SCAMPER your approach to higher Search engine marketing and content material advertising concepts

There’s quite a lot of content material on the market. And guess what? 99% of it’s horrible. 

Then, there’s that 1% of content material – the actually good to utterly phenomenal stuff. 

Typically, that’s scorching information, just like the current Google Search leak, however there are additionally items of content material which are so highly effective, helpful and memorable that only a single piece can propel a enterprise ahead.

Your job as an Search engine marketing and content material marketer is to attempt to catch lightning in a bottle. Simpler stated than achieved. 

The answer to this downside is to generate distinctive concepts. Once more, simpler stated than achieved. 

One device that may assistance is the Worth Proposition Framework (VPF). The VPF might help you perceive your buyer segments’ minds and generate concepts which are centered on serving to them make their lives simpler, remedy their issues and obtain their objectives. 

Nevertheless, even with this value-orientated strategy, it could actually really feel like every part has already been achieved and is usually achieved to a superb customary. 

This leads to reams of revealed content material that convey nothing new. This can be OK if you happen to drive site visitors by different means, however it is going to by no means get you to the highest of Mount Google. 

That is the place SCAMPER is available in 

SCAMPER helps you look at your content material ecosystem from numerous views to develop radically new concepts. 

SCAMPER is one other fashionable advertising acronym for:

• Substitute
• Mix
• Adapt
• Modify
• Put-to-another-use
• Get rid of
• Rearrange/Reverse

Every facet challenges your present strategy and encourages you to suppose otherwise. That is highly effective as a lone-gun content material author however much more so when used to stimulate dialogue with a staff of conspirators. 

SCAMPER was initially designed to encourage creativity and problem-solving, but it surely will also be a robust device for aiding in Search engine marketing planning and growing a actually distinctive Search engine marketing technique. 

Why SCAMPER, and why now? 

As of this writing, Google has simply offered some steerage for struggling websites, as summarized on this piece by Danny Goodwin. 

The important thing takeaways are:

• Proceed creating high-quality content material – do what you suppose is finest to your readers.
• Diversify your site visitors sources and promote your content material throughout a number of channels.
• Construct an engaged viewers that involves you immediately or through electronic mail and social media.

We are able to summarize that additional: 

Create high-quality content material and put it up for sale to your viewers by social media and electronic mail (duh).

Whereas a lot Search engine marketing chatter is at the moment centered on the large Google Search engine marketing leak, the large win in Search engine marketing or any advertising is to ship worth to your prospects that join together with your product providing. Content material, in its many incarnations, remains to be one of the simplest ways to try this. 

The one wrinkle right here, seemingly additional confirmed by the leak, is that you simply simply must benefit from that content material by selling it in every single place. It must be promoted so individuals (together with Google) know and have interaction with it.

Any critical Search engine marketing skilled will let you know that regardless of what Google might have stated traditionally, you may’t simply construct it and count on it to return. You’ve gotten all the time needed to create and promote one thing nice, so nothing new right here. Nevertheless, it does assist us validate some elements of the strategy. 

The true function behind these efforts must be to create one thing that blows your viewers’s socks off – one thing so good that it virtually promotes itself. Construct it, put it up for sale, then it is going to rank and they’re going to come (simply ensure you have a well-optimized web site so the foundations are ticked off). 

SCAMPER is a device that can assist you suppose exterior the (sand)field and create one thing actually distinctive and completely different that may stand out from the group – and that’s half the battle! 

The SCAMPER technique defined

The SCAMPER technique was put collectively by Bob Eberle from a sequence of questions devised by Alex Osborn (the creator of brainstorming).

SCAMPER was initially designed to assist create new merchandise, however it could actually equally be utilized to content material advertising and even your general advertising technique. 

The seven parts of the SCAMPER mnemonic break down as follows:

• Substitute: Exchange part of the product, course of or idea with one thing else. This might contain substituting supplies, components, individuals or approaches.
• Mix: Merge two or extra parts to create one thing new. This might contain combining capabilities, options or ideas to kind a brand new product or concept (very like Blue Ocean Technique).
• Adapt: Regulate or modify to serve a brand new function or to enhance. This entails present options and discovering methods to adapt them to the present downside.
• Modify (or enlarge/minify): Change the scale, form or different attributes. This might imply enlarging, decreasing, exaggerating or altering sure options to create a special end result. (I notably like making issues smaller on this time and attention-challenged world!)
• Put to a different use: Discover new makes use of for an present product or course of. This entails serious about how the present answer may be utilized to a special downside or context.
• Get rid of: Take away pointless or cumbersome elements of the product or course of. This simplifies and streamlines by eliminating parts, steps or options.
• Rearrange (or reverse): Change the order or format of parts in a product or course of. This might imply reordering steps, reversing roles or approaching the issue otherwise.

That’s the common concept of SCAMPER and the way it’s utilized to inventive problem-solving. In the remainder of this text, we’ll have a look at the way to use SCAMPER to create useful, people-first content material that your prospects and Google love.  

Utilizing SCAMPER for Search engine marketing and content material advertising

To make use of SCAMPER to combine substitution, mixture and adaptation to your content material advertising, merely obtain the template beneath and work by the questions. 

Keep in mind, these questions are only a guideline. I strongly advise doing this in a bunch and brainstorming to develop as many strange concepts as potential. Then, focus on and critique these concepts; those which are nonetheless standing on the finish would be the alternatives to pursue. 

To assist make this simpler, I’ve created a easy SCAMPER Search engine marketing Template you should utilize right here:  

Step 1: Matters 

You can begin with a listing of articles, key phrases or concepts. To generate concepts, you should utilize an ideation device just like the Worth Proposition Canvas or just conduct key phrase analysis. 

Step 2: Panorama evaluation 

Then, when you have got your key phrases or matters, it would be best to search these key phrases and matters and evaluation what’s on the market. There could also be clear patterns, or it’s possible you’ll discover it useful to do an Search engine marketing SWOT evaluation that can assist you perceive the strengths and weaknesses of what’s at the moment rating. 

I might sometimes suggest trying on the first 10 parts on Web page 1, as it will have been known as, however the SERPs are much more dynamic now, so simply evaluation the primary 10 hyperlinks and/or options and go from there. 

Step 3: SCAMPER 

We are able to now run by SCAMPER and use the questions to assist us develop new concepts for making our content material completely different, so it stands out and provides further worth. 

Substitute

• Many elements may be substituted to create one thing new. It could possibly be the language or angle coated or extra sensible parts like video, photos, gifs, downloads, instruments, and many others. 

Instance: Substitute a sequence of written directions with animated GIFs. 

Information questions:

• What key phrases or matters can we substitute to draw a special viewers?
• Can we substitute the format (e.g., weblog publish, video, podcast) to interact our viewers higher?
• What instruments or sources can we substitute to enhance content material high quality or effectivity?
• Can we substitute case research from one business with examples from one other?

Mix

• You’ll be able to usually create one thing solely new by merging present parts – the intersection of those two creates uniqueness and worth. 

Instance: Mix an infographic with an in depth weblog publish. 

Information questions:

• Can we mix two or extra common weblog matters right into a complete information?
• How can we merge multimedia parts (e.g., video, infographics) with written content material to reinforce engagement?
• What if we mix user-generated content material with our skilled insights?
• Can we combine business stories and knowledgeable interviews right into a single content material piece?

Adapt 

• Adaptation in content material creation means repurposing content material for various contexts, mediums or audiences.
• For instance, turning a preferred weblog publish right into a podcast episode or creating an infographic from a case examine. This strategy maximizes the worth of your content material and broadens your viewers.

Instance: Create a YouTube video overlaying the identical subject as your hottest blogs (bear in mind, good concepts are the exhausting half, so make them work in all codecs). 

Information questions:

• How can we adapt trending matters to suit our model’s voice and message?
• Can we repurpose a profitable content material format from one other business for our viewers?
• What content material concepts from opponents can we adapt to higher swimsuit our viewers’s wants?
• How can we regulate our content material to be extra culturally related or well timed?

Modify

• Modifying your content material means updating it with new stats, developments or use instances to enhance its high quality and relevance. 
• This retains your content material present and worthwhile and boosts your popularity as a dependable, top-quality supply.

Instance: Modify a listicle right into a complete information or add detailed statistics as an instance your case higher. 

Information questions: 

• How can we modify the construction of our content material to enhance readability and Search engine marketing?
• What small adjustments can we make to our content material to higher match consumer intent?
• Can we modify the tone or fashion to be extra partaking or authoritative?
• How can we improve our content material with further information, analysis or case research?

Put to a different use

• Repurpose present content material in new methods to achieve completely different audiences.

Instance: Flip a webinar right into a sequence of weblog posts. Flip a weblog publish right into a sequence of Instagram posts. 

Information questions:

• How can we repurpose outdated weblog posts into new codecs (e.g., ebooks, webinars)?
• Can we flip our steadily requested questions right into a sequence of weblog posts?
• How can we use our inner information to create compelling case research or stories?
• Can we use buyer testimonials and evaluations in our content material?

Get rid of

• Take away pointless parts to streamline your content material and make it more practical.

Instance: Get rid of jargon and overly advanced explanations. Concentrate on distilling the important thing factors to provide probably the most worth within the least time! 

Information questions:

• What pointless jargon or advanced language can we take away to simplify our content material?
• Can any sections of our content material be minimize with out dropping worth?
• How can we streamline our content material to deal with key messages?
• What multimedia parts are slowing down our web page load occasions and may be eliminated?

Rearrange/reverse

• Change the order of your content material or reverse the same old strategy to achieve new insights.

Instance: Begin with the conclusion after which clarify the way you arrived there.

Information questions:

• Can we current our conclusions or key factors first to seize rapid curiosity?
• How would our content material look if we reversed the same old order (e.g., begin with the top)?
• Can we rearrange our content material to observe a special narrative construction?
• What if we strategy our content material from a newbie’s perspective moderately than an knowledgeable?

Some ideas earlier than you SCAMPER off 

Search engine marketing will not be getting any simpler or cheaper to execute successfully. 

Whereas Google can’t actually inform the distinction between good and nice content material, your customers can, and people consumer indicators assist Google decide what ought to rank extremely.

The SCAMPER technique provides a structured but versatile strategy to brainstorming and growing new content material concepts which are each inventive and efficient for Search engine marketing. 

By systematically making use of Substitute, Mix, Adapt, Modify, Put to One other Use, Get rid of and Rearrange/Reverse to your content material technique, you may persistently generate contemporary, partaking and Search engine marketing-friendly content material. 

Keep in mind to combine key phrase analysis and Search engine marketing finest practices at every stage to maximise the affect of your content material in search.

SCAMPER content material advertising template

You made it this far, so it’s possible you’ll as nicely obtain the template: