Struggling to deliver content? Read on...
It seems the idea of Content Marketing (otherwise known as Inbound Marketing) appeals to pretty much every business owner or marketing manager I come across. And why wouldn't it? It's genius! It creates engagement, website visits, brand exposure, generates leads and provides insights into customer's needs. But OMG - as the grunt at the coal face content creation is a 'mare! amirite?!! It's sooo tempting to share some links or repurpose sales material, and that's ok as a sometimes tactic (like if it was in the food pyramid it'd be at the tippity top) but if we succumb to the temptation too often you and I both know that we're just burning our customers' goodwill.
So here are some ideas to ease the burden of constantly creating quality stuff for your audience to engage with - without shortchanging them. Mixed in with the think pieces, white papers, blog posts, listicles, videos, photo galleries and everything else in your content strategy, they should give you a little space and time to devote to the other side of content marketing: Research and Insights!
Content Creation Shortcuts that aren't cheating!
Aggregate.
If you are struggling to create the quantity of content you need for just your brand, imagine what it's like for the customer trying to keep up with you and a hundred other brands all vying for their attention. So although it might seem like a cop-out at first, if you do a good job, content aggregation can provide your customers with a useful, relevant service and help make yours the article that is read or video that is watched instead of someone else's.
Examples of appropriate situations could be: a retailer creates a piece that brings together top fashion commentators' thoughts on NZ Fashion week and car dealer creates a collection of reviews and safety ratings for the vehicle brands they sell.
The key here is to be as balanced as possible in what is included and transparent about your sources, as obvious bias will erode your customers' trust in your brand.
FAQs.
This seems so simple you'll be amazed how often it's missed. If you need ideas for what to write about or shoot, look to questions you get asked. For example, when you're at a BBQ and you explain what you do... that's content. When you have a client that wants to understand why something is or is not working as expected - that's content. When someone asks you to show them how to do something, that's valuable content!
Pay attention to these conversations and have everyone else in the business do the same. Make a note of the answer that you as a brand want to give and then don't just write a list and slap it on the website, use it to create pieces that are instantly relevant and engaging because they come from real conversations with real people.
Sharing.
Some brands do this too often, making it look like all they do is publish tweets under the guise of news... some should acknowledge their thoughts aren't the be all and end all - but certainly any shares that appear on your content schedule should meet a set of strict criteria before you hit publish.
For a start, is it of interest to your audience? Is it on brand for you? Does it fit with your overall strategy? Will you cause the owner or subject of the content harm if you share (like sharing a music track without paying for it or retweeting an embarrassing image)? Note: If the answer to that last question is yes, then don't do it. Even if it's hilarious. Just don't. Even if everyone else is doing it. That's a no.
Hidden talents.
Do you have an IT person that hides out in the server room all day working their dark magic? Or an intern that you only give boring jobs to and wonder why they turn up every day? What about the person who makes coffee for your meetings? How much do they know about what you even do in said meetings?
These people are untapped points of view! Plus, they may well have hours of downtime each month that could be dedicated to pulling together content for your brand. They might not be the best writers (although you may well be surprised) but their different challenges, solutions, voice and perspective will add a new dimension to your content.
Pay for it.
A lot of companies pay for content. It's incredibly common, can end up being good value when you account for all the time your staff can save on content creation and customers don't mind a bit of variety!
But be smart about coughing up - get the best bang for your buck by planning multiple uses for each piece and time them so your calendar isn't crammed full one month and spartan the next.
The great news is that your options for paid content are constrained only by your budget. You could engage a publisher to create sponsored content, have an influencer share their experience with your brand, engage a journalist or writer, or approach an industry expert for an opinion piece.
The best way to narrow down your options is by taking a customer-centric view (i.e. what influencers do they follow as opposed to 'We can afford a Kardashian!' and what formats they prefer rather than what would be the most fun to make) and don't go ahead if the result is shite. Don't let the fact you are paying for it make you lower your standards.
Hopefully you're now feeling a bit more like "ahh! content!" (like brilliant, good idea, it all seems so easy now) and less "OMG my head is exploding, I didn't sign on for this why is it so hard, does a comma go here, or here, arrggh!"
And don't forget to get in touch if you could do with a spot of help.