experience of what happens in a branding studio. This has resulted in quite a few friendly conversations with our audience of entrepreneurs, and our target has appreciated being able to relate to us in a human way. 

 

Think of the email lists you subscribe to, the websites that catch your attention, and the social media accounts you follow. What do you find interesting and engaging about their content? Take note of what elements speak to you, and if you think they may resonate with your target, be bold enough to experiment and evaluate the results. 

 

 

fence with a black and white pattern on it

 

Aventive Studio is a full-service branding agency that helps health and wellness product-based businesses attract more customers and grow their businesses through brand strategy and visual design. 

 

Whether you need a new website design, rebranding, packaging design, logo design, or content strategy, we can create a brand strategy and visual identity that will help your business make an unforgettable first impression. Contact the Aventive Studio team here to discuss your business goals and see how we can help you grow your brand. 

Scroll To Top