The secret to creating content for so-called, boring industries

Is your industry really boring?

To save you some time from reading this blog about content for “boring” industries, you should first ask yourself: Is your industry boring? For instance, you might be in the business of making lightbulbs. Just imagine all the fun places where bulbs are used. Sports stadiums, concert stages, runways, make-up tables, and so on. If, on the other hand, if you’re in the taxes, accounting or law, you might want to stick around until the end of this blog as it will provide an array of useful tips.

Boring industry? There’s no such thing

One thing we should all always keep in mind is that the majority of people who’re working in a so-called boring industry don’t find them boring. They went to school for it. They’ve picked it. They are getting up every morning to work. Even if they find it tedious after a couple of years, your social media channels about don’t have to be. How? With that question, we’ve prodded the first tip: The content providing solution to a problem is never boring.

What do I mean when I say that? Well, even if you hate the industry you’re working in, you won’t refuse help to make your life easier. Everybody will jump at the opportunity to take some load off their backs. That’s where you (and your social media channels) come in. What you need to do is, present your product or service as a solution to the problems the people in your targeted audience might have. And not just social media, there’s a place where providing answers is everything. I’m talking about Google, of course, you might have heard about it. 🙂

Turn to people

One thing that’s also never boring is people. It doesn’t matter if your firm consists of 10 or 10 thousand employees. You can always tell their story. Every brand gets points for being more humane than the next. And of course, loses a point for not being. Nobody wants to work with a robot. Sure, automatization is excellent and all, but when you have a problem, you want a live person to hear you out and dedicate you the time you deserve. After all, you are expected to pay for that service, one way or the other.

Whatever you did, your company is made of people, without them, it’s just computers, chairs, and office supplies. There might be people who don’t like to be publicly presented. People who want to stay under the radar. But, some people would be glad to get recognition for their work. Here’s an example:

“Here’s Natasha from legal, her superpower is she knows every law like the back of her hand. If a single law would be a piece of clothes, she could see right through it ;)”. 

Notice how I connected something considered generally boring with an element from the popular culture and made it into a content for “boring” industry? Of course, this example might not agree with the tone of voice of some big audit firm with strict rules, but you can always take it down a notch: 

Here’s Natasha from legal, we’re delighted to have such a professional in our ranks. We know we can always turn to her if we have a relevant legal question.

This, second example abides the more strict rules of communication a company might have. Besides that, you’ve shown a photo of that person, preferably smiling and representing your brand in a much more humane way. Another point with which I would like to conclude this part is: Social media content for “boring” industries can be fun, and still serious, valuable, or informative.

Tell a story

Stories are a valuable asset to any brand. There are several reasons for that. First of all, communication on the internet is severely different than real-life conversation. (And we already learned that live interaction is better than automatized.)

Internet users, in general, have a decreasing attention span. It forces content writers to keep it short and put out the most important info out there. When you’re telling the story about your business or your brand in bits, it creates a whole. That results in users getting to know your business or brand better. Secondly, each story has its characters. And, when there are characters tell a story about your brand, you’re automatically igniting more interest from the reader. With them, your reader has someone to identify with. 

Always look for inspiration

One of the things which are a must when writing content for “boring” industries is reading and watching. News, videos, infographics, social media accounts, and websites of your competitors. All of these will provide a good starting point for developing your idea. But, always approach with critical thinking. Is this correct? Can I somehow use it for my needs? How can I build on this? And finally, what new is there that I could bring my audience? A quick tip: Every day of the year is a day of something. Research those days and decide which could be best for your “boring industry”.

The best thing you can do while writing content is to be in it. What do I mean by that? Personally, when I’m writing content, I am influenced by my work. Sometimes, I wake up with an idea which could be applied to some of the brands I’m working with. It’s an occupational hazard. When that happens, I write it down in the most elaborate way I can at that moment, and when it’s time for me to write content, I have a half-developed idea ready which saves me the precious time.

This is why it’s good to have a person in your company who only does that, writes content. If you can’t have a person on that task, you can always hire an agency like ours.