If content marketing for your business is something you’re struggling with we want you to know you’re not alone. The content marketing landscape is changing fast (Thanks Google!) so it’s common for businesses to not know where to start, or not know what the very least you should be doing. We thought it might be helpful to throw out a few simple places to start.
First we want to say this…try not to over think content, but DO think about it. The little time you focus on it will pay off big in terms of online brand visibility. Here are our ideas (Of course this is not a comprehensive list so please be sure to share your ideas and tips in the comments below).
1. Blogging. Write one blog entry every week. Pick a day of the week to post it and do that every week. Pencil your blog writing time on your calendar, and stick to it! If you need ideas to blog about look no further than other blogs and online resources. Check out our Content Creation Lifecycle Infographic for a look at curating content. You can do it! Time is the biggest factor here. But again, don’t over think blogging. Just do small posts to start. As you get into the habit start building larger/longer posts that show your expertise at a deeper level.
2. Commenting. Comment on blogs you read. You’re already there…get busy and interact. Don’t be too promotional; just share your ideas and thoughts. Occasionally, if you write your own content that’s related to an article or blog entry you’re reading, you can comment and post a link to your own content. You have to be careful not to be too promotional when comment and linking to your own content. Make sure it’s very relevant. Also, many blogs don’t allow links so know the source. Again, comments are content. They show you can think for yourself, you’re relevant, and have an opinion.
3. Tweeting. Tweet the articles, blogs, images, videos, or any other content you find interesting. Keep it focused, as much as possible, on a few of your top interests and expertise. I’m a huge Oregon Ducks fan, and my biz partner is a huge Boston Red Sox fan, and we tweet often on those personal interests, but be sure you’re mostly professionally focused if you’re using Twitter as a content marketing medium.
4. Sharing. Sharing content is content marketing. Are you a member of a social network? Seriously, do I have to ask this? As a member of Facebook, Twitter (I mentioned tweeting above), LinkedIn, Google Plus, Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network you have the opportunity to show people your expertise, your likes and dislikes, and your opinions. Try to stay focused on your expertise, particularly on sites like LinkedIn (and LinkedIn is a very important content opportunity), so as to build thought leadership and a solid professional reputation. When you share something, be sure to make a comment with your thoughts instead of just posting an article or blog. This will show your thought leadership. Hey, you’re already reading stuff so grab yourself a Hootsuite account and start sharing. BTW, don’t forget to share your own content. If you blog then you HAVE to share that!
5. Infographics. Yeah, we know, they’re all the rage right now but it’s for good reason. People LOVE them. There is nothing like an infographic that shows us in a few pictures what might take hours to read in a statistical report. If you have insights into industry statistics, gov’t statistics, or have produced any content that might easily take the form of an infographic then you should turn it into one. Seriously, the Content Creation Lifecycle infographic that I referenced in the blogging section above has given us thousands of visits to our site, as well as hundreds of inbound links (which, of course, are VERY good for SEO). It doesn’t have to be complicated or long, just make it interesting. BTW, many of the links are coming from Pinterest.
6. Videos. The evolution of video content has been very good for business. No longer do companies have to produce $50,000+ commercials/videos to get eyeballs. They also don’t have to spend that much money to produce a valuable piece of video content. You can shoot a video in 10 minutes, slice it up using some very easy to use tools out there, and push it to Facebook, YouTube, or Vimeo in just a few more minutes. Videos can now be created for hundreds of dollars, not thousands. Do you, or anyone on your team with an expertise and an experience, have a few minutes to talk in front of a camera? Maybe I should make that a statement….You, or someone on your team, has a few minutes to talk in front of a camera. Just do it.
These, of course, are just a few ideas. They can take time but Online Brand Visibility is dependent on the content you and your company put online. If you don’t produce content you can be sure your competitors are…guaranteed.
What are your content marketing ideas? Do you have a “no-brainer”, battle tested, content marketing strategy? Let us know your secret!