Don’t Write Your Content Marketing Into a Corner

Writing by Nick Stamoulis

Let’s say you own a clothing company that specializes in hiking apparel for women—hiking boots, backpacks, thermal layers, etc. There are probably thousands of different spins you could take about hiking apparel for a company blog. You could write blog posts about what to wear depending on the weather (rain, snow, heat) or trail conditions (muddy trail vs. mountain climbing), what hikers should pack for an all-day or multi-day hiking trip, or even why it’s important to make sure your socks are dry! Then of course you could branch out into related niches about camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, camp stoves), nutrition tips for serious hikers, the best trails for beginners, hiking regulations of various National Parks and so forth.

But what do you do when your work in a niche that isn’t quite as glamorous as women’s hiking apparel? Or at least one where topics for your content marketing aren’t quite as apparent. For instance, let’s say you own an e-commerce site that specializes in foreign auto parts; things that would be hard for an US car owner to track down. Can you really write a dozen blog posts about Volvo windshields or Saab side view mirrors? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean you have to pigeonhole your content marketing efforts and stick with the same few ideas time and time again! If topics aren’t that easy to come up with, it means you need to take a step back (or 2 or 3) and get a new perspective on your industry.

Think about your potential customer—what kind of information are they looking for? What related interests might they have that could be applicable to your auto parts business? If they are looking to buy parts from a third party as opposed to a dealer they probably want to handle the repairs themselves, right? That opens up a whole slew of topics! How do you replace that Saab side view mirror? What are the signs that it’s time to replace spark plugs? What kind of (and what size) tools do you need to take out and replace a BMW radiator? You sell all those parts, but instead of just writing about the parts themselves you are using your content marketing efforts to put them in a useful and educational context for your customers! Think about it- would you rather read the specs on an oxygen sensor or watch a video showing you how to install it?

I’ve spoken with so many site owners over the years that say they have nothing to write about for their content marketing. They think their niche is too boring, or that no one wants to read what they have to say, or they don’t have anything to say in the first place. If you think your industry is boring it might be time to find a new industry! Content marketing isn’t nearly as hard as most site owners convince themselves it is, and coming up with new topics doesn’t have to be a chore. The trick is to get out of your own way. When you know everything this is to know about your niche it’s hard to remember that your customers don’t. What might seem like 101 information to you might be exactly what a potential customer is looking for! Don’t get lost in your own niche so much that you write yourself into a corner.