FINDING CONTENT IN UNEXPECTED PLACES!
Next time you hit “reply” to a client email, you may just have yourself a shiny new piece of content…
Do clients ever send you emails with positive words sharing about what you’ve done for them? Or perhaps they email you with questions and clarification points? Maybe people email you wondering what it’s like to work with you and how you can help.
The answers to these questions (and more) can all be turned into content for social media, your blog, podcast, email newsletter, and more!
This blog will show you how easy it is to get content creation ideas from everyday communication as you discover hidden gems in your inbox, in conversations, in online communities, and in what you’re reading or listening to.
Reminder (which I will keep reminding you of this throughout the blog): When it comes to getting content creation ideas from your everyday communications, I’m not suggesting you share anything confidential, personal, with someone’s name without permission, or that would be otherwise easily distinguishable and obvious that it was referring to a particular person when they didn’t want to be identified. Always ask permission if you’re at all iffy or second-guessing what you’re about to share.
Content Creation Ideas from Client Words
Clients and potential clients often email me about questions they have prior to working together, sharing positive words and testimonials from work we did together, and with questions along the way as we work on their content.
Do you get emails like this too?
Our client’s words are a source of content gold and can be turned into a great social media post!
Turning Client Testimonials into Content
When someone shares a testimonial or positive experience in working with you, ask if they are comfortable with you sharing it as a social media post, case study, and on your website.
You can even get two posts out of their experience with you by sharing not just their kind words, but also your perspective as the service provider in working with them.
For example, a fabulous client of mine, Lisa Zawrotny, a productivity coach and owner of Positively Productive wrote these words about me:
“As a productivity coach, I know how to be efficient, but the best system in the world does nothing without the right strategy. I knew I could write what I needed if only I knew what that was, so I hired Emily to help me figure that out. We worked together to ensure my content was cohesive, clear, and effective. She did a full website audit and helped me develop a system to connect my podcast content to my business content, keeping different platforms in mind (e.g., website, social media, email marketing). Emily is organized, quick, and a delight to work with and her knowledge of SEO and idea and topic-generating superpowers were just what I needed. I highly recommend Emily Aborn! “
First of all, I wrote back and thanked Lisa profusely for her positive feedback and for taking the time to write it out like this! From here, I can create a wonderful social media post pulling a quote from Lisa’s testimonial:
I could also share MY perspective as the service provider in what I specifically thought I could help Lisa with, where I saw her struggling, and what we did together to get her results and transformation.
Keep in mind: I wouldn’t use Lisa’s name in retelling the story, or any client story, without explicit permission.
Your client’s kind words and testimonials are a great place to start finding content in your everyday communications!
Content Creation Ideas from Client Questions
You can also start finding content creation ideas in your client’s questions. Both before they start working with you, during, and after.
Maybe their questions are quite common and you hear the same ones often. Can you turn the answer into a post for social media, a blog, or a podcast? Chances are, if they come with similar questions – others do too!
Maybe you’re on a strategy call or a coaching call with someone and they bring up a REALLY good question! Can you turn that into a piece of content?
One question that came up for me recently in a strategy session with a client is how to create themes around her content so she could have a way to move forward each month with alignment instead of getting stuck.
This is a fabulous question and one I get a lot. I shared three ideas for her and could easily turn them into three social media posts, a podcast, or a blog covering different strategies to take with creating themes in your content plan.
Questions your clients and potential clients are a hotspot for finding content creation ideas in your everyday communications!
Content Creation Ideas from Conversations with Others
I have a few group Voxer chats going with fellow entrepreneurs (if you don’t know what Voxer is yet, email me and I’ll share its many wonders!) and what I love most about each of them is that we raise really fascinating topics and questions around what we’re seeing in the online space and with our clients. We also sometimes ask each other questions about our areas of expertise -for example, two women I talk to regularly are both podcasters, so we talk a lot about podcasting.
These conversations are a great source of ideas for content, and a way to start processing and thinking about my unique spin or take in the areas we discuss.
Important note: I’m NOT suggesting you take conversations with your friends and start blasting their opinions and information on social media. I’m inviting you to listen with a creator’s ear and use these conversations and curiosity points to spark ideas for your own content creation and share your unique perspectives.
These kinds of conversations also happen on LinkedIn, in Facebook groups, on Instagram, in direct messaging, and more!
Any time I get an urge to roll out my soapbox or start a rant 😂, I take it as an indication that I’m passionate about the topic and jot it down. I often turn these moments into content for social media, blog posts, to inspire entire podcast episodes, and so much more!
You can get a lot of content creation ideas from chatting with your “business besties” and engaging in online communities!
One more reminder (do I need to keep reminding you at this point?): Don’t throw your friends under the bus in content that you’re creating or make them unfriend you from the Voxer group by sharing their personal details and stories with the world at large. You’re more creative than that anyway… the goal here is to take the conversation and use it as an idea generator for new content.
Content Creation Ideas from Podcasts, Articles, and Books
When I’m reading or listening to a podcast, my brain is often doing a happy dance because I get excited about an idea and inspired by the conversation. Sometimes I get fired up because I have a different opinion/take on something entirely. And sometimes I have questions, thoughts, or ideas, or I want to take the conversation to my community!
I might also learn something in the episode, book, or article that’s helpful that I want to share, I might want to share the entire thing as a resource in and of itself and share what I loved about it.
If you’re a curious person, reading books and articles and listening to podcasts, can be a great way to generate ideas to turn into content!
Please note: Giving credit to someone else’s ideas, thoughts, work, and published material is crucial. Always cite where you heard and give the original creator credit where it’s due. In simpler terms: don’t plagiarize or paint yourself as an expert in something when all you did was read a book or listen to a podcast about it.
Content Creation Ideas in Everyday Stories
Does crazy/funny/random stuff happen to you every time you leave the house?
It does for me… just the other day, I was at the grocery store and…
Ok, ok, I won’t get into it now. This blog is already long. But truly, every time I stand in line at Market Basket, I pick up a story or two that I can turn into content somehow.
The key is being in the mindset of finding content everywhere you go and seeing every story as an opportunity to turn it into something new!
People ask me OFTEN how to turn everyday stories into content AND where to actually look to find them! 👀
You don’t need to dig too far to find GREAT content that’ll connect with your people. I’d LOVE to be by your side showing you the ropes on how to look for it in your everyday life!
Our everyday life and communications can be a great source of content just waiting to be turned into content for your business!
If you’re looking for more information and content creation ideas, be sure to check out my podcast: Content with Character where I share more content creation ideas and examples like these every single week to help you increase your visibility by creating content that’s distinctly YOU.
