No word of a lie, this game will help you to generate 27 content ideas in just 3 minutes. Think it’s not possible? Read on my friend…
One of the most common blockers to writing content that I hear from small businesses every day is that they just don’t know where to start. They’re so busy running the day-to-day business, that there is no time left to even begin thinking about what content to create. Creativity is seen as a ‘nice to have’. As a small business owner myself…I completely get it! Time is precious.
So, what if I said that all you need is 3 minutes in order to create 27 content ideas that you can either do, develop or ditch?
You’ll be amazed at what creative thoughts are lying dormant in your head as we speak. This game is going to pull them out and shine a light on them.
Here’s what you’ll need…
- 3 sheets of paper
- 3 pens
- 3 people – staff, clients/customers or friends
- A timer
And here is how the 3-Minute Game works…
Prepare your papers
You’ll start by writing a title on each sheet of paper. This title should be a theme that you know your audience is interested in. For a hairdresser, these could be: balayage, wedding hair styles and latest trends, for example.
Set your timer
You’re going to each start with one of the three sheets of paper in front of you. Then you’re going to set the timer for 1 minute.
Write 3 ideas
In that 1 minute you will each write down 3 ideas for content based on the theme at the top of your sheet of paper. So, whoever has ‘latest trends’ might write: Gallery of celebrities wearing latest hair styles; Video of how to recreate a latest trend; Article breaking down the latest trends… you get the idea.
Swap around
Now you’re going to swap your pieces of paper in a clockwise manner and reset the timer. Write down 3 more ideas based on the new theme in front of you. You can even use the answers already there as inspiration and develop them further.
Repeat
Do the same thing again, so that you have each written 3 separate ideas on each piece of paper. That’s 9 ideas collated on each piece of paper – 27 ideas in total!!!
Then start refining…
Now you’ve got your ideas banked, you can take a vote on your favourites in order to start to think about which ones will hit the mark with your audience. This brings especially great insight if you’re doing this game with your clients or customers.
Once you’ve got a short list, you can pin down the winning ideas further by analysing them against your objectives, audience needs and any other metrics you have available. That way you can ensure that you’re being as time efficient as possible, dedicating your time to only the most relevant and effective ideas.
All you need to do now is book in your three minutes and invite your team. (Hint: you can even do this online using a whiteboard tool such as Google Jamboard).
Now off and let the creativity flow!
Big Bee Content is a content agency for SMEs and not-for-profits. We deliver digital content with social purpose, helping our clients to communicate more effectively with their audience. If you’d like some help with that, get in touch.
About the Author
Niki May Blane is founder of Big Bee Content – our ‘Queen Bee’.
She can most commonly be found buzzing around her computer, delivering virtual workshops, creating copious amounts of copy and drinking coffee to combat the ill effects of non-sleeping children.
