As a marketer for many years now, I’ve heard the term ‘content is king’ ad nauseum. The statement might be true, but for many brands, what does that actually mean? How much time do you dedicate to creating content? And most importantly, how do you get the content out there and use it to grow your brand?
Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned and implemented:
1. Be helpful & add value
A lot of businesses have no idea what SEO is or how to make it work for them. Rather than going into major overwhelm or spending unnecessarily to achieve brand visibility, focus on the basics: be helpful to your audience. Your expertise will include those SEO keywords.
As you continue to create content such as blog posts, you will build those keywords, which will start helping you rank organically.
Be sure to add value in your content. Readers are looking for information to help or educate themselves.
There needs to be some payoff for the reader, so always ensure to add value.
Whether it’s key take outs or one solid piece of knowledge that has perceived value. You can even provide this as an additional piece in the form of a PDF download or video that people can watch.
2. Stick to a schedule
Sometimes it takes discipline to keep on top of content creation. It’s best to put aside some time per week to focus on creating content and publish it once a week. By doing this, you’re creating a habit which should make it easier to keep momentum. Plus, it creates routine with your audience, so they know when to expect a new post or piece of content. Keep them hungry!
3. Follow a formula & keep it simple
You don’t have to be a profound writer to create content. Use simple sentences and be conversational i.e. write as if you’re talking to the person in front of you. This makes your content more approachable and easier to digest.
If you’re stumped and don’t know where to start, keep it simple by using a simple writing formula to give your content structure. One of the easiest formulas is the What, Why, How Formula.
e.g.
WHAT content creation is,
WHY it’s important, then listed several steps on
HOW to get started with content creation.
Keep it snackable by breaking up the content into 2-3 sentences per paragraph. Use headers as well so the content doesn’t feel like a Tolstoy novel.
You can even use bullet points and bold important text so you can get to the point faster, or someone skimming the content can absorb the key messages.
Images are a simple way to keep your audience captivated, rather than providing a massive chunk of text.
Visual breaks help to separate content and adds some personality to the piece.
4. Not an expert? Find someone in your team who is
Sometimes ideas don’t come when you need them to, particularly if you’re trying to tackle a topic you’re not overly comfortable or familiar with. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from colleagues who can offer their expertise to spark ideas on content that will resonate with your readers.
You can even ask your audience what they want to learn more about. It’s a great way of showing that you’re offering value by listening to their needs.
5. Distribute & re-purpose
So many brands have bought into the belief that “if you build it, they will come”, which isn’t the case. Take the opportunity to share your content so it can reach a wider audience, otherwise it’s a waste of resources.
Put it in your schedule to share your content across your social media pages, such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, and email blasts to your database.
If you’ve created a video or podcast, why not re-purpose it by transcribing it and turning it into an eBook or an audio guide? Evergreen content is the aim of the game, so you don’t have to repeat yourself because helpful content is always relevant.
Wishing you luck with your content creation, and if you ever get stuck, you can always contact an Agent to assist!
By Agent Raymond
Agent99 is an award-winning PR and communications agency based in Sydney. For more information about our services, contact us at info@agent99pr.com.
Further reading:
How to Create Strong and Long-term Relationships with Clients
Five Great Business Habits – by Simon Rountree
