Content marketing reigns supreme in today’s always-on, hyper-competitive global marketplace. Consider the results of a recent survey of over 1,500 marketing agencies, B2B and B2C companies, and other organizations.
The survey revealed that 84% of respondents have a content marketing strategy.
However, among these respondents, only 11% said they believed their content marketing strategy was “excellent.”
Average website content delivers average results. To distinguish your site from the competition, you need to provide visitors with relevant and engaging content.
To achieve this goal, it pays to know how to brainstorm content for your site.
Why You Need to Brainstorm Content for Your Website
On average, it takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for a visitor to form an opinion of your website. But, if your website’s content hits the mark, you can boost the likelihood that they will stay on your site for an extended period of time.
These visitors can become increasingly prone to return to your site.
Over time, they may also view your site as a trusted source of the information they need, exactly when they need it.
Don’t expect your website content to immediately grab visitor attention.
Conversely, you need to brainstorm content in order to understand your target audience and how you can deliver content that meets its expectations.
Brainstorming can give you the framework for an effective content marketing strategy. It enables you and your peers to work together to share content thoughts and ideas.
Then, your team can build and implement a content marketing strategy that delivers long-lasting benefits.
How to Brainstorm Content for Your Website
One of the best ways to brainstorm content for your website: consult with an expert.
Content marketing professionals can perform a site audit, which will offer tips and recommendations to help you optimize your content.
Or, you can reach out to industry peers and members of your professional network to brainstorm content.
Of course, if you want to become a content marketing expert, marketing is one of the main skills you learn in an MBA program.
Modern programs teach you the ins and outs of SEO and SEM. That way, you can gain the skills you need to assess your website and figure out ways to ensure your content stands out to visitors.
Along with the aforementioned options, there are several techniques that you can use to brainstorm content for your website. These include:
Mind Mapping
Creating a mind map involves writing a topic in the center of a whiteboard or piece of paper, followed by writing-related ideas off the center.
A mind map provides a great option to visualize a wide range of content ideas and how they connect to the main topic.
Brainwriting
During a group brainwriting session, each participant writes a content idea down on a piece of paper, then hands it to the next person.
For each piece of paper that a participant receives, he or she expands on the idea.
So, by the end of the session, the group has worked together to produce a large collection of ideas for content.
Rapid Ideation
With rapid ideation, you only have a limited amount of time to come up with ideas for content.
Typically, a timer is set at the beginning of a rapid ideation session, and each participant is encouraged to write down their content ideas on a piece of paper.
When the timer goes off, participants can share their ideas.
Furthermore, it often helps to brainstorm content ideas individually and as part of a group.
By brainstorming on your own, you can minimize the risk that others can influence your ideas.
Alternatively, by brainstorming in a group, you can work with peers to develop and fine-tune your ideas.
Tips for Brainstorming Website Content
As you get set to brainstorm website content, there are many things you can do to get the most value out of your efforts. Let’s review a few ideas on this topic:
Conduct a Google Search
Use Google and other search engines to see what content has already been produced across your industry.
This will give you a good idea about which content ranks at the top of search engines, so you can brainstorm alternative content for your site accordingly.
Perform Industry Research
Visit the websites of your competitors and see what content is available. You can then brainstorm content what will differentiate your content from all of theirs.
Focus on Education
Keep your target audience top of mind as you brainstorm content.
That way, you can focus on producing content to educate your audience about your company, its products and services, and its mission.
Evaluate Every Idea
Resist the urge to dismiss any content idea. Instead, try to look at every idea from multiple angles, so you can fully assess its potential.
Stay the Course
Be persistent as you brainstorm ideas for website content. By staying the course, you can uncover ideas that help you enhance your site.
Conclusion
You should brainstorm content for your website as often as possible.
Because, if you frequently brainstorm website content, you can ensure that your site’s content consistently helps your company generate traffic, leads, and sales.
Feature Image Credit: CC0, via Flickr.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions stated in this post are that of the author, and Return On Now may or may not agree with any or all of the commentary.
This guest post brought to you courtesy of Return On Now, Professional Austin SEO and PPC Services Company.
Noah Rue
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