In the content marketing world, we all feel that we could use an extra hour (or dozen hours) in the day. Trends are constantly popping up and fading away and it can be challenging to keep up-to-date. With so many ways to reach your consumers, on so many different platforms, how do you make the most of your time each day?

Here are some simple tips to help you become more efficient and effective with your marketing time:

Write Your Ideas Down

If you have an idea, but don’t have the time to write content, jot down a couple of notes. That way you aren’t forced to fully stop what you’re doing to write the content, but you will be able to reference it at a better time. This will help you dive right in to the areas you want to focus on without wasting any time.

Freshen Up Your Current Content

Rather than create new content every time you make a blog post or some other form of web content, look back through some of your older content and see if any of it can be updated.

For example, say a few months ago you did a blog post about how it was rumored that Instagram was creating analytics for businesses. Now that Instagram has confirmed that business analytics will be a thing of the future, you can go back in and refresh your content to be current. Refreshing your material saves you time and gives your audience the latest update on a topic.

Go Into Brainstorming Sessions With a Time Allotment

Everyone has been in a brainstorming session that feels like it will never end. Team members throwing out any and every idea, which leads to a lack of productivity because you’ve been in the session for so long. Before you begin set an allotted time and stick to it. Announcing the time constraint will force participants to share their best thoughts and ideas (but not every single thought they’ve ever had).

Also, when it comes to deciding what ideas are best and which to skip over, use a ranking system. Rank each idea with a 1 (decent) to 3 (fantastic). Throw out any 1’s and if there is time, rework the concept of 2’s or come back to them another time to turn them into fantastic ideas.

Think About Your Goals

We all fantasize that we can take on the world, but in reality, we know we’re human and can’t do it all. When it comes to your ideas, prioritize your projects and take on the ones that will not overwhelm or hinder your overall business productivity. Also, set time goals and create specific deadlines that will force you to focus on the task. It is amazing how focused and efficient we can become when a deadline looms.

Competition is Key

Stuck for ideas on what your consumers want to know? Check out what information your competitors are putting out. It will give you an idea on what the hot topics of the moment are. We’re not recommending that you copy the competition, but just use their content as inspiration for your own individual ideas regarding a subject. Checking out your competition is a great way to stay on your toes and produce the best content.