31 Prompts to Spark Content Ideas for March

Hello this is Anna, it’s Monthly Content Tips time and I’m writing this after hosting 14 people for dinner last night, feeling exceptionally smug because it only took less than 30 minutes to clear up this morning. 30 minutes! This would have been unheard of 6 months ago.

It turns out that we didn’t need to become tidier people, nor did we need a bigger house or more storage to have a tidier home … we just needed to own less stuff. After getting rid of 50% of our possessions last Autumn, the place just seems to stay in order, even though it’s inhabited by two untidy adults and two very messy kids that have an addiction to collecting sticks.

It brings it home to me (yet again) that less is always more and simpler is always better. It goes without saying that this is most definitely the case for your web copy. Let’s face it, your customers are never, ever going to want to read more than they have to!

You can simplify your content creation too

When it comes to creating content, simpler is better too. The easiest way to simplify is to stick to one key idea for each piece and to ensure you understand the true purpose of everything you create.

The two key purposes of content marketing (aside from helping people) are to either grow your audience or to convert the audience you already have into customers. If you create all your content with either one of these two purposes in mind, you’ll find each piece becomes much tighter and more targeted.

Plus, if you add a specific call to action at the end that you can measure, then you can track and analyse whether each post hits its target.

Keep that in mind as you read these content prompts for March and as usual, add your ideas to your highly organised, super-useful content calendar, available free here: https://goo.gl/6xQCw9

For more ways to simplify your content planning, read this piece I wrote for the Professional Copywriter’s Network.

Here are your 31 prompts:

1: It’s always valuable for your customers and great for sales when you answer some of their most pressing questions. What question are you asked the most and how best can you answer it?

2: Instead of pressing questions, how about you answer their common objections to buying from you instead? Is it price? Then why don’t you write about the money saving benefits of your offering?

3: World Book Day is on the 3rd March- this is a great opportunity to promote your own published work

4: Are there any game changing books that have influenced you lately?

5: Or any old favourites which you think your readers would find particularly valuable?

6: National Unplugging Day follows on the 4th March. Can you provide your audience with some really good reasons to go offline for the day?

7: Or, think of some things in your industry which are better done in a low-tech way?

8: Mother’s Day and International Women’s Day both take place this month- on the 6th and 8th of March - both give you an opportunity to talk about the inspirational women in your life and work.

9: What is the most valuable lesson your mother taught you? How can you apply this to your business? If nothing else, this post will be an amazing Mother’s Day gift :-)

10: Is your industry a stereotypically male or female one? Can you list some trailblazing women within it, and what it is that you admire about them?

11: If you are female, could you share your experience of being a woman in your industry?

12: The UK Government’s next budget is published on the 16th- do you have any predictions you can write about beforehand?

13: …or your reactions to what it reveals?

14: Is there anything in the budget that will affect your readership- tax cuts, or changes?

15: 16th March is also St. Patrick’s Day- could you give your readers a ‘lucky shamrock’ discount code to help boost sales?

16: As March progresses, spring cleaning and decluttering becomes a hot topic. Do you have any top tips for readers to ‘clean up’ their lives or work?

17: Or to simplify their lives?

18: How does ‘less is more’ apply in your working life?

19: Spring always brings a sense of renewal - can you advise your readers on how to start a new project, or introduce a new element to their current work?

20: Or do you want to do the same yourself?

21: What new business would you start if you had unlimited resources? And why?

22: Easter falls in March this year, from Good Friday on the 25th to Easter Monday on the 26th. Obviously if you’re in the chocolate business this is a big one! Another key message of Easter is sacrifice- can you talk about something you’ve given up or done without?

23: Or perhaps something you sacrificed in the early days of your business?

24: Just for fun and for a little boost in traffic, could you host a fun virtual Easter egg hunt around your site, and offer a prize for the winner?

25: The clocks go forward on the 27th- what will you do with an extra hour of light in the day?

26: Do you have a morning ritual you could share? (And can you share it with me please because despite the tidy house I still run around like a nutter every morning)

27: Or any other habits that help you stay productive? We humans are naturally nosy and do enjoy some juicy behind-the-scenes snippets from the people we admire and follow.

28: The financial new year starts at the beginning of April, so the end of March is an ideal time to post reminders of what needs to be done beforehand.

29: Or to share some ideas and strategies for success in the new financial year.

30: Now that we’re almost a quarter of the way through 2016 (eek!) what - in your particular field - are you most concerned about and why should we be worried too?

31: And finally, what - in your particular field - are you most excited by right now and why should we all be thrilled too?

Hurrah for that, we only went and made it through to the end of list!

So, there we have it - 31 prompts to kick-start your content, keep it topical and timely.

P.S. If you enjoyed this, please sign up on the right hand side for inspiration all month long (we’ll be sure to send you content prompts for April before this month is out as well as many, many more ideas you can use).