How To Create Content When You’d Rather Be Doing Something Else

It’s summer. Do you really want to be reading 5 tips for barbecuing Pandas or an infographic on 7 ways to club a Penguin?

Wouldn’t you rather be drinking a glass of wine while nibbling on cured meats, local cheeses and a nice piece of fruit? Of course you would! Va bene.

But those damn SEO experts keep telling you that “Content Marketing” is the key to rankings. But what do you know about content?

You sell <insert your fine product/service here>. You ain’t got no time for creating no stinking content. And what the hell is “content” anyway?  Why can’t you just sell your damn <fine product/service> and take the wife and kids on a little vacation?

Unfortunately, you can’t. In the words of John Andrews: “Google SEO is no longer worth the effort for those who are not writers, artists, speakers, trainers, etc…”  

What John’s getting at is you need to do something creative to get attention (aka “links”) and keep doing it over and over again so that Google’s algorithms think you are worthy of those coveted search engine rankings.

Now don’t throw the iPad in the pool paisano. I don’t want to be writing this any more than you want to be “creating content”, but we’re going to get through this Content Marketing thing together. Because there’s lot’s of ways to create content, even when you’d rather be doing something else.

The Round-Up

The Round-Up is the first refuge of the lazy content creator. It’s so easy. Just read what the “experts” are talking about, link to their posts and add a smidgen of commentary. Like so:

Wow, Apple Maps are going to be big for local search. In order to get ready, you might want to check out Mike Blumenthal’s post on the subject. And definitely pay attention to Yelp, because according to Greg Sterling, they are a key component of Siri’s local results. According to Stephanie Hobbs, reviews are going to be important. And…you get the picture.

The FAQ

You’ve gotta love the FAQ. All day long, your prospects ask you questions and all day long you answer them. Now, just put each one on a page on your website and badabing!, next thing you know, you are ranking for exciting search queries like “what’s the average cost in Iowa for Turkey Neck Surgery?” (answer: $5,283!).

Everybody Hates A Tourist, Except You

Because if you’re targeting tourists, all you have to do is figure out what tourists are looking for and put it on your website. So think of stuff like “kids activities in <your city>” or “clean bathroom in <your city>” (and of course make sure you know where this magical loo is).

Bonus points for putting it in the native languages of said tourists (e.g. “dove è il bagno più pulito a Santa Vittoria?“). Remember that most people search in their native language, even if they’re in your country. #crazyfereners. Grazie Google Translate!

Dish The Dirt And/Or Rant & Rave

Talk about stuff that no one else will dare mention or emulate Perez Hilton On Tom & Katie (I knew it wouldn’t last).

Or maybe you are sick and tired of the amateurs spamming Yelp and want to show them how it’s done.

Just think of something that really drives you crazy and start typing. You’ll be amazed at the results. I sure am.

Video Killed The Radio Star

So get your kid to make a video (cause you don’t even know how the damn video camera works right?).

Maybe give the kid some instructions for making it relevant like “hey, I run a coffee shop, so make it about coffee”).

When the kid turns it in, post it on YouTube. Who knows? It might even go viral. (See: Coffee Quest – it’s pre-viral)

Epilogue

I know what you’re thinking – “Sure Andrew, this stuff works great for you because you’re an uber-blogger and you don’t have to worry about having to manage a <insert your fine  product/service here> business.”

To that, I say, at some point in your business career, you probably fancied yourself an artist in your own way. You found a way to create something that someone else wanted.

Creating content for SEO and for potential customers on your website is no different. And sometimes it even helps if you have a glass of wine or two beforehand. So stop reading and start creating.

Ciao!