We all know that you need to be creating great content in 2020. Everyone’s looking for the best list of content marketing ideas online that will actually drive traffic, leads and sales.
But back up for a second. It’s not 2010. You can’t just blog and expect results.
We’ve been updating this content marketing ideas list since 2014 and while some of these blog, video and content ideas won’t be a good fit for your business, we’re confident this is the best list of content marketing ideas as of August 2020.
Although marketing is constantly evolving (especially in a world fighting a global pandemic), content can still be a strong part of your marketing strategy.
But we get it, sometimes you run out of things to blog about, and no one wants to just create content for content’s sake. That’s why our marketing agency created this list of content marketing ideas for 2020. Check out the list and let us know what you would add in the comments below.
Individual Achievement
- Discuss a transition to a new role and how your specific skill set helped you adapt
- Explain lessons you learned the hard way and offer advice for others in similar circumstance
- Share your daily work routine and why you believe it has contributed to your success
- Write about a mentor figure or brand you admire and why
- Describe your thought process for approaching different tasks
- Share an action plan for the future
- Share a company secret – something that is unusual/unique – that contributed to success
Marketing Operations
- Create a video tutorial on using a tool for a specific task
- Review a new or popular tool
- Explore plugins and explain how to create powerful combinations
- Reveal an in-house tool and present a case study of why it works so well
- Perform one task with a variety of tools and note the benefits/detractors of each
List
- Rank your favorite tools, blogs, ads, etc
- “Best of” lists
- Gather content that shows the best examples of what people should be striving for
- “Pros and Cons” lists
- Curate useful content and compile successful “tactics and strategies” lists
- List of quotes/personal mottos of important people in the industry
- Helpful resources (articles, videos, books, etc)
- Checklists for task completion
- Explain something using gifs
- “10 Commandments of” your industry
- Movies relevant to your industry
- TV shows relevant to your industry
- Commonly used jargon in the industry
- Keep a running list blog that you commonly update, like “Content Marketing Ideas”
How-To’s
- Create a five-step process for daily tasks that those in the industry face
- Ask leadership to comment on how to keep a business running smoothly
- What skills it takes to succeed in the industry
Internal Operations
- Examine communication styles and workflow around the office and turn into content about conquering internal objections/roadblocks
- Find out what questions the account managers get asked most frequently
- Write case studies on each department’s biggest accomplishments
- Highlight employees
- Highlight customers
- Share your challenges
Industry Trends
- Comment on a popular piece and support with more research or make a case against it
- Introduce a new technique or strategy
- Comment on a trend
- Share tips and best practices
- Share examples of bad practices/industry fails
- Analyze breaking news/popular stories from your industry’s point of view
- Interview someone important in the industry
- Write the “anti-post” on why not to use a popular/support a new trend in the industry
- Create a sense of urgency with a “What you need to know” post about a new trend
- Share popular Podcasts in your industry
Current Events
- When a list of speakers is released for a big event in the industry, select a few for interview/guest post, or simply highlight them in a post
- Scan live tweets/recaps of conferences you did not attend and find common themes
- If someone from your company speaks at an event, have them write a blog that expands on the presentation
- Create a list of upcoming events in the industry
Seasonal
- Create New Years Resolutions for your business
- On Valentine’s Day, reveal yourself as an admirer of one or more brands
- On President’s Day, take motto’s that past president’s lived by and apply them to your business practices
- At the start of summer, make a list of the ways your business will make it the best summer ever
- On Labor Day, give a shout out to excelling employees
- For Thanksgiving, thank your supporters
Theories & Opinions
- Write about why a certain trend has emerged and how it will evolve in the future
- Give advice for others in the industry
- Make a prediction about how a new technology will impact the industry
- Post an “Open Letter” to a company/product
- Share a story or learnings from a celebrity that can be applied to your business
Company Culture
- What is going on in your community and why is it important
- Ask coworkers the best part of working at this job as opposed to others
- Have leadership discuss the core values of the company
- Highlight new hires
- Let interns shadow and employee for a day and write about what a day in the life of someone in this role entails
- Share your manifesto – your company’s beliefs and goals in one small document
Education
- Teach a skill or illustrate how to use a tool/software
- Summarize long articles/eBooks into key insights and actionable takeaways
- Answer questions that customers have asked
- Explain a common myth/misconception about the industry
- Write “The Complete Guide” for a complicated topic
- “The History of” a successful company in your industry
- Make an extended analogy to compare your work to a process people understand
- “Beginner’s Guide to” AND “Advanced Guide to”
- “The Psychology of” practices in your industry
Research
- A/B test internal marketing changes and compare results
- Analyze market research about consumer behavior
- Find a popular study done recently and update it with new research
- Walk your audience through the research and measurement procedures at your business
- Conduct a growth analysis of your company
Podcast
- Start a topical podcast for your industry
- Plan the episodes the same way you plan the rest of your content
- Invite guests from within your industries circle to join you
- Take some ideas you have for blogs and instead… turn it into an episode for your show
There’s no way we covered all the content marketing ideas.
Let us know what’s missing in the comments below…
