By Callie Gisler
The Hoffman Agency, Portland-Vancouver
In 2015, blogs are rated the fifth most trusted source of accurate information online. At the same time, companies often generate up to 67 percent more leads with a blog than those who stick with only traditional marketing efforts. Needless to say, there’s a lot of power behind company blogs.
Blogging on behalf of a brand is one of my favorite aspects of the job. But at the same time, it is one of the projects that demands creativity, versatility and an extra dose of creativity. Switching the switch from a fitness blogger to a consumer technology writer is sometimes like shifting gears in a manual car when you’ve been driving automatic for the past 10 years.
Sound familiar? Here are three things to do when your content calendar has gone stale:
Explore New Topics — or Look at Current Topics Through a New Scope
The content you create obviously reflects your brand, but it also allows you to add new dimensions. While it’s important to stay on brand, it’s dangerous to sequester yourself with a narrow scope. If you are managing a blog for a financial client that offers accounting services to mid-size businesses, business finance is an obvious topic. But there are also hundreds of topics that fall under and around that category. Take a step back and look at topics just outside your current editorial scope — here are a few unique topics that might help.
Venture Outside the Typical Blog Post Format
The same principle mentioned above also applies to the type of blog content you’re developing. When you find a format that truly resonates with a client’s audiences, you want to stick to it. For example, round-up posts might seem like a no-brainer, but they can bore an audience fast. Scroll through content archives and look for trends. If you see too much of a pattern, it might be time for a change. Try out this list of 51 different blog post ideas to get the inspiration flowing again.
Ditch Your Typical Writing Routine
Sometimes, it’s less about the content you’re writing and more about the creation process itself. If you find yourself writing from a cubical most days, talk to your supervisor about taking an afternoon to write at the coffee shop next to your office. Or try writing first thing in the morning, rather than pumping out a post at 4 p.m. as you get ready to leave the office. There are dozens of ways to reset your writing routine.
How do you keep content fresh and engaging? Leave your own suggestions in a comment below.
