{"id":19204,"date":"2016-06-22T10:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-06-22T14:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.shareaholic.com\/?p=19204"},"modified":"2016-06-22T10:10:07","modified_gmt":"2016-06-22T14:10:07","slug":"crowdsourcing-content-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/crowdsourcing-content-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Need Great Content Ideas? Consult Your Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/shareaholic.com\/publishers\" target=\"_blank\">Shareaholic streamlines content marketing<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>This article focuses on a simple, but powerful idea: Regularly talking to your audience (on-the-phone or in-person) to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/crafting-original-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">generate topics\u00a0for content<\/a> they actually\u00a0<em>want<\/em> to read.<\/p>\n<p>Content marketing can work magic for your business. Once you craft an article, blog post or ebook\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-traffic-to-website\/\" target=\"_blank\">it will work tirelessly for you<\/a>, day and night, month after month. Your content\u00a0will inbound\u00a0traffic, qualified leads, and even the occasional paying customer years after you have clicked \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/content-creation-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\">publish<\/a>\u201d. Also, the more your content gets shared, the more this process gets amplified.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there are two challenges to developing great content. You\u00a0will have to:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Generate<em> a\u00a0lot<\/em> of content ideas.<\/li>\n<li>Produce <em>remarkable<\/em>\u00a0stories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19210 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Generating-Awesome-Content-Ideas-e1404883621661.jpg\" alt=\"Generating Awesome Content Ideas\" width=\"560\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Generating-Awesome-Content-Ideas-e1404883621661.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Generating-Awesome-Content-Ideas-e1404883621661-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Generating-Awesome-Content-Ideas-e1404883621661-400x283.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/digital-publishing-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\">today&#8217;s digital landscape<\/a>, there just happens to be an overwhelming volume of content being published each and every day\u00a0&#8212; a virtual flood of long- and short-form prose, YouTube videos, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/the-perfect-blog-post-blueprint-infographic\/\" target=\"_blank\">infographics<\/a>, podcasts, and slide\u00a0presentations.<\/p>\n<h3>How Can You Get\u00a0Noticed Through\u00a0The Noise?<\/h3>\n<p>You need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/best-brands-content-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\">stand out from the crowd<\/a> in the age of information overload. People don\u2019t want <em>more<\/em> information. What they want is better, more relevant stories.<\/p>\n<p>Producing a lot of content is actually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/how-to-blog-every-day-nablopomo\/\" target=\"_blank\">incredibly easy<\/a>. The hard part is producing excellent\u00a0content &#8212; and that usually\u00a0starts with good ideas.<\/p>\n<h3>Publish\u00a0Content on Topics Your Audience Wants to Read<\/h3>\n<p>That\u00a0is the simple secret to effective\u00a0content marketing. Create content that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is more relevant to your audience than content from other publishers.<\/li>\n<li>Is written in the language they speak, with their own lingo, a voice that resonates with them.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/ways-businesses-write-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">Answers the questions<\/a> they have in a straightforward and helpful manner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Producing\u00a0this sort\u00a0of content requires an intimate understanding of your audience. That is why the development of a marketing persona is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/use-buyer-personas-within-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\">an essential element of every kind of marketing<\/a> method worth its salt.<\/p>\n<p>How can you build a better\u00a0relationship\u00a0with\u00a0your readers\u00a0to\u00a0help you to create amazing content?<\/p>\n<h3>Talk With Your Audience<\/h3>\n<p>Easily, the best\u00a0way to discover <em>who<\/em> your\u00a0audience is is by\u00a0engaging them in conversation. Don\u2019t talk to them, talk with them. Listen more than you speak. The true expert is the student of her\u00a0audience.<\/p>\n<p>Real-time human interaction is an excellent\u00a0way to do this. With it, you will get an intuitive sense for your audience.<\/p>\n<p>No amount of keyword research, competitive analysis or studying of discussion forums can do that. With these methods, you&#8217;d only develop a superficial understanding of your reader. As a great content marketer, you want to dig deeper than that.<\/p>\n<p>By participating\u00a0in dialogue, you get out of your own head. You challenge your own assumptions through interaction and direct feedback.<\/p>\n<p>Now that we have covered the theory, let us look at a real case study.<\/p>\n<h3>16,315 Views\u00a0and Thousands of Dollars Later&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>At Close.io, we\u00a0publish at least two new posts a week on our startup sales advice blog.<\/p>\n<p>It offers\u00a0highly targeted, tightly focused content for our readers (startup founders and sales professionals).<\/p>\n<p>For us, focus has advantages and disadvantages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Readers love it when every post addresses a specific\u00a0challenge they deal with.<\/li>\n<li>It sets tight constraints on what you can blog about and limits the range of topics available to you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So how do we come up with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/how-to-clear-your-head-to-come-up-with-new-blog-post-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\">hundreds of topics regularly<\/a> on a niche\u00a0blog?<\/p>\n<p>My secret sauce is what I call\u00a0Sales Office Hours. Every week I talk with select startup founders who ask me for sales advice.<\/p>\n<p>A recent\u00a0question that kept popping up again and again was: \u201cOur prospects are asking us for a discount. How should we deal with that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you talk with people, and you hear them ask the same things without fail, what do you do? It&#8217;s obvious, isn&#8217;t it?<\/p>\n<p>You write about it!<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, we\u00a0published <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.close.io\/startup-negotiation-101-how-to-respond-to-discount-inquiries\" target=\"_blank\">Startup Sales Negotiations 101 &#8211; How to Respond to Discount Inquiries<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Within a\u00a0week, the\u00a0article received\u00a0<strong>16,315 unique views<\/strong> and has continued to drive steady traffic ever since.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19206 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Startup-Sales-Negotations-101-traffic-stats-e1404882682233.png\" alt=\"Startup Sales Negotations 101 traffic stats\" width=\"560\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Startup-Sales-Negotations-101-traffic-stats-e1404882682233.png 560w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Startup-Sales-Negotations-101-traffic-stats-e1404882682233-300x134.png 300w, https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Startup-Sales-Negotations-101-traffic-stats-e1404882682233-400x179.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more &#8212; hundreds of people signed up to our free startup sales course. Some of them later became paying customers of our sales communication software, while others signed up directly. Although we didn\u2019t have the analytics in place to trace back individual signups, it is pretty safe to say that this blog post helped us generate thousands of dollars in recurring revenue.<\/p>\n<h3>Why Was This Post So Successful?<\/h3>\n<p>It was <em>not<\/em> because of\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Magazine-worthy writing<\/strong>. What I am:\u00a0an experienced salesman. What I am not:\u00a0a professional writer or\u00a0a native English speaker. In fact, readers frequently comment on the quality of my writing and drop not-so-subtle hints that they know a good proof-reader.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clever viral promotion or brilliant growth hacks<\/strong>. For <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/content-distribution-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\">our distribution\u00a0strategy<\/a>, we\u00a0shared the post\u00a0on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Hacker News. We also recruited\u00a0friends to re-share it &#8212; not exactly rocket science.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Advanced keyword research or SEO magic<\/strong>. This didn&#8217;t even cross our minds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What <em>did<\/em> make this post so successful was that it addressed a very common question many members of our audience\u00a0had and it offered them a clear, precise, informed, and actionable answer.<\/p>\n<p>Boring, isn&#8217;t it? After all, there are plenty of blog posts and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/the-definitive-guide-to-related-content-ebook\/\" target=\"_blank\">ebooks<\/a> that seduce readers with\u00a0stories such as,\u00a0\u201cYou won&#8217;t\u00a0believe this 4-minute\u00a0tweak to\u00a0increase conversions by 347%!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But executing the plain basics of marketing effectively\u00a0is a more reliable way to grow your business than trying to be a sly\u00a0trickster, jumping from one &#8220;hot&#8221;\u00a0tactic to the next quick hack.<\/p>\n<h3>When Will You Talk With Your Audience?<\/h3>\n<p>If you are not already consulting\u00a0your audience, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/3-best-ways-to-engage-online\/\" target=\"_blank\">brainstorm opportunities<\/a> to start conversations. Take five minutes right now to do this.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;.and in case you wanted a bit of help, here are some ideas to get you started:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Give away free phone consultations.<\/li>\n<li>Join meetups.<\/li>\n<li>Call them.<\/li>\n<li>Meet up over\u00a0coffee.<\/li>\n<li>Attend\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/how-to-create-shareable-content-wordcamp\/\" target=\"_blank\">conventions<\/a>, trade shows and other events.<\/li>\n<li>Spend time at their favorite\u00a0hang out spots.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The bottom line: Talk to your audience. It is\u00a0the best kind of market research there is and it is the fastest way to create great content &#8212; even if you are not a gifted writer.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><strong>About the author:<\/strong> Steli Efti is the CEO of Close.io &#8211; a <a href=\"http:\/\/close.io\/\" target=\"_blank\">sales communication software<\/a> company that helps SaaS companies close more deals and make more sales. He has worked with over 150 venture-backed startups, helping them scale their sales models.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a style=\"text-align: center;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/shareaholic-email-signup\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/shareaholic-newsletter-cta.png\" alt=\"Shareaholic Email Signup\" width=\"300\" height=\"120\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Marketers:<\/strong>\u00a0Contribute to Shareaholic!\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/guest-blogging-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\">We&#8217;d love to hear your story<\/a>.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Experienced engineers:<\/strong>\u00a0Help us build the ultimate content marketing platform.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/shareaholic.com\/careers\" target=\"_blank\">Apply now<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Image source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/khalidalbaih\/5905348362\" target=\"_blank\">1<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shareaholic streamlines content marketing. This article focuses on a simple, but powerful idea: Regularly talking to your audience (on-the-phone or in-person) to generate topics\u00a0for content&hellip;&nbsp;<br \/><a class=\"continue-reading\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/crowdsourcing-content-ideas\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":19210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[606,522],"tags":[709,707,708,581,533,706],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19204"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shareaholic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}