Stuck in a Content Rut?

It used to be called writer’s block. Now it’s called the content rut. The content rut is a challenging time when creative ideas don’t flow quite as easily. There can be many reasons behind it, but the goal is get out of the rut quickly and avoid true burnout.

Social media is a demanding animal. Like a pet that needs constant attention, social media requires care and feeding in the form of posting, commenting, liking, sharing and otherwise engaging with other creators as well. What happens when the creativity slows down? What happens when you’re in a slump without fresh ideas?

We’d like to offer you 5 solutions to bust out of the content rut and get back to content creation with enthusiasm.

1. Schedule time off.

2. Determine the source of your frustration.

3. Square one.

4. Share what makes your heart skip a beat.

5. Offer a discount or giveaway.

1. Schedule time off.

It can be difficult to even consider taking time off. Think of this instead. In many other businesses or workplace, sick days and vacation days are generally provided or allowed. Each week offers two days per week to rest and recharge. Social media may be the beast that never sleeps, but that doesn’t mean you let it call the shots.

If time off is needed and you don’t take it, you will face burnout sooner or later. Start by scheduling two days off per week where you don’t post or even log on to social media. If two days is difficult, start with one day. Look ahead in your content calendar and schedule a week of time to completely unplug and recharge your mind.

Social media never closes, it never stops and it can be a cruel master. It’s important to be a user of social media and not let social media use you.

2. Determine your source of frustration.

There may be a reason for the rut. Use part of your planning time to consider if there’s a problem that needs to be fixed in order for you to have creativity freely flowing once again.

In working with a client once, we struggled to complete a design that we had done many times over with them. A print piece of media was necessary for a special event. We had done many of these types of pieces in the past, but this one was different. There was so much confusion in the design process, and we must have offered a dozen edits. The source of frustration was a lack of communication and knowledge on the particulars of the design they required. At a dozen edits, a conversation was had that cleared up the expectations and design requirements and quickly the next edit was the golden one. This could have been an easy fix earlier in the process. Determine the source of frustration quickly and make adjustments.

A second client was slow in sending information and content for posting. Sourcing photos and information was challenging at best. Rather than wait on photos from the business owner, we decided to go and shoot some of our own to fill in the gaps when photos and content submission was extra slow.

3. Square one.

Where did you start when you were new on social media? Personal introductions are a great conversation starter when the content rut slows you down. Introduce yourself and cover the basics of your business. Explain (once again) why people need your goods or services. Start at the very beginning.

This type of content will do two things for you. One, it will remind you why you started and why you love your work. Two, it will give you another opportunity to tell new people what you do and love and why they need it 

4. Share what makes your heart skip a beat.

We often use the phrase, “that doesn’t really light my fire” when we talk about things we do not love. This tip for content creation is the opposite: share what lights your fire. In my life apart from marketing and social media, I love gardening, bread baking, and I hope to have a milk cow one day. Sharing things that you love is a great way to connect with people who might not otherwise find your content and your business. Not every post has to directly connect to your business. Sometimes the best connection lies in common ground and shared interests.

THE most successful social media users are the ones who share their life without apology and use social media to connect with others who have similar interests. When you find an account you love to follow, ask what you love about their content.

5. Offer a discount or giveaway.

The reason we love discounts and giveaways is obvious. Everyone loves a good deal, and everyone loves a free gift. Offer a discount on your products or services. Offer a giveaway of a product for likes, follows and shares. Ask people for reviews of your product or service. Team up with another account similar to yours and offer a giveaway.

There are plenty of ways to break out of a content rut. Some of them are really simple – you just might need a break or a vacation. Some of them require more thought and a little bit of work. The main point is not staying stuck.

This article from Content Hubble provides some fun and interesting strategies to escape the content rut. Give it a read here:

https://contenthubble.com/blog/the-content-rut/

One service we offer at Flywheel Marketing is consulting. We partner with businesses that may just need some guidance and fresh approach to what you’re already doing. We’d love to work with you to bring new ideas to the table.  Working with Flywheel is really easy and there is absolutely no pressure from us. We want to help you succeed. Click the button for a free quote and let us know how we can help you grow your online presence.