Clash! Boom! Wallop! – Innovative Content Ideas

The hardest thing about creating content is making it interesting…and not following the crowd. I often give my Blog Starter trainees the tip of using things like national days or events, as well a ‘celebration times’ (like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s, etc.) to help create relevant content, which is likely to be trending.

However, I am not the only person giving out this advice and it is not exactly revolutionary thinking. Your post about upcoming days like Valentine’s Day or Safer Internet Day (7th Feb FYI) could be lost.

So, how do you make you content timely and relevant but also interesting and unique?

Clash! – clashing topics

This method of writing is about bringing one topic and discussing it in the light of something else; something you would not expect.

It doesn’t have to be really extreme and it still has to make sense, but it can make your blog post or social media post just that little bit more interesting and help it to stand out in the crowd, in a time when lots of content all seems to have the same theme.

It is Valentine’s Day soon on the 14th February and this is the perfect time for product-based businesses, especially those selling gift items (or gift vouchers) to go wild with content about love and ginning the perfect present to show that someone special what they mean to you…and all that!!!

However, what if you don’t have relevant products or services (like me!)? What if you do but you want to stand out from the crowd? Then consider a clash…talk about something that wouldn’t be expected. So, for example, I could discuss the idea of Valentine’s Day being the perfect time to plan your summer content to show your business some love. You could be a little controversial … ask people to list things they hate or despise … food…music…cocktails!

It is hard to give lots of example, but just think the next time you plan a post on something ‘obvious’, if you could clash two topics to come up with something really different and really interesting.

Boom! – offer a fresh perspective

In the effort to be unique in amongst the growing amount of traffic your audience will see everyday, try offering a fresh perspective. This works particularly well with something that is going ‘viral’ for example. Lots of people will share it with, no accompanying text, or just a simple “Have you seen this?”; “Watch this!” or perhaps even just an emoji.

But don’t fall in to the trap of following the crowd, look at the content with a critical eye and see if you can offer something new. If it’s a picture, is there something in the background worth mentioning. If it doesn’t seem to fit directly with your business is there something that could make it fit or relevant if you give it some thought?

A good example is the recent ‘World Record Egg’ on Instagram which was used to break  the ‘most likes’ record, which was previously held by a picture of Kylie Jenner’s newborn. Now, you could just jump on the bandwagon and ‘like’ and share the egg picture and be part of the crowd. However, as a content consultant, I could take a minute to think how this may be a good point of discussion for my blog. First of all I could discuss the power of a ‘Call to action’ – the Instagram post of the egg simply asked for people to help beat the record. It wasn’t even overly direct.

I could also use it to discuss how marketing versus sales works, or, more specifically how ‘likes and reach’  does not necessarily directly convert to sale. You could put a picture of an egg and get the most likes you’ve had all year. Try it and see! But although it might spread your company name a little further, how many of these likes would actually convert to sales? I give this example a lot…I have shared a picture of me looking cold waiting for a train which had far more engagement than a simple post stating that I offer blog starter packages…however, it was the latter post that got two enquiries and one booking! So you need the mix!

Do you see how discussing the egg and offering a fresh perspective can give you more ideas for content?

Wallop! – be an innovator

This is a tough one, but it is worth thinking about! It is not something anyone can do everyday, but perhaps once in a while you can do something really innovative with your content.

Look at your direct competitors…what are they NOT doing? Is hardly anyone blogging? Is hardly anyone doing video? Is hardly anyone talking about a particular subject? Is hardly anyone targeting a particular social media platform?

Then do your research, is there a REALLY good reason for these things? Is there any audience at all for these alternative approaches in your business sector? If there is, and it isn’t going to cost you heaps of time and money, then why not give it a go! Experiment and innovate and see what comes of it.

It doesn’t have to be extreme – perhaps in your profession everyone writes very informative blogs, filled with tips and advice…then, why not consider offering a diary style or news style blog? Share what you are up to, give more insight in to your actual role, service or the making/sourcing/manufacturing of a product. Make it ‘real-time’ and authentic. It will help you stand out from the crowd and give you a story to tell.

A good Valentine’s example I have seen this year is the idea ‘Galentine’s’…which is for celebrating your best friend instead of a partner or secret lover! Giving them gifts and cards to say thank you for their friendship. Whoever thought of that is a real innovator – what a great way to expand the market!

Create a unique strategy

My favourite part of creating a strategy or even just a campaign for my clients is about thinking of something more unique…it’s about taking a step back and thinking ‘what can we do to shake things up a bit?!’

Get in touch if you want some inspiration and innovation to influence your content.