"Within you must look."
Have I invented a word, this “insource” thing? I honestly don’t mean to because, among other qualms, it sure as hell isn’t going to help my SEO.
But the word’s here for a reason. Good content comes from within. (Or as Yoda might say, “From within good content comes.” Try reading this post with his voice in mind.)
You can outsource production. And I’m a big fan of outsourcing your writing when you direct that sourcing my way.
But content ideas? Subjects, topics, thoughts, insights – these should emerge from the activities of your organization, the business of your business, as it were: what you’re learning from experience; how your customers are succeeding (with your help, of course); why your way of doing things is better than some other way of doing things.
Look around. If you’re stuck in a marketing communications annex away from the action, get up and seek that action. What are the engineers building? The coders coding? The designers designing? Even sales people can be helpful (strange as that may sound). Ask them about what customers like and don’t like and why. Ask the customer service people about challenges. Ask the research people about trends.
The point is, someone, somewhere, has fresh experiences or new ideas that might merit attention. You just have to seek them. Again, Yoda: “Up off your ass you must get.”
Help your team generate great content ideas at the content strategy workshop.