Have you been trying to think of what to create next in your content but you don’t like anything? Have you gotten to the point of searching online for “process to generate marketing content ideas?” As someone who creates content every day for a company that does digital marketing in Los Angeles, I get it. I do. This is a process that I’ve found which works for me when I feel like generating the good stuff (or any stuff) is a struggle.
Now, what I do want to say is that this process is newer to me. I’ve been a professional content creator for many years and this process is the culmination of what I’ve worked on for more than a decade. So, yes, it’ll be improved. But, it also comes from somewhere.
Unleash Your Brain
The biggest change I’ve made recently is to not try to create everything all at once, all at the same time. Sure, if I’m on a tight, emergency deadline, then other actions have to be taken. But, if I have any time whatsoever (as in, “I don’t have to turn in something right now”) I do this.
First, give yourself a bit of time, a little bit of space. Maybe you have your computer, perhaps you have your phone, tablet, etc. Then, I just pace and generate ideas. I let myself go as wild as possible. There are no bad ideas here. You can type this out if you’d like, but, for me, I found it’s better to pace. It’s more kinetic, gets my body involved, more than just my brain.
Go wherever your muse takes you. Do not censor yourself. Yell out anything. Don’t judge it. Don’t even come close to judging it. You’re trying to generate material here, stuff that matters to you. Some of it you’ll like, most of it, you won’t.
But, (and this is crucial, at least for me) make sure there’s a record of it somewhere. For me, I speak into my phone. You can also use a tablet, you could type, I guess, but I prefer this.
Be as free as possible. If you’re going to think outside the box, you had better put yourself as far out of the box as you can. At least at the start. We’ll rein it in later.
Lay It Out In Front Of You
How do you build a puzzle? You don’t just start picking pieces out of the box and connecting them, right? No, if you’re like most of us, you lay them all out, and then see them in front of you. That’s what you should do with what you recorded.
For me, I take my phone, and I listen to what I said. I don’t try to improve it. Not yet. If there’s an idea I liked, I make a special note of it.
But, what I try to do is, I transcribe everything I yelled into my phone so that I have a record of it. So that I can see it in front of me. I use a Google doc. You can use whatever is good for you.
This is the stage I’m the most unsure about, the one that’s purely transitory. I’m trying to get all of the puzzle pieces in front of me. I don’t want to start connecting them, not yet. Although, I allow myself the freedom that comes from just writing it down, just putting it in front of me.
If nothing else, this will also help to “kick start” (for lack of a better word), your brain. You’ll start thinking about the content, more than you may have previously.
If you spoke into your phone in the morning, then in the afternoon (or sometime later) get it all out on paper. Write it up. I use Google docs, but you can use whatever. If you have a transcription service, so much the better. Whatever is easiest for you so that you can get it all in front of you.
Now, Punch It Up
OK, so: you let your mind run free. You recorded yourself saying every single wild thing you could think of. Then, you made sure to lay all of that out in front of you. Now, it’s time to put it together.
Once I’ve put everything in front of me, then, it’s time to actually create the content. With all of it in front of me, I can make bullet points, I can see how this connects to this could be good if it worked with this, etc. Now, with that material generated, I can make quality content.
For me, I don’t do these steps one after the other quickly. I try to give myself a few hours (at least) between sessions. That way, my brain gets a rest. My goal is to use different parts of my brain as I go.
Before this method, I was trying to do everything all at once. Not the worst idea (and certainly necessary on deadline). But, it also made it so that the content couldn’t really “take off.” It didn’t really allow me to explore.
You can see how this would work. You can tweak it to see how it could work best for you. (Indeed, I’m currently determining how much to give myself to go into the initial step, arriving with or without bullet points.)
Digital Marketing in Los Angeles to Take Your Next Step
The above is one of the ways that I’m creating content right now. There are many, many others. I’m just one of the professionals on the team here at Website Depot. We have a whole roster of web developers, SEO pros, Google Ads wizards, videographers, and so many others. We can help your business, no matter what field you’re in, go that much higher.
To see how we could help you, schedule a free consultation with us through our site or by giving us a call here.