Are you struggling with content creation? You’re not alone. But have you thought about what’s stopping you from getting started?

I recently ran a poll on LinkedIn to find out what’s holding people back from stating their content creation journey. 

Here are the results:

While “Not Sure What to Post” was the top answer, I think it’s important to start with the biggest underlying issue that’s stopping most people from creating content: Confidence.

Building Confidence

Before you can start tackling other issues, like needing ideas or making time for content creation, it’s crucial to build up your confidence. 

One big problem with content creation is that people are unfamiliar with it. They understand what it is and how it benefits their business, but the ins and outs of how it’s done are a bit of a mystery. Feeling confident in something is difficult when you don’t understand it.

But it’s important to remember that:

• You often can not be confident when you’re doing something new
• Confidence comes from taking action
• Next year, you don’t want to be in the same place you are right now

Getting started is the best way to start building confidence and helping you feel more comfortable with content creation. 

It’s easy to overcomplicate this process, but the truth is that content creation is simple. I’ll walk you through the entire process so that you can be sure of yourself from day 1. 

To get started with the content creation process, you have to come up with content ideas. So, let’s start there.

Here’s How To Never Run Out Of Content Ideas

Coming up with ideas for social media or blog posts can sound like a daunting task, but it’s not as complicated as you might think.

Here’s how to never run out of content ideas.

Set Aside Time for Brainstorming

One thing I like to do is sit down for 30 minutes a week to come up with ideas. I don’t use this time to produce content – only to brainstorm.

When brainstorming, ask yourself these questions:

• Where do clients think they are right, but they’re actually wrong? For example, maybe clients aren’t taking out lines of credit because they don’t want to pay interest. However, not taking out a line of credit is keeping them from investing in growth. 
• What tools and technologies should your clients know about? 
• Are there things you once believed and that your clients probably believe that holds them back?
• Do you have any transformation stories you can share?
• Are there any non-obvious problems that your clients should be aware of? What’s your hot take on where business owners are going wrong? For example, business owners are quick to hire, but they overlook the importance of documenting their processes first to reduce the risk of turnover.
• What questions are you frequently asked by clients, colleagues, or prospects? These are questions that people want answers to, so they’re great topics to cover in your content.

Consider using a brainstorming tool to help you keep track of your ideas.

Once you have a solid list of topics, you can build your content strategy and get to work. When building your strategy, make sure that you have a way to measure the ROI of your efforts. 

Do Research

Another way to start generating ideas is to do some research. 

Take a look at your competitors. Which topics are well received by their audience? Can you put a new spin on the topic, fill in gaps or take a different point of view? Take a look at the comment section of these posts and make note of questions people ask.

If you’re not sure which content pieces performed well for a competitor, you can use a traffic checker tool to get some more information.

Analyze Past Content

Looking at competitor content is one way to get ideas, but you can also take the same approach with your own content.

If you have created content in the past, look at the performance of each piece. Which ones were well-received? Can you expand on these topics or fill in gaps? Look at questions or comments to get ideas on how you can offer more information on topics or even give a different point of view.

Making Time for Content Creation

Lack of time is another big obstacle to creating content, but it’s not one that can’t be overcome. Making content a priority is an important first step.

Let’s look at a few things you can do to overcome this obstacle:

• Start by making content creation a part of your schedule. Pencil in time to start creating the content ideas you generate during your brainstorming sessions. How much time you will need will depend on the type of content you want to create and how much editing will be needed. An hour or two each week should be enough time to create a few textual posts or record a few social media clips.
• You can also consider outsourcing this task to an experienced professional if it’s in your budget. However, it is important to ensure that the team understands your voice, industry, and goals. 

If you follow the strategy in the first point, you can start making a mark with just a few hours each week. You likely have this time already. For example, instead of scrolling on social media, you can use that time to create content for your business. 

Tackling Other Issues That Affect Content Creation 

In my poll, I didn’t see any trends in the “something else” category, but if you have other obstacles that are stopping you from creating content, please share them in the comments.

One thing I do want to note is that I find many people struggle with finding the right platform to use for their content. 

If you find yourself in this same boat, I recommend focusing on one platform to start. When choosing a platform, ask yourself:

• Where do my customers spend the most time?
• Which platform supports my content creation style the best? For example, if you don’t want to produce videos or images, then Instagram may not be the best fit for your business.

Like with anything else in business, the key most important thing is to get started. Along the way, you will tweak your strategy and find out what works and doesn’t work. And if you find that creating your own content isn’t the best use of your time, consider offloading this task to an experienced professional.

Do you need help with content creation or measuring your content’s ROI? Click here to schedule an introductory call with us today.