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10 Ways to Come Up with Ideas for B2B Tech Content
John Himes
March 4, 2024
Why is choosing topics one of the hardest parts of content marketing?
If you’re like most B2B marketers, you’re stretched thin. You’re managing tons of projects across multiple channels. You know you need great content to stand above the noise, and the first step is coming up with blog post topics that your audience wants to read.
But how do you know what’s going to resonate? What are people asking their search boxes that you’re in a good position to answer?
It’s this tension that drives people to look for quick hacks. But these methods only take you so far.
The truth is that coming up with fresh ideas is as fundamental to the B2B content marketing process as developing personas and understanding the stages of the buyer’s journey.
Here are 10 effective strategies for generating tech company blog topics.
1. Talk to customers and leads
Start by going straight to the source. After all, these are the people your content is for in the first place.
Ask questions and listen closely. Understand their pain points, their aspirations, their uncertainties, and their objections.
Especially if you find yourself having the same conversations or answering the same questions over and over again, that’s exactly the kind of topic that’s perfect for your blog. Then, when the subject comes up again in the future, you can follow up with a link to the content to keep the conversation going.
Now, particularly in larger organizations, the marketing team may not always have such direct access to customers and leads. You should still make an effort to have those conversations (or at least run surveys), but in this case you can also talk to the sales team to see what conversations and questions keep recurring for them.
2. Talk to internal subject matter experts
People throughout your organization have a wealth of experience and knowledge. Everyone has a story. It’s time to put on your journalist hat and bring those stories to light.
Of course sit down with the product people—the engineers and scientists who are the real innovators—to get their take on industry trends, technological progress, and the challenges they’re facing. But don’t stop there.
Roles ranging from sales to HR can and often do have a unique perspective to share. You never know what you’ll find until you start the conversation.
One last note here: resist the urge to talk too specifically about your product. Save that discussion for sell sheets and sales copy—content marketing shouldn’t focus on features.
3. Talk to external subject matter experts
There’s nothing like a fresh perspective to get those gears turning.
Reach out to academics, journalists, technologists, and other well-respected experts in your field to see what’s on their minds. Not only will you come away with some new ideas for topics to write blog posts about, but you might also get some great quotes that you can include in the content.
In addition to making your brand more credible, including original quotes also expands your content’s reach. Those experts will look forward to seeing their words in print, and many will share it with their networks.
The end result is more of the right eyeballs on your blog.
4. Read tech and business news
Staying up-to-date with the latest happenings and trends lets you participate in a larger conversation.
Not only will you learn what’s on people’s minds, but you’ll be able to place your own content into a wider context. You’ll come away with a greater understanding of where you fit within your industry and the economy.
Just make sure you’re getting information from credible sources! If you’re looking for the best publications for tech marketers to follow, check out Dynamic Tech Media’s top 10 list.5. Read a book
Who has time to read books anymore?
If you want to come up with great ideas for your blog, the answer should be you!
Reading a book is an opportunity to engage more deeply with a single subject. So whether you choose the latest nonfiction title from your favorite technology thought leader or pick up a timeless classic that’s always worth reading, you’ll get a chance to deepen your knowledge and exercise your focus.
It may sound nebulous, but it’s actually a great way to come up with new ideas.
Consider this: for much of human history, books represented the best way to participate in an ongoing intellectual dialogue. Authors built upon and refuted each others’ thoughts, and, in this way, they made progress in the sciences and humanities. Pushing the envelope in a field of study requires education, including an understanding of what came before and what’s already been said. That education has largely revolved around reading books.
Tap into that tradition by paying a visit to your local library. You never know what ideas you might discover.
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6. Listen to a podcast
The podcast is the perfect way to engage your mind while otherwise occupied: driving, folding laundry, taking a walk, etc.
The good news is we’re currently living in the golden age of podcasts. There are now around three million active podcasts to choose from, meaning that no matter how niche your technology or business is, you’ll probably be able to find conversations with experts who share their knowledge and insight on current trends and recent developments.
There are podcasts about digital marketing. There are ones about business and economics. And of course there are podcasts about technologies ranging from AI to quantum computing to robotics—and everything in between.
7. Research SEO keywords
Using analysis tools to find search engine optimization (SEO) keyword opportunities can be a great way to come up with blog topics that will perform well in the search engines.
The basic idea is to find relevant keywords with low competition and high search volume.
No matter how you come up with content ideas, SEO research should be part of the overall process.
However, what we often see is digital marketers over-optimizing in this direction.
The result is that they do bring traffic to their website, but because it’s not necessarily the right kinds of people with the right intent, they don’t get the conversion numbers they want.
Remember, traffic quantity doesn’t matter if it’s not the right quality.
8. Search the web and see what your competitors are doing
While you don’t want to fall into the trap of “monkey see, monkey do,” it can be worthwhile to check in on your competitors every once in a while to see what they’re up to.
The most important thing to look for is their shortcomings. What are they missing? What part of the conversation are they not addressing? How can you beat them with more effective messaging?
This could mean writing about the same topic and presenting a different perspective, or it could mean taking the conversation to the next step and offering a unique insight.
9. Search hashtags on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the place to be for B2B, so searching the hashtags that are most relevant to your business can be a great way to come up with ideas. In general, this method follows the same strategy laid out above in checking in on your competitors’ blogs.
The one thing we should add, though, is that you should make sure to play with LinkedIn’s filters. The default “sort by” option is “top match,” which will give you algorithmically recommended posts. This can be useful, but it also introduces the danger of the social media echo chamber effect.
So make sure that at least part of your LinkedIn searching includes sorting by “latest” to maximize your chances of coming across truly new ideas.
10. Ping an AI chatbot
If you’re really stuck on both inspiration and time, prompting an AI chatbot can be a suitable last resort. At the very least, it might start a train of thought that leads somewhere new. Or it might help you to flesh out some of the basics and make sure you’re not missing anything crucial.
The biggest problem here is that, by its very definition, generative AI is only capable of producing what’s come before. It won’t come up with anything unique or genuinely insightful.
As Google Search results get worse due to AI-generated content, it’s becoming more important than ever for brands to distinguish themselves by creating valuable, high-quality content.
The secret to coming up with great blog topics is that there is no secret
Many marketing agencies promise a quick and easy way to come up with great topics for your company blog. These hacks have a place within a balanced content diet, but, just like microwave-ready meals, overreliance creates its own set of problems.
Yes, it’s important to take a data-driven approach to content marketing. But don’t neglect that soft and squishy thing called human intuition.
Notice that the first five methods on this list all involve talking and reading. Listening closely follows up at number six.
What do all of these methods have in common? They all involve engaging in a thoughtful and sustained dialogue.
It takes time, effort, focus, and a willingness to travel down dead-end roads. But if you trust the process, stay curious, and engage in the ongoing dialogue that is technology and today’s tech industry, you can come up with some great, creative content.
Look for ideas in unexpected places, because unexpected content is some of the best content you can make.
Or you can outsource this whole process to Dynamic Tech Media. We’re big-time talkers, readers, listeners, and writers. Get in touch today.
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