Feeling Stuck? Try These Content Ideas for Small Businesses.

July 15, 2024

Content helps you connect, right? It gives insights into your business, your personality, and your culture. But boy, can it be draining. And as awesome as AI is there are only so many times you can ask it for blog ideas for the exact same audience before it starts to sound the same.


So where do you get new content ideas and inspiration to attract and retain customers? And how do you keep your content fresh and relevant? Let’s dig into some sources and strategies to generate, curate, and hybridize content for your blog posts, articles, videos, and social media.


Ideas for Generating Original Content


One of the most reliable sources for original content ideas is customer feedback and questions. By monitoring your customer service emails, social media comments, and online reviews, you can gain valuable insights into what your audience cares about and what issues they need help with.


Content created this way is extra valuable because it:


  •         helps you address their concerns directly
  •         builds a sense of community and engagement around your brand (if it’s a great question, you can call them out on a video or podcast thanking them for the idea)
  •        provides rich material for SEO
  •        gives you an opportunity for your brand to provide value

Talk to your sales team about what potential customers need to know, where they get confused, and what they most often ask. Then look at the most frequently asked questions to your customer service team. Go through social media inquiries and emails. Answer the most popular questions through a variety of mediums including video, audio, blogs, articles, and social media posts. Depending on your industry and the depth of the questions, you may even consider creating a report from them.


Questions can also be a great source of humorous content just make sure when you are creating your own comedy that you’re not hurting someone’s feelings or making fun of them for asking a question. If you want to poke fun of anyone, make sure it’s at your own expense, not theirs.


Staying updated with the latest news in your industry is another effective way to generate content ideas. Following industry blogs, subscribing to newsletters, and joining relevant forums and social media groups can keep you informed about current trends and developments. This knowledge allows you to produce timely and relevant content that positions your brand as a thought leader. Don’t just parrot their stuff, give your take.


Consider creating listicles such as “10 Ways to Improve Your [Industry] Skills” or how-to guides like “Step-by-Step Guide to Using Our Product.”


Additionally, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at your business can create a more personal connection with your audience. Consider creating a day in the life of your team, the making of your products, or how you maintain quality. Again, it can be funny. Authentic behind-the-scenes content can humanize your brand and build trust.


Customer success stories and case studies are also powerful sources of content. Highlighting how your products or services have helped your customers provides social proof of your brand’s value and can serve as persuasive testimonials for potential customers.


Ways to Curate Valuable Content


You don’t have to do it all on your own. Curating content from other sources is an excellent way to keep your audience informed and engaged without having to produce everything from scratch. When you share something, make sure you explain why. It will give an added richness to the content.


Tools like Feedly, Pocket, or Flipboard can help you collect and share relevant articles, blog posts, and news stories. By curating content from reputable sources, you can position your brand as a knowledgeable and reliable resource in your industry.


Your social media feeds are another source of content for curation. By following influencers, industry leaders, and competitors, you can find and share posts that resonate with your audience. Create roundup posts with the best content from your feed to further enhance your brand’s credibility.


User-generated content is another valuable resource for curation. Encouraging your customers to share their experiences with your products/services on social media provides you with free, authentic content. Reposting their photos, videos, and testimonials (with proper credit) not only fills your content calendar but also builds a community around your brand.


Using Hybrid Content Strategies


Hybrid content strategies, which blend original and curated content, can be particularly effective. One such strategy is conducting interviews or inviting guest posts from industry experts, influencers, or satisfied customers. This not only brings fresh perspectives to your content, but also taps into the contributors’ audiences. Collaborating with industry influencers brings new perspectives, points of view, and personalities to your content. Look for influencers who align with your brand values, target audience, and industry niche.


Collaborating with other brands for co-branded content is another hybrid strategy worth exploring. Joint blog posts, videos, or social media campaigns with complementary businesses can expand your reach and introduce your brand to new audiences.


Repurposing your content is a practical hybrid strategy that maximizes the value of your existing content. For example, a well-performing blog post can be transformed into a video, infographic, or a series of social media posts. This allows you to reach different audience segments across various platforms without having to create new content from scratch. Additionally, if you got good traction on a piece from several years ago, look to how you might freshen it up. Don’t have the time? AI can help.


Creative Places for Content Ideas

You don’t have to be all business in your content inspiration. Try these ideas.


Finding Inspiration in Pop Culture


Your audience are people first and foremost. They listen to music, watch movies, binge TV shows, and may even play video games. Tapping into pop culture helps you find common ground and relate on a human level (as appropriate for your target audience). One way to do this is to tap into what’s current right now — the latest TikTok craze or hot news story. That’s a good tactic for social media posts, where you can make a quick reference before the fad passes. For blog content, look for topics that are more evergreen. Pop culture titans like Taylor Swift, Star Wars, and Tom Brady have inspired plenty of colorful content that has a little more staying power than Chewbacca mom or a colored dress.


When It’s About You, Make It About Them


Interactive social media posts such as polls asking “Which of Our Products Do You Love the Most?” or contests and giveaways can drive engagement and increase your reach. Posting quotes and tips related to your products can also keep your social media channels vibrant and engaging.


Tapping into Internal Resources


Employees are a treasure trove of knowledge, expertise, and unique perspectives. Encourage them to contribute to your content creation efforts by sharing their insights, experiences, and ideas. Seek out your social-media-savvy employees and come to them with specific asks. Show appreciation by recognizing and rewarding their contributions to your content marketing efforts. Whether it’s through public recognition, incentives, or professional development opportunities, acknowledging the value employees bring to your content strategy will encourage continued participation.


Leveraging AI for Brainstorming


In case you missed the last two years of headlines, AI is already changing the way marketers work. It’s ideal to jumpstart your creative brain if you’re feeling stuck. Ask a program like ChatGPT to help you brainstorm ideas for your blog, social media, or other medium. Tell it who your audience is, the type of content you want, and any themes you want to include. Goals help too. For example, you could ask, “Help me come up with creative ideas for blog posts to get more readers. My company sells biscuits, and our target audience is 30-50-year-old business professionals with a weight problem. Include pop culture references that would resonate with that demographic.” This kind of prompt can generate unique and relevant ideas that you can further refine and develop.


By using a mix of your own content, curating from others, and creating hybrid work, you can keep your audience engaged and your brand relevant. Remember, the key is to provide value, be authentic, stay consistent, and occasionally make them laugh.


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Christina Metcalf is a writer/ghostwriter who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She loves road trips, hates exclamation points, and is currently reading three books at once.

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Medium: @christinametcalf

Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

Mid-Year Reset: 5 Smart Moves to Strengthen Your Small Business

June 9, 2025
The year's midpoint is your wake-up call—refocus now to finish strong. Scrutinize your numbers to find what’s working (and what’s not). Reboot your marketing before seasonal shifts hit. Remove workflow roadblocks to boost team output. Reconnect with your business’s core purpose. 597 Words ~ 3 minute read The midpoint of the year often hits like a reality check: goals half-met, momentum lagging, and a to-do list that keeps growing. But this moment is also a strategic gift: a reset button that can set you up for a stronger, smarter second half. Here are five high-impact moves to help you reset with intention and finish the year with confidence: 1. Run the Numbers, Then Rewrite the Playbook Take a hard look at your financials. Are you ahead, behind, or coasting? Scrutinize revenue trends, margins, and expenses. Identify what’s draining resources and double down on what’s driving growth. Use the insights to reshape your financial strategy for the next six months, because winging it isn’t a plan. 2. Reboot Your Marketing Before the Fall Rush If your marketing has lost steam, this is your window to revive it. Launch a seasonal promotion, refine your messaging, or test new channels to re-engage your audience. And don’t wait to prep for fall. Holiday planning starts now. Review your content calendar, track past performance, and align campaigns with your business goals. 3. Clear the Roadblocks Slowing Your Team Small inefficiencies become big headaches by year’s end. What processes are wasting time? Where’s the communication breaking down? Invite your team to flag friction points and co-create solutions. Even modest upgrades, such as automating reports, streamlining meetings and clarifying roles, can drive major gains. Harvard Business Review explores how better collaboration fuels better outcomes. 4. Recalibrate Your Goals and Reset Priorities It’s okay if the goals you set in January don’t fit anymore. Priorities evolve. What matters is focus. Reassess your KPIs and trim anything that’s distracting from your top objectives. Reset your team’s focus around fewer, clearer targets so execution becomes simpler and more powerful. 5. Reconnect with Your Why Amid the grind, your original mission can get blurry. Take a step back to reflect: Why did you start this business? Who do you serve, and how do you want to show up for them? Realigning with your purpose energizes your leadership and clarifies your brand. Fast Company outlines how reconnecting to your “why” boosts both engagement and performance. Bottom Line: A mid-year reset isn’t just a productivity hack, it’s a strategic imperative. It gives you space to pause, zoom out, and ask the critical questions that get lost in day-to-day urgency. By evaluating your numbers, refreshing your marketing, streamlining operations, focusing your goals, and reigniting your purpose, you give your business the fuel it needs to finish the year not just intact, but thriving. This isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most with greater clarity, consistency, and conviction. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.

5 Genius Ways AI Can Stretch Your Existing Content

June 9, 2025
Who isn’t feeling the pain of being stretched too thin these days? If you’ve dabbled with AI, you may have cut the time it takes you to do administrative tasks by as much as 26 minutes a day (at least according to a recent survey in the UK). However, it’s possible to do a lot more than that when you move past administrative tasks and see where else you can do more with less. One of these areas is content. Most businesses are sitting on goldmines of content and don’t even know it. This article will show you five genius ways to get more out of what you already have by repurposing and restructuring the media. 1. Turn Longform Content into Shortform Gold Feed your existing blog posts, eBooks, or newsletters into an AI tool to extract highlights, tips, or quotes for social media posts. Creative twist: Use AI to rewrite the same message in multiple tones—professional, humorous, casual—or tailor it for different platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook. 2. Transform Video or Podcast Transcripts into Written Content AI transcription tools can convert spoken content into text. Use a language model to turn that transcript into blog posts, newsletters, or Q&A articles. Creative twist: Convert a video transcript into a “Top 5 Takeaways” post, a tutorial, or a visually rich infographic with AI-generated headlines. 3. Create Content for Different Audiences from One Source Take a general piece of content (like a blog post) and ask AI to adapt it for different member personas such as new members, loyal/engaged members, or industry partners. Creative twist: Turn one blog post into: · A beginner’s guide on the topic · A technical breakdown · A “pitch” version for partners or press releases 4. Build an Email Series from a Single Piece Take a detailed guide or blog post and ask AI to break it into a 3–5-part email series, complete with subject lines, CTAs, and value-focused messaging. Email series can be very effective in helping your content get noticed. People may not take the time to read a 700-word blog post, but if you email the summary points across several days, they’ll get the gist of the message and will most likely remember it better than reading it all at once. Creative twist: Include AI-generated teaser lines or questions at the end of each email to boost open and click rates. 5. Reimagine Content as Interactive Tools or Experiences Use AI to turn tips, FAQs, or how-to guides into interactive quizzes, calculators, or chatbot scripts that educate and engage users. Example: Turn a skincare routine blog into a “What’s Your Skin Type?” quiz, or a business checklist into a “Startup Readiness Scorecard.” The titles you choose for the materials can make the content a lot more appealing. You can even use reimagined, designed pieces as lead magnets. People often won’t recognize it in another format. Speaking of, upload any written content onto NotebookLM and create a podcast on the topic. You can even tell it which parts of the text you want it to pay attention to or avoid. There are so many things you can do with existing content and marketing collateral you already have. If you can’t think of any creative ideas on how to repurpose those critical pieces, ask AI. Tell it your audience and your goal behind repurposing the content. Then ask it to suggest some ideas to you. You’ll be surprised what it comes up with. ------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith

When Strategy Stalls: 4 Moves to Regain Momentum

June 2, 2025
Pause to Stabilize: Cut costs and renegotiate to create breathing room. Pivot, Don’t Panic: Explore new markets or customer segments while staying agile. Learn Fast or Fall Behind: Turn setbacks into insights through rapid experimentation. Guard the Downside: Hedge risks and protect what matters most. 600 words ~ 3 min. read Even seasoned leaders know the sting of a strategy that’s no longer working. But the real measure of leadership isn’t avoiding failure—it’s how decisively and creatively you pivot when the path ahead shifts. When strategic plans falter—whether due to market turbulence, internal missteps, or external shocks—leaders must act not with panic, but with precision. Drawing from Harvard Business Review’s “How to Rescue a Failing Strategy,” here are four pivotal moves to help regain strategic traction. 1. Pause to Stabilize If your strategy is wobbling, the first priority is to buy time without triggering chaos. Consider: Reducing burn rate by cutting non-essential expenses Freezing expansion plans that strain resources Renegotiating contracts or vendor terms to ease cash flow Retailers, for instance, might pause new store openings to refocus on e-commerce logistics. Nonprofits may temporarily halt new program rollouts to concentrate on core impact areas. This strategic pause buys clarity—and the space to think critically. 2. Pivot, Don’t Panic Locking into one approach can be dangerous when conditions change. Instead, design options: Enter adjacent customer segments Test low-risk partnerships or distribution channels Pilot tweaks to product offerings or delivery models For manufacturers, this might mean adapting existing equipment to serve a neighboring industry. Professional services firms could pivot to virtual delivery or a subscription-based model. Related reading: McKinsey on adaptive strategies 3. Learn Fast or Fall Behind Use turbulence as a catalyst to turn your organization into a fast learner. That means: Running controlled experiments on pricing, offers, or ops Creating real-time feedback loops from customers and staff Making strategic reviews more iterative, less static Construction firms might beta-test prefab components for speed and cost. Tech startups could A/B test UX changes weekly. Also worth reading: Bain on learning organizations 4. Guard the Downside Pivots come with risk. Your job? Minimize exposure while staying bold. Cap investments in unproven ideas Increase controls around key financial or operational processes Develop contingency plans for likely risk scenarios Think of this as smart aggression—pushing forward without leaving your core vulnerable. Bottom Line Every organization will face moments when strategy falters. The difference lies in the response. Leaders who act with focus—stabilizing, experimenting, and protecting—don’t just recover; they reposition for smarter, stronger growth. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.