Creating Content for Articles or Ezines Effortlessly
The benefits of writing as a marketing strategy have been well documented. Articles build credibility, provide lots of links back to your website, and can generate business for you. All good stuff. This is all well and good as long as you have something to write about – right?
Finding content ideas can be one of the dilemmas that stops us from making the most of writing as a marketing opportunity. But I can assure you that each on you has enough content already on hand to write dozens of articles. You just need to know where to look.
Here are 7 areas you can look
Client questions
Any client who has ever asked you: “How would I ……” is giving you the basis for an article. Answering “how to” questions provides real world solutions to real situations, exactly what the reading public want to know about.
To turn a short answer into a longer article, simply:
- Begin with the background or context to the situation
- Describe when and how the situation occurs
- How to address the problem (your ‘how to’ response)
- How to make ensure the issue doesn’t recur
The problems you solve
Write a list of the 5 to 10 key problems that you solve for your clients. Every one of these can for the basis of one or more articles. If the problem is a complex one, break it down into it’s components, and use each component as the basis for an article. Often the process for resolving one complex problem can become a series of related articles that you can publish over a series of weeks or months.
Workshops or seminars
If you are running workshops or seminars then you have enough article content to last you a long time. Break your seminar down into manageable pieces and create one or more articles for each piece.
Processes you follow:
Do you use a proprietary process in your business? Or a clearly established series of steps that you follow? Again, use these as the basis for an article on how to approach a problem.
Industry trends
Keeping abreast of the latest happenings in your industry is more than a good idea for you. Why not demonstrate your expertise and share this knowledge in an article. Keep people updated with the latest news or innovations, and discuss how these might affect your clients.
Case studies and success stories
Probably one of the easiest ways to identify content for articles is by using case studies from your own experience. Share with readers:
- The background of the situation
- The problem the client was having
- What the problem was costing (in terms of lost productivity, dollars etc)
- What you or the client did to resolve the problem
- The benefits the client experienced after the problem was solved
Top 10’s and Tips
People love abbreviated and to the point information, which makes Top 10 lists and Tips perfect content for articles. There are numerous ways of creating Top 10 Lists or Tip Lists. Here are a few ideas:
- Ten ways to avoid … (experiencing a certain problem)
- Ten things to do to ensure …(success at something)
- Ten ways to improve your…(hit rate, leadership skills, writing skills, productivity etc)
- Ten tips for …(becoming healthier or wealthier, designing a better extension, getting better results from your accountant, choosing a solicitor etc).
Hope you are now confident of creating months of content for articles without having to research any new information, just by accessing what you already know. So, no excuses now. It’s time to get that article marketing strategy off the ground!
