While meditation is scientifically proven to increase productivity and improve concentration, one of the most common challenges is staying focused—which is why Guided mediation was created. The same concept rings true when generating B2B content ideas. You have the knowledge and expertise in your industry to create valuable content, but you need a jump-start. This is where what we call “Guided Content Creation” comes into play through platforms like Quora or Reddit. It’s one of the tactics we use when building a robust content strategy for our clients.
People love to vent about what they love, hate, are challenged on, or excited about. Often overlooked platforms like Quora and Reddit can help provide irresistible content for your B2B blog, plus they’re a goldmine for qualified leads—no matter which industry you’re in.
Although Quora is younger than Reddit, it’s exploding with traffic. SEMrush said it perfectly, "On Quora, you can get more high-quality traffic, boost your authority and learn more about your audience." Quora generates 300 million monthly visitors, putting it within the top 60 websites in America, and the top 120 in the world. With over 400,000 topics available, there’s a subject with a list of related topics for every industry.
Reddit is a social sharing website that is also divided into smaller communities called subreddits. A subreddit is a board dedicated to a certain topic. Each one begins with reddit.com/r, such as reddit.com/r/marketing. Users depend on Reddit to find new content, websites, and resources, similar to their interests, which is why more than 50% of the content in top subreddits are links.
From the few statistics listed above, you can see the databases for Quora and Reddit are huge. How do you begin to tap into the gold that is the users’ stream of consciousness? Start broad, then narrow down. The best way to “eat the elephant” is to start with one bite. Here are some easily digestible ways to get started on your search:
Search by Industry—If you serve a particular niched vertical, start there to see if there are any groups formed around this vertical. Industries will range from Media and Marketing to Small Business, Educators, and Retail.
Search by Profession or Title—If you serve many industries but only a particular job function, search for specific titles such as: Human Resources, Copywriters, CEOs, etc.
Search by tools Used—If the industry you serve uses a popular tools, for example, Quickbooks, Photoshop, or Zoom, chances are there's a group already established around this area.
Once you've found a group (or a few groups) that are perfect for pruning, you can organize your research based on the vertical, problem, or industry that interests you. The best way to prune a group is by conducting a deeper search on trigger words or phrases. Some of the most popular trigger phrases are:
See a pattern here? These are words used when someone is questioning something and they want a direct answer.
Organize your findings into these categories for a quick reference later by using a spreadsheet tool or google doc. Check out this video where Amy Hoy, of Stacking The Bricks, offers a brilliant way of organizing Quora and Reddit research so that it's easy to find when generating B2B content ideas.
The search for B2B content ideas on Quora and Reddit doesn't stop after your search and organize your findings. You also want to validate your findings with your team. Most times, when it comes to group brainstorming, it takes a minute for momentum to start. When you first conduct your "Guided Content Creation" tactic, come to you team with leading questions, statements, and insights to help kick off a productive content brainstorming session with them.
This process enhances your ideas so that you're providing more engaging, valuable, and relatable content to your audience. Before you know it, you'll have a long list of ideas to speak on and write about. Use this to create content such as blogs, checklists, videos, infographics, and more!
Using a "Guided Content Creation" process through platforms like Quora and Reddit, helps you develop rich content that's irresistible to your prospects and clients alike, and puts you in the spotlight as a thought leader. Exploring the threads and comments in targeted groups that reflect your target persona(s) will help you understand their challenges, and in turn, allow you to create a more effective and relevant content strategy that will drive traffic, leads, and new business.