If you’re like most marketers, you might feel like you’re trapped in a never-ending schedule of constantly churning out content, cross promoting content and re-writing evergreen content.

But you’re not a content machine. You’re a human being.

It’s important to step back, take a deep breath and to figure out ways to make sure the content you’re producing is something worth reading. To do that, you’re going to need to brainstorm with your team. Here’s a look on how to do that.

Go out to lunch

Skip the catered food and get your team outside. See what ideas flow when you’re not stuck inside a windowless conference room. A new setting might spark some new ideas.

Relax — really

If your team is overworked and understaffed, now might be a good time to incorporate some R&R time into your weekly routine. See if you can get someone from your hospital’s physical therapy department or gym to offer team massages, yoga or meditation classes. A Zen-like writer approaches a story better than one whose eyes won’t stop twitching.

Host editorial meetings

Here’s something you can borrow from newspapers: editorial meetings. In these meetings, the editor gathers up the reporters on a daily basis to brainstorm and discuss new and existing stories. Keep these sessions under twenty minutes, give people a chance to pitch stories and see what kind of content comes from it.

Leave your zone

To find out what’s really happening at your hospital, you’ve got to leave your marketing department. A hospital is a hotspot for storytelling — birth, death and everything in-between. Odds are that these stories aren’t happening in your cubicles. Encourage staff to mill around the cafeteria, wander up and down the hallways and connect to key service line leaders who can give them the scoop.

Encourage additional learning

You want your staff to be the best they can be. That means that it’s important to invest in their professional learning and development. If you give staff the tools to succeed, they will. As an example, check out some of our webinars, conferences and professional development opportunities.