33. Struggling With Content? How Contractors Can Find More Content Ideas

If you are always wondering what to post, you might be making content harder than it has

to be.

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A lot of the things that we talk about are things that we're actually doing.

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And in this episode, I'm talking about how getting yourself out there can help you create

content a whole lot easier.

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Hey, I'm Shay Toya.

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I've spent more than 10 years in construction.

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Working behind the scenes in marketing, hiring, and I've seen how overwhelming it can be

to grow a business.

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That's how we've learned to build a sustainable business using clear systems, strong

communication, and intentional recruiting.

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If you're ready for better hiring, smarter remarketing, and a business that doesn't fall

apart when you step away, welcome to building better contractor businesses.

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So I am the person who currently creates content for KB Communications.

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The podcast, our blog, I do it all of it.

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And sometimes I will have a moment where I'm like, what am I supposed to talk about?

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But what I have learned is that it makes it a whole lot easier when I'm out there actually

doing things, when I'm putting myself out there, when I'm talking to people, going to

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events, talking to our team, paying attention to what's actually happening in the

business, I always end up with something to talk about.

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So the main point that I want to get across is the more you put yourself out there, the

more content you have and easier it becomes.

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So a lot of the content that I currently create does not come from sitting at a desk

trying to think of something.

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That's really boring.

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But it comes from real true conversations that I have on a daily basis.

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Real true conversations that maybe Kevin has from other people, from stories that he tells

me.

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You know, I might go to an event and somebody says something.

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That makes me think content.

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Kevin might tell me something about what happened at a job and I'm like content.

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You know, maybe someone on our team brings something up and I'm like content.

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A customer might ask a question and guess what?

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I'm like content.

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And so these topics that I can write about are because of putting ourselves out there,

having conversations, talking to people.

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That is what I've realized.

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And especially the person who's not out there

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Pulling wire, doing security cameras.

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You know, I've done a lot of research, but I'm not the person doing it.

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So because of that, I have to get information from the team.

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I would also say, you know, I talk about it before.

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Content does not have to be about it the work itself.

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It can be about networking events that we're attending.

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And so that's what I've realized is I don't have to go looking for content.

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A lot of it's already happening around me.

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So when you're thinking of content to create,

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Start really paying attention to the conversations you're already having.

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These are things that are real.

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The questions that customers are asking, if you've read or ever read the book, they ask

you answer.

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It's that's what it's literally about.

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If someone's asking you the question, most likely someone else has the same question that

they have.

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So when I'm talking to the team or they're bringing up certain things that are happening,

these are great content ideas.

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And maybe I don't

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Use the person I'm speaking to by their name, unless it's valued for me to do so or valid,

but these are things that I can use for content.

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When a customer asks me a question, don't just can't answer it and move on.

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I tell the team all the time, when someone asks you a question, send it to me so I can

write a blog out of it.

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Write it down.

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That could be a blog, that could be a social media post.

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That could be a video.

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And that can even be a podcast episode.

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So when things happen inside your business, it provides you a perfect time to create

content.

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You know, one time I was listening to a podcast and his name is Omar.

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And he was just talking about the importance of putting yourself out there.

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And if you're always putting yourself out there, you'll always have content.

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And I really never understood it until now.

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You know, when you're creating content, you can talk about the bad things.

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You can talk about the things you've learned.

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You could talk about the things that went wrong.

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Like people like to hear those things.

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People don't want you to be a perfect person because no one's perfect.

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So you don't always have to create something out of nothing.

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You know, I have Chat GBT that I use.

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I have it where it provides me blog ideas from our industry every week, which is great.

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But there isn't nothing like

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one of our team members telling me, hey, Shatoya, I got this question this week.

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Cool.

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I can write a blog about it.

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Like those are going to do a lot better than a content that Chat GBT told me, Shetia, you

should write this blog this week.

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And so you just have to pay attention.

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You just have to pay attention to the things that the office is talking about, especially

someone like me that's not currently in the field.

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And that is what I've learned.

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I also learned your content does not have to be about in the field.

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You know, me heading to networking events.

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I've been huge with Natewick.

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Great content opportunities.

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And NATWI is women in construction.

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I've been going to events through the H Henderson Chamber.

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Great content.

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I've been out networking with other general contractors, IT professionals, electricians,

great content.

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I may not be on the business side of or the technician side of things.

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But those things are great content.

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It doesn't have to be about

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Things that happen in the field, those are great content.

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And those are the things that we're gonna be found for.

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But the community side of things, you know, I'm currently on the committee for the golf

tournament with Nawick, and that's great content.

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It shows that I'm involved with a community.

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I am currently assisting another chamber with a cruise that goes to a great cause.

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Another great content.

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In Orlando, we're about to go clean up the beach.

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Great content.

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Like if you're putting yourself out there, that is what people want to see.

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People want to see that, guys.

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So this week I want you to pay attention.

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Pay attention to what's going on around you.

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Pay attention to things that you can make content for.

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Let's take a picture.

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You know, a lot of us were in the moment.

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We forget, you know, I'm big on pictures.

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Today I went out with my friend Katrina, who is also part of Nate Wick, and I said, Hey.

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We went in and went to go talk to construction people and we're like, hey, let's take a

picture.

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Like that's content.

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And it helps when you're putting yourself out there.

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It just gives you ideas for content.

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And as you're having these conversations, as you're talking to your team, make sure you

write these things down.

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You know, that's one thing that's great about having a CRM system because I can go through

it and see certain things that the team the conversations that our team members are

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having.

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But when you see something that you could possibly believe is great content, make sure

you're writing it down.

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And so content does not have to be complicated.

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The content that does well, it's content that people want to see.

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People don't just want to see the boring self.

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They want to see you out there in the community.

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They want to see the things that you're currently working on.

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Your life is what people want to see, and your life is what's going to do well.

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Show that you're involved.

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The more that you talk about it, people like to see those things.

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And as always, let's continue building a better contractor business.

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If you believe that this episode

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Brought you real clarity, be sure to share it with another contractor who also needs it.

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And if you want to keep this conversation going, be sure to join our community of

contractors inside Building Better Contractor Businesses.

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Facebook group.

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This is a community where we talk through the real problems.

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That you are having in your business.

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The link will be found in our show notes.

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And remember, we are not just completing projects, we are building better contractor

businesses.

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I will see you next time.