Is this the year your business finally starts content marketing?
After being in business for over nine years and working largely for small to medium enterprises, I know the two biggest challenges we’re all facing are these:
- Finding new clients.
- Retaining the clients we already have.
These two things take time and time is not something many of us have in spades right?
But …
- What if there was something you could do that was easily executable, infinitely repeatable and took less than 15 minutes per day?
- What if that thing allowed you to build better relationships with both potential clients and existing clients?
- What if that thing allowed you to establish yourself as an authority in your field and enabled you to attract more of the right client?
Would you be interested?
I hope you’d be interested!
And if you’re reading this, then you know that ‘thing’ is called ‘Content Marketing’.
What IS ‘Content Marketing’ exactly? I like Copyblogger Media’s definition the best:
“Content Marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The type of content you share is closely related to what you sell; in other words, you’re educating people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you.”
Let’s unpack that shall we? Starting with …
What is ‘content’?
In the context of this post, content is information. Really high quality, useful information, created in such a way that makes it easy to share.
Content can take the form of:
- Blog posts
- White papers
- Podcasts
- YouTube videos
- Online tutorials
- Recipes
- Infographics
- Speaking
To name just a few. The ways in which information can be packaged up for sharing is limited only by your imagination
But … you want me to give away my knowledge for free?
If you were paying attention to the Copyblogger definition you might have noticed this bit and balked at it:
“ … creating and sharing valuable free content”
Why would you share your valuable knowledge for free when people are paying you for it right now?
Here’s an important distinction you need to get your head around:
When people use your services currently, they’re not paying for your knowledge. They’re paying you to apply your knowledge to their specific situation.
(It’s the difference between reading everything you can find on the web about ‘things you can do to improve your business’s cash flow’ versus having a bookkeeper come into your business, audit your systems and processes, and provide advice based on what they’ve found.)
As we all know, it’s a big jump for someone to go from not knowing you at all to paying you to apply your knowledge to their specific situation. This is where content marketing comes into its own. It bridges that gap.
It’s also very hard for people to distinguish between professionals in the same field. Content marketing allows you to stick your head up above the pack.
When you share your knowledge with people for free, it creates goodwill. It also allows people to get a feel for what kind of person you are, how you operate and what specific knowledge you might have. And it means when they have a need for that specific knowledge, they’re going to come to you because they feel like they already ‘know’ you.
Want to know more about how content marketing can help you grow your business in just 15 minutes a day? Visit the long version of this post here.
Human-Centred Brand & Content Strategist | 25+ years in CX
8yLove this post Kelly! I love the way content marketing is redefining old school marketing, and enabling people to share their knowledge with their audience. But it's not a walk in beautiful dog park, and definitely takes time to refine the craft. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Community Specialist at Designhill. Support SMB's and creative professionals by visiting the link in contact info.
8yGreat Article Kelly, As you continue through 2016, it’s important to stay aware of the content marketing trends. Not because you need to implement everyone, but because knowing informs how your own content marketing strategy moves forward. People prefer content that engages and involves them. I wrote an article on content marketing trends that will dominate in 2016: http://mirasee.com/blog/content-marketing-trends-2016/ I hope this will provide a valuable information just like yours.
I write powerful and authentic website copy that sells | Website Copywriter | Author | Speaker
8yExcellent post Kelly Exeter. Creating valuable content is on my list this year and I've found it really helps with credibility as a service provider.