In today’s digital age, content is ubiquitous. Yet, much of it fails to make an impact. While 99% of content blends into the background, there’s that exceptional 1% that stands out, captivates audiences, and drives businesses forward. As an SEO and content marketer, your challenge is to consistently create this kind of extraordinary content.
Generating unique ideas isn’t easy, but tools like the Value Proposition Framework (VPF) can help. The VPF enables you to understand your customer segments better and generate content that addresses their needs, solves their problems, and helps them achieve their goals. Despite this, it can often feel like everything has been done before. This is where the SCAMPER method comes in, offering a structured approach to think differently and develop fresh, engaging content.
Understanding SCAMPER
SCAMPER is an acronym standing for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put-to-another-use, Eliminate, and Rearrange/Reverse. Each element challenges you to look at your content from different perspectives, stimulating creativity and innovative thinking. Initially designed for product development, SCAMPER is also highly effective for SEO and content marketing strategies.
Substitute
Substitution involves replacing a part of the content, process, or concept with something else. This could mean changing materials, ingredients, people, or approaches. For instance, if your blog posts are text-heavy, you could substitute some of the text with engaging visuals or videos.
Guide Questions:
– What keywords or topics can we substitute to attract a different audience?
– Can we change the format (e.g., blog post, video, podcast) to better engage our audience?
– What tools or resources can we replace to improve content quality or efficiency?
– Can we substitute case studies from one industry with examples from another?
Combine
Combining involves merging two or more elements to create something new. This could be combining functions, features, or concepts to form a unique product or idea. For example, you might combine an infographic with a detailed blog post to offer a richer user experience.
Guide Questions:
– Can we merge two or more popular blog topics into a comprehensive guide?
– How can we integrate multimedia elements (e.g., video, infographics) with written content to enhance engagement?
– What if we combine user-generated content with our professional insights?
– Can we integrate industry reports and expert interviews into a single content piece?
Adapt
Adapting means adjusting or modifying your content to serve a new purpose or to improve it. This could involve turning a popular blog post into a podcast episode or creating an infographic from a case study. Adapting content maximizes its value and broadens your audience.
Guide Questions:
– How can we adapt trending topics to fit our brand’s voice and message?
– Can we repurpose a successful content format from another industry for our audience?
– What content ideas from competitors can we adapt to better suit our audience’s needs?
– How can we adjust our content to be more culturally relevant or timely?
Modify
Modification involves changing the size, shape, or other attributes of your content. This could mean updating it with new statistics, trends, or use cases to improve its quality and relevance. Keeping your content current and valuable enhances your reputation as a reliable source.
Guide Questions:
– How can we modify the structure of our content to improve readability and SEO?
– What small changes can we make to our content to better match user intent?
– Can we modify the tone or style to be more engaging or authoritative?
– How can we enhance our content with additional data, research, or case studies?
Put to Another Use
Putting your content to another use means finding new applications for existing content. This could involve turning a webinar into a series of blog posts or a blog post into a series of social media updates.
Guide Questions:
– How can we repurpose old blog posts into new formats (e.g., ebooks, webinars)?
– Can we turn our frequently asked questions into a series of blog posts?
– How can we use our internal data to create compelling case studies or reports?
– Can we use customer testimonials and reviews in our content?
Eliminate
Elimination involves removing unnecessary elements to streamline your content and make it more effective. Simplifying your content by cutting out jargon and overly complex explanations can make it more accessible and engaging.
Guide Questions:
– What unnecessary jargon or complex language can we remove to simplify our content?
– Can any sections of our content be cut without losing value?
– How can we streamline our content to focus on key messages?
– What multimedia elements are slowing down our page load times and can be removed?
Rearrange/Reverse
Rearranging or reversing involves changing the order or layout of your content. This could mean presenting your conclusions first to capture immediate interest or reordering steps to follow a different narrative structure.
Guide Questions:
– Can we present our conclusions or key points first to capture immediate interest?
– How would our content look if we reversed the usual order (e.g., start with the end)?
– Can we rearrange our content to follow a different narrative structure?
– What if we approach our content from a beginner’s perspective rather than an expert?
Applying SCAMPER to SEO and Content Marketing
Using SCAMPER in your content strategy involves systematically applying each element to generate fresh, engaging, and SEO-friendly content. Here’s a step-by-step approach to integrating SCAMPER into your SEO and content marketing efforts:
Step 1: Topics
Start with a list of articles, keywords, or ideas. Use ideation tools like the Value Proposition Canvas or conduct keyword research to generate these ideas.
Step 2: Landscape Analysis
Once you have your keywords or topics, search them and review the current landscape. Analyze the first 10 links or features to understand the strengths and weaknesses of what is currently ranking.
Step 3: SCAMPER
Run through the SCAMPER questions to develop new ideas for making your content stand out. For instance, you could substitute a series of written instructions with animated GIFs, combine an infographic with a blog post, or adapt a popular blog post into a podcast episode.
Practical Example
Imagine you have a popular blog post on “SEO Best Practices.” Here’s how you could apply SCAMPER:
– Substitute: Replace text-heavy sections with short videos explaining key points.
– Combine: Merge the blog post with an infographic summarizing the main ideas.
– Adapt: Turn the blog post into a podcast episode or a webinar.
– Modify: Update the post with the latest statistics and trends.
– Put to Another Use: Create a series of social media posts or an email newsletter series based on the blog post.
– Eliminate: Remove any outdated or irrelevant information.
– Rearrange/Reverse: Start with the most critical SEO tips and then explain the basics.
Embrace SCAMPER for SEO Success
The SCAMPER method offers a structured yet flexible approach to brainstorming and developing content ideas that are both creative and effective for SEO. By systematically applying Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put-to-Another-Use, Eliminate, and Rearrange/Reverse to your content strategy, you can consistently generate fresh, engaging, and SEO-friendly content.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to create high-quality content that delivers value to your audience and stands out from the competition. By integrating keyword research and SEO best practices at each stage, you can maximize the impact of your content in search. Embrace SCAMPER, and you’ll be well on your way to creating content that captivates your audience and drives your business forward.
By leveraging SCAMPER, you’ll find new ways to engage your audience and differentiate your content in a crowded digital landscape. Download the SCAMPER SEO Template and start brainstorming with your team to unlock the full potential of your content marketing strategy.