In the post What is GOOD Content ?, I mentioned about having an idea journal and carrying it around every where you go. When you get an idea of what you could write about, put it in your journal. I have a tabbed journal and use it for all my projects. This way I can quickly review the ideas listed and as I use them, either cross them off or tear out the page. If you prefer, get a small audio recorder you can keep in your purse so you can record the idea. Either way, when you do record your ideas either in writing or audibly, expand on the idea by writing down as many points that come to you at the time. When the time comes to use the idea, you will be better able to recall just what you were thinking at the time the idea came to you.
Here are seven other ideas to generate content for your website:
1. One of the things I love to do is create an A,B,C list. Get a blank piece of paper and write the letters A thru Z, each on a separate line on the page. Then brainstorm words starting with each of those letters. The words should be relevant to your niche. Choose one to write about. Do this over and over until you have exhausted the list.
2. Poll your readers. Readers can give you great feedback on what they’d like to know more about.
3. Read trade publications. Create a swipe file of ideas that you can later use in a post or article you write. Tear out the articles you want to later refer to, highlight the key points and either write them to yourself in an email or tickler file folder on your desktop or put the papers in a file-folder.
4. Get inspiration from the things you subscribe to. Two of my favorite daily emails come from Mike Dooley and John Maxwell. Dooley writes “Tut – Notes from the Universe ” and Maxwell shares a video word of the day message called a “A Minute With Maxwell .” Both inspire me and are excellent for finding things to write about.
5. Tap into Social Media. Some of my best topics come from the topics on Facebook and Twitter. Check Trending topics and see if any would be relevant to your audience.
6. Define something. A word, an acronym, a process. Dictionary.com and Wikipedia.com are great examples of defining things that people want to know about.
7. And finally (not last or least) check out Google Trends for the latest in happenings around the internet.
By the way, if you are in South Florida May 26th, be sure and visit us when we present: Content Is Queen… How to Leverage your Website/Blog Content . We’d love to see you there!
