We all know that feeling.
The one that comes when you’re staring at your screen, wondering how to conjure up a new content idea that will resonate with your audience.
When it comes to content creation, the biggest setback for a lot of agents is simply figuring out what to post each day. The constant demand for original ideas, the pressure to maintain a consistent posting schedule, and the desire to produce quality content can lead to an overwhelming creative block.
Luckily, this was a topic of discussion during this week’s Marketing Strategy Session webinar. Hosted by Haley Ingram of Coffee & Contracts and The Broke Agent of BAM, panelists Chelsea Peitz, Dustin Brohm and Dan Oneil shared their top marketing strategies for 2023.
And today, we’re sharing their top tips for when you’re overthinking content.
#1—Use AI to Your Advantage
Even the most innovative among us wind up facing that creative block from time to time—but with today’s technology, coming up with a fresh content idea doesn’t have to be such a struggle.
Dustin Brohm, aka Massive Agent, recommends turning to AI tools like ChatGPT or Bard.
They eliminate blank page syndrome. They eliminate that, ‘Oh my God, what do I do?’ You just ask it—here’s my audience…give me some ideas for posts.
When asking for content ideas, be sure to include your target audience and some general guidelines in order to avoid getting back responses that are too generic. Here are a few to get you started:
- What are some pain points for first-time homebuyers?
- What are the 5 hardest things about buying a house?
- What frustrates people about working with an agent?
Dustin also shared the biggest mistake people make when using ChatGPT and other AI tools—and that’s copy and paste. Once you have some ideas, combine them with your expertise and personality to create an original post that reflects your style.
#2—Think About the Pain Points of Your Audience
People struggle to get on camera because they don’t think they have anything to say. Simply turning your attention to your audience can make a big difference.
Instead of agonizing over what to share, think about the person you want to connect with. Who are they? What are their pain points?
If you don’t know what to say, it’s often because you don’t know WHO you’re talking to.
Once you’ve listed out some pain points, you can create content surrounding those issues. What can you do to help them solve those issues?
And, as Chelsea Pietz said, if you don’t know their pain points, then that needs to become part of your process. Think about it like an interview—ask your clients and prospects what is stressing them out. You have to understand where people are coming from and what is holding them back. From there, your job is to walk them through those challenges.
#3—Practice Creating Content
Like anything, the more you practice, the easier it gets to come up with ideas.
A lot of people don’t think anything worth sharing happens in their typical day-to-day lives. But that’s because they are too close to what’s happening. When you take a step back and really look at what goes on throughout your day, you could find endless inspiration for content that either entertains or adds value (or both).
Dan Oneil suggests reflecting back on your day through journaling and tracking your activities. He notices this has impacted his business in two ways:
- The correlation between activity and results (or even mood) becomes very clear. For example, the weeks where he consistently gets to the gym are the weeks he feels better.
- Looking back at your journal entries brings up great content that you can share—whether stories about deals gone wrong or strategies that helped clients secure a deal.
The Broke Agent has found that when you start looking at your day through the lens of a content creator, the easier it gets to spot stories worth sharing.
The more content you do—it becomes like a muscle. Even when I’m watching TV or scrolling through Instagram, when I see a video, I start to realize, ‘That’s a perfect video for a Broke Agent Meme.’ Or if I’m reading a blog, I think, ‘This title is good for a BAM post.’ The more you do, the more you consume, the stronger (the) muscle.
Next time you find yourself staring at a blank page, try out one of these strategies so you can create your post and get back to your clients.
