A Masterclass In Content Marketing – When You’re Out Of Ideas.

I was reading my Facebook feed and a US based content marketer of my acquaintance posted this request.

“OK, we write blog posts every month for a beach client. We’ve been writing for him for several years and the team is getting a little brain dead trying to drum up fresh ideas. Would love your help. They are a family-friendly vacation rental company (houses for a week, no weekends). Please leave your brilliant suggestions below & thanks!”

I couldn’t resist the challenge – but first, I started to read the answers she’d already garnered from her community.

What did I find out?

That there are a ton of creative folks whose minds are happy to help out when asked.

And so instead of stunning you with my amazing insight, I’m going to reproduce below the long list of suggestions made about what content to write about for a beach client.  And show you how you can adapt and learn from this list for your own business content marketing. 

How to use this content insight for your business

• First, print out this article onto paper (old-fashioned, but helpful for this exercise).
• Pick up a writing instrument (mine’s a fountain pen with liquid ink).
• Draw two columns alongside the list of articles.
• Go though the list and in the first column write down the underlying theme of the article title.
• Then in the second column write down what an equivalent theme would be for your business.
• Lastly, brainstorm 3-5 topic titles for each theme you write down for your business.

Have you got over one year’s worth of content already?

Here’s how to make the most of your archive and to lock good content into strong keywords and hashtags that convert.

The goal of content marketing is to get your website found, your brand recognised and aligned with the reasons people buy from you.  Creative Agency Secrets does local marketing.  I have many local marketing keyword phrase-laden articles on our website.  So when the local “grease monkey” in Pukekohe (don’t try to pronounce that if you’re not fluent in Maori) searched online for a local marketing agency, we showed up in the list, he called us; we’re meeting on Friday.  This is a marketing tactic that works and starts dialogue. And you can do it.

But if you think that ‘build-it-and-they-will-come’ is the tactic, you’re wrong. 

You must understand why people buy, what attracts them and then double down on the tactics and topics that already work for you.

Get canny with advanced content marketing

Make a keyword theme map with a few hundred keywords you’re probably not targeting. The keywords should dictate the content you write.  Use an independent, non-Google, non-Bing keyword discovery tool like SBI (we have an account and can do this for you).

Now you have that keyword theme map, which of the keywords are on page 2 of search results that could benefit from relevant, internal backlinks on your site? 

Also, does your business-model actually need new content? What does any single, new piece of content do for the business? Instead, how about focusing on the 20% of content that is already producing results and instead of writing more – promote that content more aggressively?  

Re-purpose the content that converts and share each piece more often also put it into every format (i.e. image square, image rectangle, video, audio, cinemagraph, infographic, ebook, slideshow, podcast guest) to maximise both its impact and its re-useability.

If the location is a very small place that is not overly commercial use the social content which is already being shared by visitors by searching “nearby” or local name hashtags.  The smart folks at from Socialize.co.nz demonstrated this to the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce members.  They brought up content on social media that tourists and visitors were sharing.  This already had the place name tagged on photos and other socially shared content.  If local business owners re-shared that content, while tagging each other, they could build up some serious momentum around the town name on social media.  And all this without creating any original content at all.

So thanks to Karen, she has helped us write your masterclass on advanced content marketing. 

46 Content Article Suggestions for a Beach Client

1. What to pack (by season, by age of child, when Grandma is staying) 
2. Activities for road trips 
3. Kid friendly restaurants/ attractions 
4. Road trip checklist to make sure your vehicle is road ready
5. Beach fashion
6. What to do when the weather is less than perfect
7. First aid tips
8. Disaster relief while on vacation at the beach
9. Books to read on a beach
10. Local beach walks
11. Easy meals
12. Meals using local ingredients and where to buy them
13. Newest spots to check out this year… There are always new restaurants opening
14. A feature on Oregon inlet fishing charters… My next door neighbor will be on the newest edition of wicked tuna, on fishin’ frenzy.
15. The history of the area is also very interesting… And there are a wide array of topics, from casinos to shipwrecks, to boat building.
16. The different types of architecture you can find out here is neat, too… Flat top houses (there is a tour each year), nags head style cottages (what do each of the different ornamental elements on them mean?), life saving stations, etc
17. Beach nourishment is coming to the northernmost beaches this year, too. What is beach nourishment?  They are dredging sand from the ocean and pumping it onto the beach to widen them.
18. Top reasons people didn’t go to the beach, but should have
19. How to make the best sand castles 
20. Top 5 reasons not to bury a sibling in the sand 
21. Food that goes best with sandy fingers 
22. Beat the heat with these 3 things 
23. How to avoid sand spurs
24. Top 3 things kids really want in a beach vacation 
25. Top 3 things adults really want in a beach vacatio, 
26. Don’t leave___ until you have eaten the____ 
27. What NOT to do when you’re at the beach (leave the work and technology at home) 
28. What to do when you want to sit on the beach and your spouse doesn’t
29. Fun stuff off the beaten path
30. Volunteer options when you’re staying at the beach (relax and do good at the same time)
31. Best place to get coupons to save money on local attractions
32. Do this, not that (places to go, places to avoid, etc.)
33. Top movies to watch on netflix while you’re at the beach
34. How to tell if you shouldn’t wear a bikini or speedos
35. Top reasons to visit in seasons other than summer. There are lots of events in the spring and fall 
36. Sea glass and shells are best found in the winter months
37. The Secret to finding the best shells and sea glass
38. Best places to take your kids out to eat
39. Which restaurants are best for a date night
40. Art projects for the beach
41. 10 things to bring with if driving to save $$
42. What to do in the rain
43. Playing card games for 5-8 year olds
44. Camps or other activities they can do
45. Fun community activities if you want to meet others
46. Where to shop for food
47. Best source of local restaurant discounts