By and large, in order to build a successful blog or website, you need to produce original ideas and content regularly.

You know how readers love content that’s unique and original. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you know that “original” doesn’t mean “technically not spun content.”

It means original ideas, new perspectives and new ways of doing things that people haven’t thought of before.

Does that mean you should never use non-ideas?

No.

There is one way you can add a lot of value to your blog or website, using primarily someone else’s ideas. Here’s how.

Cite Phenomenal Content and Add Your Own Ideas

This method works best when you don’t try to plan it. Instead of trying to schedule in a time to cite ideas in your blog planning calendar, let it happen naturally. Always be on the lookout for ideas and content that your community might love. Then when you stumble upon something, you’ll be ready.

The idea is to cite that piece of content, then recap its main ideas and add your own spin to it.

This was more or less how the Huffington Post was built. Instead of having reporters at the White House capturing every new tidbit, the Huffington Post simply took news that was released by other news sources and added on it.

For a more concrete example, take a look at Think Vitamin’s article on Responsive Web Design. The ideas presented in this article are not new. They were pioneered and published in a different article a year before that article was even written.

However, Think Vitamin’s article still added massive value to their readers. Why? Because:

1. They provided their readers with an idea they might not have been exposed to yet, even if the idea isn’t new.

2. They linked to the original source, giving readers the option of exploring the original idea.

3. They added to it in their own way. They added more explanations, more specific examples and screenshots of what they were talking about.

Don’t Be Selfish With Taking Credit

Often time’s bloggers make the mistake of being a little selfish with where their ideas come from. They want all the ideas published on their blogs to be original ideas. That’s not a bad thing – After all, you want to build your brand, not somebody else’s.

However, adding in other people’s ideas here and there not only doesn’t hurt, but can also go a long way towards helping you increase the value of your content. If you’re taking the best 10% of all the ideas out there in your industry and adding to it on your blog, that’s going to be immensely valuable to anyone who’s following you.

A Few Ways to Add to an Existing Idea

So if you’re taking an existing idea and adding to it, what can you do to expand upon it to turn your add-on article into a piece of truly valuable content? Here are a few ideas.

• Take one part of the idea and really expand upon it. For example, if you’re writing about the legalities of opening a business in California, separate the legalities for different industries and write about the applications of that legal idea for each industry.
• Add pictures and screenshots to an abstract idea.
• Add real examples. Add step by step instructions. Take an idea that’s at first murky or difficult to apply and make it clear.
• Give away free samples, free code or free software that helps people achieve what the article was talking about.
• Write the “step 2″ of the idea. For example, if the idea you’re citing talks about the dangers of eating soy products, then “part 2″ could be about the kinds of foods you can use to replace soy instead.
• Write the flip side of the article. If the article was about the dangers of raising money through investors, cite that article and expand upon it by talking about other sources of funding for a new business.

Another benefit to using this technique is that you can often get a lot of backlinks from doing it. That’s because you’re expanding on an idea or topic that people are already interested in. If you can create a new add-on to the idea that’s truly valuable, people will often be willing to link to it.

Contact the publisher of the original idea. Contact anyone who’s syndicated that idea out. Contact anyone who’s done what you’re doing, which is writing about that idea. Let them know about the addition content and resources that you’ve created.

If you’re really putting value out there, you’ll receive some very high quality backlinks.

Finishing Up

This is clearly an idea that you only want to use in moderation. However, as long as you don’t overdo it, you can really add a lot to your blog by incorporating other people’s ideas. Be generous with sharing credit and add your own thoughts to other people’s best ideas.

- Derek Pankaew

While a picture by itself can be worth a thousand words, a content-based graphic can also have a big impact. Graphics can strengthen the power of your written message and they’re also readily shared by others – making your content go even further…

A few ways to incorporate written content into graphics:

- Add inspiring, humorous or thought-provoking quotes on top of a relevant image. We’ve all seen these floating around and they’ve certainly made us think, chuckle or otherwise added brightness to our day.

- Create an infographic that shows a process, timeline or ideas. Information in visual form is often easier to absorb.

- Add eye-opening statistics in your subject area and include a relevant image. For example, if you’re trying to spread nutrition  awareness, you could find some pretty staggering statistics about obesity and illness, and share them through imagery.

- Create a series of tips graphics with a single tip per graphic. For example, you could make 5 graphics that each include a rose gardening tip and an awe-inspiring photo.

Gathering information for your graphics:

Quotations

It’s relatively easy to find quotations online. Try sites like quotegarden.com, quoteland.com and quotationspage.com, or just Google the type of quote you’re looking for. For example search for something like “quotes about mothers” and you’ll likely find what you’re looking for.

Statistics

There are plenty of statistics resources around. Government websites are always a good first stop and there are plenty of independent research companies in a variety of subject areas. As a starting point, check out fedstats.gov (USA), statscan.gc.ca (Canada) or  statistics.gov.uk (UK). The Yahoo Directory also lists worldwide government statistics resources.

We Can Gather Info for You

If you need a hand with the content for your graphics and would like us to gather the info you need, we’re happy to help. We can hunt down quotations, statistics and make a tips list for you. It’s what we love to do.

Just check our services at All Custom Content – if you’re not sure what you need, just use our general contact form. We’ll help you out.

Getting Graphics Done

If you’re halfway decent with a photo editor, you can probably make your own graphics. If you need something more complex or you don’t know a photo editor from an HTML editor, you might need some help.

One of our long-time clients actually offers services to make it easy for you to get your pre-written content into image form. Whether it’s content you’ve written, had ghostwritten or even if it’s PLR, you can put it into images. Have a look at Wendy’s portfolio here.

Start experimenting with your images. Post them to social media and your website to gauge your audience’s reaction. What do they like the best? What do they share the most? Make sure when you post them on your website you also include the copy-and-paste code, so they can post the images onto their own websites too.

However, we haven’t addressed one of the biggest questions people have about using email.

And that question is:

“What should I email to my list?”

Well, let’s answer that one right now. It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in, there is always plenty to share with your list. Never let writer’s block keep you from using something as valuable as your mailing list.

Here are some ideas for you. 22 ideas, in fact…

1. Make a list of major topics relevant to your target market. Break these down into sub-categories and ultimately into specific topics. Always keep this list handy as it will be great for generating ideas.

2. Keep a notebook or your smartphone handy for recording ideas that come to you spontaneously. We’ve all been at the grocery store or in the middle of a workout when a great idea comes to us. Make sure you have a way to record them or those ideas will soon be lost.

3. If you are in your own target market (ex. your target is Dungeons and Dragons players and you play D&D), make a list of products that you like and use. You can even make a list of products that you don’t care too much for. These lists will give you plenty of ideas of products to promote and educate your readers about.

4. Make a list of the most popular products for your target market and that will give you a nice list of products to promote. For example, if you sell consumer products, just go to Amazon.com, click on the appropriate sub-category and near the top of the page, you’ll find a link for bestsellers.

5. Write case studies. If your clients/customers are doing well, make an informative case study out of them. You can interview them, write a report of their results, etc. Just make sure it’s interesting to your readers.

6. Ask your readers to submit questions and answer them. Don’t have a huge list and can’t seem to get many questions? Visit topic-related forums and networking groups and see what questions they’re asking each other.

7. Do some keyword research. Look for the information or products your target market is actively searching for by using a tool like WordTracker.com or the free Google keyword tool.

8. Make a video and send it to your list. Make it an informative talk from you, do a screen capture video or just have a little fun. As long as it’s entertaining or useful to your readers, they’ll appreciate it.

9. Make an audio recording and send it to your list. You can teach something, do an interview or anything your readers want.

10. Write a blog entry and send it to your list. Not only do they receive good content, but you can add some interactivity to your communication by having them leave comments.

11. Send a link to your article on another site. If it’s useful to your reader, send them a quick and interest-generating description, plus a link to read it online.

12. Find and discuss a news story related to your market. Go to Google News (or wherever you like to read online news) and find something topical. Share your point of view.

13. Check your affiliate programs for brandable reports. Many affiliate programs are offering information-packed reports that you can brand with your own link. If they don’t have brandable reports, they may have some other useful freebies. Give these to your list.

14. Always follow up. Emails get filtered and people forget about things. There’s nothing wrong with following up on promos or even reminding your readers about previous offers and content. Sometimes you might send stand-alone email reminders. Other times you might include some extra content with the reminder.

15. Make it a series. You don’t have to give away all your content on a certain topic in one go. Break it up into bite-sized chunks and keep your readers ready for more.

16. Answer product/offer objections. If you send out a promotional email and then receive questions about the product via direct email, compile the answers to those questions and send them out to your list.

17. Give out software, a spreadsheet or some useful tool. What you send will depend on your target markets needs so get creative and, if needed, hire a programmer to create a simple piece of software.

18. Browse other information sites / article sites for topic ideas. Check the various categories of the site to come up with your own ideas.

19. Write a commentary about other blog entries you’ve read and share that with your subscribers. It’s a way to bring great content to your list and develop a relationship with a fellow online business owner.

20. Make a top 5 or a top 10 list. When you aren’t sure what to write about, just make a list. For example, “Top 10 Ways
to Save Money on Your Heating Bill” or “Top 5 Ways Increase the Speed of Your Cross-Stitching.”

21. Create “How to” instructions or some type of tutorial. You can send the instructions via email or if illustrations/screenshots will enhance the tutorial, give them a link to a tutorial you’ve posted online.

22. Build up to your product launches and other promos. Map out your product launches on a calendar and start ramping up to them by delivering content related to your products.

Use this list over and over again and you’ll never run out of ideas. Remember, to keep notes as new ideas pop into your head and keep those notes in one handy place. That way, you’ll always have a great resource for coming up with new ideas. And again, if you need help creating your email content, check out our April special.

But one thing we really hope from our content is that it helps us directly increase our sales. While all strategically created content can help us grow our businesses, there are certain types of content that lend themselves best to actually selling products and that’s what we want to talk about today.

Here are 5 ideas for you…

1. Product Reviews or Profiles

A website visitor who is already in the consumer mindset is much more likely to become a customer than someone who simply searching for information on a particular topic. That is the main reason product focused content is always a safe bet when it comes to monetization.

Consumers flock to the Internet looking for information about their next purchase. They want to know the features of a certain product, they need opinions on whether the product works as advertised and more. When they find your review of a specific  product, you bring yourself that much closer to clinching a sale.

2. Product Comparisons

Going even further with the product-based content idea, consumers already readily compare their purchase options. Whether they want to compare different cell phones or laundry detergent, one of the first stops for this type of information is the Internet.

Helping your visitors make a decision between specific products is also a great way to drive consumers to your website and detailed product comparisons can help them do just that.

3. How to Guides

Teaching someone how to do something can be a great way to generate some sales, especially when your visitor needs to make some purchases to complete the project.

For example, if you’re showing someone how to do a home repair project and you happen to sell a kit that makes it really easy, a how to guide showing them how to fix the problem can help pre-sell that product for you.

4. What to Guides

If you sell information products and want people to pay you for the “how to” information, you don’t need to give away the whole farm. The best way to sell your “how to” product is to give them “what to” information instead.

What this basically means is that you show your reader what they need to do to solve a particular problem, but not necessarily the details of how to do it. After all, it’s your information product that will give them that detailed how-to help.

For example, if you sell a guide on dog grooming, you might create some content that shows them the important things to remember when clipping a dogs nails (avoiding the quick, how frequently to clip, etc.), but you don’t show them exactly how to properly clip  the nails. And of course, with this type of content, you can also recommend the tools to get the job done as well.

5. Content with Ads

If you aren’t selling a product, but are displaying advertising instead, putting a focus on certain content topics can also help.

For example, if you’re displaying Google Adsense ads, you know that certain ads pay more than others. Product-related content like product reviews and comparisons can help you display higher paying ads. You can also do some research and choose topics that have a higher pay-per-click rate.

Content IS a business builder, but you’ve got to plan it right. By mixing up your content strategy, you can establish your expertise, build relationships AND sell plenty of products too.

This was sent by email to our subscribers, students and customers earlier this morning…

———————START EMAIL ————————————-

Lesli is feverishly working on your Easy Content Weekly
update for tomorrow, but I wanted to touch base with you for
a second about something.

Yesterday officially marked my 10 years in online business.
I remember like it was yesterday when I’d joined a direct
sales company and tried to sell their products online. I had
to build my own website because the company didn’t provide
one then. They told me that the Internet just wasn’t
the way to do business.

Hahahahaha! I soon gave up on the direct sales and did my own
thing, all the while, trying to show others the Internet was an incredible
business tool

One of the main things I’ve tried to share with others, from
my very humble 2002 beginnings, is the power of content.

Content has always been the cornerstone of generating
traffic, building traffic and converting prospects into
customers. And while the Internet landscape has changed a
lot in the past 10 years, I think content is even more
powerful.

That’s why, to celebrate I wanted to make your content
publishing a whole lot easier. Whether you need tips to share
on social media, illustrated how-to guides or slide
shows…we’ve put together plenty of those for you at
DIYplr.com.

And right now, you can pick and choose ANY of the content
you want up to a regular price value of $200 for 60% off.

Have a peek here to get the details of this special time and money-saving offer.

That’s a TON of content you can put to use right away. And
honestly, if you have any questions on how to put your
content to use, you can come to the Contentrix.com blog and
ask away. I’ve always got ideas for publishing, monetizing,
repurposing and more.

So just ask!

—————— END EMAIL —————————————-

Whether you grab the 10 Download Credits Anniversary Special or just a bundle or two, please use the space below to ask for tips on using, monetizing and repurposing the content. And heck, even if you didn’t buy any PLR from me or anywhere, just ask too.  Please be as detailed as possible in your questions and share your ideas, what products you might want to promote and so forth. That will help me give you the best answer possible.