Content drives the Internet, and providing it should be a mainstay of your business. People seek information, support, and help for their problems. When you arrive on your white horse with the solutions they’re looking for, they will buy. They will trust you. That faith creates raving fans who will continue to buy AND will also tell everyone they know to contact you.
So what is content, anyway?
Books, ebooks, reports, white papers, case studies, videos, blogs, articles, social media posts, emails, newsletters, press releases, webinars, and podcasts—all are content. Anything you produce to inform, influence, or sell your visitors is content, whether it’s written or spoken.
To reach your target clients (and leave your competition behind), having a website is not enough. Your readers want and need actionable information, extra resources, and ongoing support or help.
When you produce content, you establish yourself as the solution provider in your industry. You’ll grab the flag and claim the title of expert, as you should—because you are! Maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as an authority, but you know more about your topic than 98% of the rest of us. That means when you speak, people will listen. When you blog, you’ll have readers. When you put out a press release, media outlets will pick it up.
Simply put, your content creates credibility, communicates your brand’s message, and gives your readers a sense of relief that you have the solution they’ve been seeking.
To have the most impact on prospects and clients, you need to be consistent in publishing your content. Following are ideas for effectively creating content, which can be done by you, your staff, or a skilled copywriter. (We highly recommend a skilled copywriter/editor to sound the most professional and polished.)
Books and ebooks
Nothing impresses people more than books, and they’re instant credibility builders. Check out CreateSpace and Kindle for more information on how to become a published author. (Remember to keep your brand consistent, hire your branding professional to create your cover art.)
Case studies, white papers, special reports
Depending on your industry, you may be creating these regularly. If not, plan to do one of each quarterly. At minimum, you should have a white paper and case study for each product or service family, and you should have at least one free report that visitors can access by joining your mailing list.
Videos
People like to see your service or product in action, so put at least one high-quality video on your website. More are better, and be sure you add them to YouTube.
Blogs
Choose which days of the week you want to publish, and then stick to them. Your readers expect to see content regularly, and they will look forward to it. Most blogs publish two or three times weekly. But consistent, well-written, and helpful content is more important than frequency. (The Branding Spot Blog publishes weekly on Tuesday’s because I rather put out good content once a week than run the risk of lowering my standards for multiple posts weekly.) You have to do what feels right to you. But once a week should be your minimum. You can also guest blog. Aim to write at least one guest blog a month.
Articles
Go where your readers congregate and write articles for those publications or websites. Again, aim for at least one article a month. I like the community on Biznik.
Social media posts
For maximum impact, post to social media several times each weekday. Many companies hire social media managers to do the actual posting and interacting with followers. You may enjoy doing this yourself, or you might choose to have a staff member do your social media. Which ever way you go, make sure what you are blasting out there is consistent with your brand and brand messaging.
Emails and newsletters
People buy from those they like, know, and trust. Keeping in touch regularly via email shows you’re looking out for their needs and keeping them in the loop. Contact them at least once a month and cultivate your relationship with friendly, info-packed emails.
Press releases
PRs must be newsworthy, so don’t hesitate to create one any time your company releases a new product, hires a new employee, or wins an award. If you launch a new blog or website, let the world know!
Podcasts/Radio Shows
Most business people don’t listen to station radio anymore with all their commercials. They want to utilize their time to learn something new in their cars, while they are exercising, or just in the background while they surf the internet. Being the host or just being interviewed, it doesn’t matter…it is a helpful way to get you, your knowledge and your content out there in a fun way.
Seminars, Teleseminars, Webinars
Getting up in front of an audience is the fastest way to gain tons of exposure and instant credibility. Read more here.
I hope you find this list content boosting outlets helpful. And remember to effectively develop and grow your brand, consistency is key. The tone, language, and appearance of your content should be as uniform as possible to effectively convey your message.