3 Simple Ways to Overcome a Content Marketing Creative Block

Content Marketing is a key piece of growing your business but sometimes you may get stuck by a creative block.

As a small business owner, we wear many hats in our businesses and often one of those hats is that of Sales and Marketing. Whether you have a team to help you with your marketing or not, you most likely are responsible for creating at least some of the pieces of content that are used.

I have found that content marketing goes through seasons of abundance where the creative juices are flowing strong and your great ideas easily turn into new content. Followed by seasons of drought come where you struggle to get new ideas or to turn those ideas into great pieces of content.

This season of drought is often known as creative block or writer’s block, where there is a barrier to inspiration. Creative block can be defined as “the inability to access one’s internal creativity.”

Have you ever sat down at your computer, opened up a Word document or Google doc, ready to start typing out a new blog article ... and nothing? No words come. You just sit there staring at that blank screen, watching the cursor blink ... blink ... blink.

Or, you have this idea percolating in your mind and you go to write that article ... but nothing ... you feel stuck, unable to take what is in your mind and put it into words?

Or, the ideas you come up with leave you feeling uninspired? They just don’t seem to feel right and there is no motivation to turn those ideas into something great for your marketing?

Firstly, let me tell you that this happens to everyone. It may look different from one person to another, but we all experience content marketing creative block at some point. And you can get through it.

Here are 3 ways to overcome your creative block:

1. Give yourself permission to stop.

Do you notice that your struggle with creating new pieces of marketing content coincides with feeling tired, overwhelmed and a low level of excitement and passion for what you are doing?

Often when we are struggling to come up with new ideas for marketing content (or even for new products or courses), it’s a sign that we are tired and maybe even close to burnout. Give yourself permission to take a break from creating and allow yourself time to rest. It’s okay to take a break, to step away for a small period of time and stop creating.

Yes, I said that! If you need to take a step back, unplug and go offline, then do that. But come back!

Don’t worry about what you might be missing out on. Instead, focus on what you need - rest - so you can come back with a renewed energy and passion, ready to ignite your internal creativity again. And, if you notice this creative block occurs regularly, I encourage you to plan out time in your calendar for rest and holiday time where you can unplug, not just from social media but from all aspects of your business.

2. Change your scenery.

Routines are good but they can become mundane when we are repeating the same things over and over. Sometimes we just need a change of scenery, whether that is a short little break in our day to get outside and move our body, or to take a longer break to do something we love that has no connection to the work we do.

Or a change to our work environment. Co-working spaces are becoming more and more popular in urban centres, or finding a quiet coffee shop or library, can be effective in igniting that inspiration again.

And sometimes, we need a change of scenery to recharge, to take time for yourself so that you can return to your workspace with a fresh mind, rejuvenated and ready to create again.

3. Get inspired.

Inspiration through continued learning is a great way for me to reignite that passion and excitement of what I do and why I started my business. If I am feeling stuck and starting to get into a creative slump, I often turn to my Freelance University  community to continue my learning through some top courses or to get support from those within the community.

Connecting with others in your industry, whether it’s through a networking group, coaching or mastermind group (yes, I also love the support I receive in the coaching group I am a part of), or association, can be a great source of new and fresh ideas, encouraging that inner creativity to grow.

Another source of inspiration can come from the testimonials and feedback of current and past clients. Keep a “Client Love” folder where you can store these testimonials and raves to look back on when you need to remind yourself of how you have helped others solve a problem. To remind yourself of why you are doing this amazing work. We all need that reminder every now and then.

Creative blocks happen. They happen to every one of us. I want to encourage you to give yourself grace. Give yourself permission to take time to stop, to recharge through a change of scenery, and to reconnect with yourself and your why through inspiration, so you can break through that creative block. To get back to creating that amazing content that brings more leads and more clients to your business.

Are you going through a season of drought with your marketing? Feeling overwhelmed? Experiencing content marketing creative block? I encourage you to book a quick teatime chat (it’s free) to learn how our Digital Marketing packages can remove the overwhelm and gift you confidence for your marketing.