I’ve mentioned before that the internet is an everlasting gobstopper of content – not matter how long you suck on it, the flavour keeps coming.
Ok, that metaphor’s getting weird…
Let me start again.
As entrepreneurs, we have a lot of shit to get done. Click & Tweet!
We’re in charge of our client satisfaction, our marketing, our product development, our admin and accounting, our facilities issues, our tech… the list goes on and on – and that’s before we even get to content creation.
Content creation is HUGELY important – it affects almost every element of your business. But… it’s a lot of work. Sometimes, it can feel like you really just don’t have the time, especially when you start thinking about everything else you’re responsible for.
So I’ve put together a list of Content Quickies – 50 little actions designed to amp up your web content that can be done in ten minutes or less Click & Tweet! . Tea break tasks, for those not ready to outsource Click & Tweet! .
Content Quickies
77 ways to sex up your blog in 10 minutes or less.
It is doable, this content creation malarkey, you just need to break it up into chunks and work through one at a time.
- Pick one of your categories and take it over to Pinterest. Create a secret board, and spend a few minutes curating links to inspire future articles.
- Read this guide to visual content, written by the amazing Jo Gifford, for the low down on how to rock your online visuals.
- Click on “explore” in your blog reader of choice (mine is Feedly), and find three new blogs to read.
- Use Evernote to record your thoughts on a book you’ve read recently, and get it transcribed over on Fiverr (wham, bam, review done, ma’am!)
- Flick through an old magazine and note down the first ten headlines that catch your eye. Take a moment to think about tweaks you could make to make them useful for your site. (Find some inspiration here and here.)
- Look at your Buffer analytics and create a link post out of your most popular shares.
- Use one of these questions to help you brainstorm some content ideas.
- Ask a question on Twitter, in two Facebook groups and in your next newsletter. Collect the responses and add your commentary.
- Spend some time filing all those stray notes in Evernote – you might rediscover some gems you haven’t thought about in aaaages.
- Skim through your Google Analytics (I use the really handy, really lazy WordPress plug-in) – which has been your most popular post this month? Create a quick graphic in Canva, and add it to your sidebar. Bonus points if pin it to the top of your Twitter feed too.
- Have your latest scope transcribed, give it a sense check, then publish!
- Bust the clutter on your desktop (literal or digital) and clear yourself some space for greatness.
- Pick 4 bloggers you’d love to engage with, and make a point of commenting on their sites a couple of times a week for the next month.
- Skim through some of your fave Facebook groups and see if anyone has posted a question you can answer. Bonus points if you turn that Q into the topic of a blog post. My favourites are Brilliance Ignition Power Moves and The Freelance Lifestylers (both perfect for creative biz-owning types).
- Go to the library and pick up some book porn.
- Email the last 3 people you worked with and ask for some feedback. Now get those testimonials up on your site!
- Revisit an old course you’ve taken – flick through the comments and see if you can turn some of those discussions into blog posts.
- Dip into your archives – can you revamp an old blog series and turn it into a free ebook (aka an opt-in/bribe to lure people onto your mailing list).
- Add a little bit of sparkle to your bio – then copy this across all your social platforms.
- Tear up some old magazines and create a collage to help you develop a style guide.
- Read one of the many freebies you’ve signed up for – bonus points if you review it on your blog.
- Install a broken link checker to make sure your content stays relevant.
- Draft an auto-responder, and use that space to link back to some of your most popular content.
- Scroll through your blog’s dashboard and categorize the uncategorized.
- Cull your subscriptions with Unroll.me (and smush them up into a daily digest).
- Update 3 of your earliest posts and make them evergreen.
- Sign up for IFTTT and automate some sharing. Here are a few ideas to get your started:
>> Send all new posts from WordPress to Twitter, followed by #newpost
>> Send all tweets with #newpost straight to your Facebook business page
>> Send all Instagram updates to your Twitter feed and Facebook business page
>> Send all Facebook business page updates to Buffer, so you can cascade them through all of your platforms at a later date - Take some behind-the-scenes pictures and start building your own stock library.
- Pick a trending topic on Twitter (preferably one in your niche) and embed some tweets directly into your blog post or newsletter.
- Make a list of 10 things you want to get done over the next 6 months.
- Sign up to 750words.com and commit to writing something – anything – every day.
- Which posts haven’t performed as well as you hoped? Add a link to your sidebar and make it the topic of your next newsletter.
- Write an email to your fave blogger, thanking them for what they’ve brought to your life. Be super specific, and super sincere.
- Create (or update) your FAQ page. Not had any questions yet? Let me help you get going:
>> What do you actually do?
>> How can I work with you?
>> What are your top blogging tips for those just starting out?
>> Where do you find your inspiration?
>> Can you share your favourite business tools?
>> Which blogs do you like to read? - Add the link to your opt-in to your social media bios and email signature.
- Use Canva to turn an old article into a pretty PDF, and offer it as an additional freebie.
- Had an interesting chat in Facebook messenger? Turn it into a blog post.
- Flick through your daily unroll.me digest, and respond to your two favourite mailings.
- Install “Revive old post” and start re-airing your archives.
- Use this free checklist to audit your brand.
- Pull out 5 quotes you love and create speedy shareable graphics using Pablo.
- There’s an app for that. Whatever your problem is, I stand by my previous statement. Look into getting a new app that will help you with your biz or blog – bonus points if you review it too.
- Collate a list of “promo days” from all of your Facebook groups, so you know when and where to pimp your products, posts and services.
- Google yourself. Don’t like what pops up? Change it.
- Create a quick survey to see what your readers fancy. I love the free POWr plugin because you can make them pretty, and embed straight into your blog post.
- Treat yourself to a new notebook, and copy down the notes from all of those endless post-its.
- Arrange a Skype chat with an online buddy to bounce some ideas around. OR record yourselves chatting about an industry issue and embed it in a blog post.
- Add links to 5 of your greatest posts on your “start here” page.
- Make a wishlist of online courses you’d like to take (and strategically share it next time you have a birthday coming up!)
- Take a real break.
So there you have it – 50 content quickies to get your fingers typing and your readers reading.
Content Quickies
77 ways to sex up your blog in 10 minutes or less.
What’s your favourite ten-minute task for amping up your content?