5 Simple Ways to Create Content for Boring Industries

As more and more people come to realize the importance of content marketing,  creating content is one of the major tasks for online marketers.  Are you in a boring industry?  Have you ever felt that you have nothing to write about your boring industry? Trust me, you are not alone.  Not everyone likes to write content for boring industries such as office supplies, life insurance, tire, software, etc.  I often get questions on how to create content for boring industries. In this blog post, I am going to share with you 5 simple ways to write for boring industries.

1.    Write about FAQ you get from your customers

Image courtesy of Fabienne Dubosson

I am sure there are some FAQ (frequently asked questions) you get from dealing with your customers on a daily basis.  You can easily write a blog post to answer each question.  By directing people to your website for the answers, it not only saves you time but also brings traffic to your website.  You can even use the same content in your email marketing.  You are going to love the fact that you create content once and you can use it over and over.

If you run out of your own collection of FAQ, don’t forget to search on your industry forums, Yahoo Answers and Quora for more.

2.    Be creative and think outside the box

If you are in a boring business, let’s say life insurance, do you have to stick with this topic all the time?  Of course not.  Find out what other topics your customers would be interested in.  For example, you can write something about healthy life style or healthy tips for holiday.  http://www.lifeinsure.com/  has some good examples that give you new ideas.

3.    Tell a story

People love to read stories.  They may forget about your product features and statistics, but they will remember your stories.   A good story grabs people’s attention.  It sticks in reader’s mind for a longer period of time, sometimes even for years.

I remember I read an article about travel medical insurance for visitors to Canada many years ago.  In the article, the author started by telling a story about an old couple visiting their son’s family in Toronto.  The father had a heart attack during his stay.  The medical bill was close to $100,000.  Luckily, his son bought travel medical insurance for his father so all his medical expenses were covered by the insurance.  Then the author talked about the travel medical insurances he represented.  Years later, I still remember the story.  It is pretty amazing! Now, start to collect stories about your industry.

4.    Make your content visual and interesting to read

Articles with plain instructions on how to use a product are boring.  You can change this by creating a short how-to video, infographic or using colorful images. Also remember to use attention-grabbing headlines, sub-headlines, short paragraphs and bigger fond to make it easier to read.  When you write, add a touch of your personality and a sense of humor to your content.

5.    Guest blogging makes your life easier

You can invite your loyal customers or experts in your industry to write for you.  Your audience would love to read from different perspectives, especially what other customers say about you.  To make it more attractive and exciting, you can organize a writing contest and offer incentives such as gift cards or free trips to the winner.  By doing so, you can easily collect some really good content for your website.

You see there is no such thing as a boring industry. There are just boring writers who aren’t creative.  Be creative and be inspired to create engaging content that solve people’s problem and add value to their life.  Do you have other great ideas that help you create engaging content for boring industries?  Feel free to share your ideas in the comment area below.