“What on earth are we going to post about this week?”

If you’ve ever stared at a blank social media planner, tried to think of a topic for your next article or needed an idea for a campaign, you’ll know that coming up with something interesting can sometimes feel like the hardest part of marketing.

But here’s the thing, you probably don’t need to be more creative. You just need to start looking in different places.

Some of the best marketing ideas aren’t dreamed up in a brainstorming session. They’re already happening around you.

Here are 10 places I look for inspiration.

1.Topical news - What’s happening in the world, your industry or your local area?  News stories can provide a great hook for content, particularly when you can relate them back to what you do.  A new piece of legislation, a change in consumer behaviour, a business story or even something completely unexpected can prompt a useful article or social post. 

You don't have to comment on the news itself. Use it as a starting point for a conversation that is relevant to your audience.  

For example, a news story about businesses adopting AI could become an article about what AI actually means for your particular industry, rather than another generic “AI is changing everything” post.

2. Cultural influences and popular culture - Look beyond your own industry.  TV programmes, films, music, sport, books, advertising campaigns, exhibitions, fashion and even memes can all provide inspiration.  What are people talking about? What brands are doing something interesting? What has made you stop scrolling? 

You don't have to jump on every trend. In fact, please don't.  Instead, ask “Is there something happening in popular culture that gives me a useful way to explain what we do?” 

A familiar cultural reference can make a complicated business subject much easier to understand.

3. National awareness days and weeks - There is an awareness day for almost everything these days. Some are useful, some are decidedly random, and some are best left well alone. 

The trick is relevance.  Don't post about National Whatever Day simply because it's in the calendar. Ask whether it gives you a genuine reason to talk about your business, your customers or something you care about. 

For example, a recruitment business might use National Apprenticeship Week to talk about developing young talent. An accountant could use Financial Capability Week as a prompt to discuss financial planning. A manufacturer might connect an environmental awareness campaign with something it is actually doing. 

There are plenty of calendars available to help you find dates worth considering, but you don't need to use them all. A handful of relevant dates is much better than a calendar full of forced content.

4. Anniversaries and milestones - Your business has a history. Use it.  How long have you been trading? When did you launch a particular service? When did someone join the business? Have you moved premises, won an award, reached a significant number of customers or completed an important project? 

Milestones can become:

• Social media posts
• Website articles
• Customer stories
• PR opportunities
• Email campaigns
• “Then and now” content
• A series of posts looking back at your journey. 

And don't assume nobody is interested. Your history helps demonstrate experience, credibility and personality.

5. What's happening inside your business? - Some of the easiest content ideas are sitting right under your nose.

A new member of staff. A promotion. A training course. A new qualification. A charity fundraiser. A team away day. A new piece of equipment. A new office. A company award.

Your customers don't just want to know what you sell. They also want to know who they're buying from.  People make businesses interesting.

And if you're a B2B business, don't underestimate the value of showing the people behind the company.

6. Questions customers keep asking - This is one of my favourite sources of content. 

If one customer asks a question, chances are somebody else has wondered about it too.  Keep a note of the questions you hear in meetings, on the phone, by email and during sales conversations. 

Then turn them into content.

• “How often should I...?”
• “What's the difference between...?”
• “Do I really need...?”
• “What happens if...?”

These questions can become articles, FAQs, videos, social posts or even entire campaigns.

And there's another benefit; you're creating content around things your customers actually want to know.

7. Your sales team - Marketing and sales should never operate in separate little bubbles.

Your sales team is talking to customers and prospects every day. They know the objections, questions, misconceptions and concerns that are coming up.  Ask them:

• What are customers asking about?
• What are they getting wrong?
• Why are they hesitating?
• What do they wish people understood before they bought from us?

There is your content plan.  Better still, content created around genuine sales conversations can help marketing support the sales process rather than simply generating more things to post.

8. Your customers - Your customers can provide inspiration in all sorts of ways. 

What problems are they trying to solve? What changes are happening in their businesses? What questions are they asking? What results have they achieved?

Customer stories can become powerful marketing content because they show your product or service in context.

And you don't always need a formal case study.

A short customer success story, a testimonial, a before-and-after example or even an interesting question from a customer can provide the starting point for useful content.

Just remember to get permission before sharing anything confidential or identifying.

9. Your competitors – and businesses outside your sector

I'm not suggesting you copy what your competitors are doing.  Quite the opposite.  Look at what they're talking about and ask yourself:

• What are they missing?
• What could we explain better?
• What questions aren't being answered?

And don't limit your inspiration to competitors.  Some of the best ideas come from businesses in completely different sectors.  A restaurant might give you an idea for how to present your services. A retailer might demonstrate a clever way of launching something. A museum might show you how to tell a story. A sports team might give you an idea for building community.

You don't have to work in the same industry to learn from good marketing.

10. Your own life - Finally, look up from the marketing screen.

Some of my own article ideas have come from things I've noticed while travelling, walking, watching television, shopping, reading or simply going about my day.

That's because marketing is ultimately about people.

If something catches your attention, makes you laugh, annoys you, surprises you or makes you think, ask yourself;

“Why did that work on me?”

Then consider whether there's a marketing lesson in it.

That's how a Tube station, a plum tree, a holiday or an advertising campaign can suddenly become the starting point for a marketing article.  The secret isn't finding more ideas. It's noticing them.

You don't need to sit down every Monday morning and magically produce five brilliant social media ideas.

Instead, start keeping an ideas bank.

It could be a notebook, a phone note, a spreadsheet or a document in your project management system. Whatever works for you. 

When you see something interesting, write it down.

Don't worry about turning it into a finished post immediately. Just capture the thought.

Then, when you need something to write about, you've got somewhere to start.

And perhaps the most important point of all - not every idea needs to become a piece of content.

Good marketing isn't about filling every available space in your content calendar. It's about finding useful things to say to the right people, in a way that supports what you're trying to achieve.

So the next time you find yourself thinking “I’ve got nothing to post about”, stop looking at your social media feed and look around you instead.

You might find that you've got far more marketing ideas than you thought.