Your Guide to Content Ideation – Never Run Out of Content Ideas Again

2. What is Content Ideation? • Content ideation is the process of finding out new content ideas to establish a content pipeline. It is done to align content with with business objectives. Since it is a core aspect of the content marketing, its primary goal is to source relevant topics for content creation. The future content marketing efforts vastly depend upon an endless stream of content ideas that you are able to generate in present.

3. Observe and Identify Content Gaps • Although it may seem like most of the content ideas that you want to cover have already been covered, the truth is that the existing content will have some gaps. Whether there is a lack of expert insight, an absence of engagement with readers or just an overall lack of updated knowledge on subject matter, multiple content gaps exist in the content industry.   Collect and Address Pain Points • Your readers want to read content useful in their daily lives. Especially when you are running a niche blog, your responsibility is to connect with your readers on a personal level by identifying and discussing their pain points. Since your content development might have considered the potential pain points already, you need to go one-step further and identify the pain points of potential, new customers.  • Present ideas which interlink your blog’s theme and content it offers with the pain points of your new and existing customers. 

4. Pain Points of Existing Customers • For existing customers, your focus for identifying pain points should be more on customer relevancy than product features. Explore new avenues of product usage and benefits to let your existing customers know how your offering can become more relevant to their pain points. Paint Points of New Customers • For new customers, you can emphasize on the primary benefits of your product and how it can change the life of your new customers. • Now comes the question, How to identify customer’s pain points? The best way to source pain points is directly ask from your customers. Use platforms like social media and community groups, focus groups and newsletters to conduct a survey of customer’s pain points in relation to your offering. Social media’s interactive stories have made it easier than ever to source customer’s pain points, desires, wants, needs and preferences easily.

5. Fetch Inter-Departmental Insights • Working with other departments in your organization offers you a myriad of useful insights which you can filter to find fresh ideas for content ideation. People from first-line departments like sales and customer service have access to the customer’s viewpoint. Here is what you can do to connect with other departments of your organization: • Come up with a list of questions you need to ask from heads of other department  • Schedule recurring one-on-one discussions or meetings with interdepartmental heads and team leaders  • Schedule department-wise meetings to meet all representatives of each department and collect insights periodically • Collect ideas in the form of responses to forms or email replies and let the representatives know that this is a periodic activity bound to continue

6. Leverage the Power of Social Discussions • Social listening is a powerful tool in any content marketer’s arsenal. It supplements your competitive trend analysis efforts and allows you to dig deeper into prevailing brand sentiment. Identifying new industry trends and people’s brand perspective will help you spark new content ideas instantly.  • Take Help from AI for Content Marketing Ideation • Social listening is highly contextual to existing customer and industry trends. Using AI powered content marketing ideation tools can help you generate high context blog ideas, article ideas and more for your business website. AI powered content ideator can help you find: • Ad and Post Caption Ideas • Blog Ideas • Article Ideas • Video Ideas • Business Ideas

7. Initiate Team Brainstorming Sessions

8. Final Word • Your content ideation process shall align with your business goals and offer you a consistent flow of content ideas for the future. A well-planned and established content pipeline will help you stay in business. Moreover, it helps you beat your competition by letting you stay one step ahead of others.