Going back 12 years ago, I worked for Television New Zealand, in an entrepreneurial division that generated additional revenue from existing media content. My manager would always preach:
“Content is King!”
Here we are in a very different business playing field, but the rule remains.
We now have this new tool called Blogs, still a relatively new concept in the business world of NZ. It is short-hand for “Weblog” and is an easy way of presenting brief chunks of frequently refreshed Web content.
The Blog is the “Hub” of Social Media and for this, YOU NEED CONTENT.
Why? Well, content drives the internet and your customer is looking for information that solves a problem, not a sales pitch.
Suddenly, we as business and brand owners have to take off our traditional marketing hat and put on our publishing hat, to create and publish content that is Valuable, Compelling, Relevant and Consistent to our customer.
Once we do this, we get it out to our customer using Social Media strategies – we have then involved our customer in our business.
THE BUSINESS MODEL GOES LIKE THIS:
Ultimately your business needs to generate revenue (make money, of course)…
You will do this by dealing with people who Know, Like and Trust you.
By marketing with social media using your engaging and interesting content, you will develop Relationships with people who Know Like and Trust you and then…. They will buy from you…
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
However, as we all know, small business owners do not necessarily always have the TIME to develop great content themselves – so this is where “content-curation” comes in – this is:
Using other people’s content and linking and crediting them so that their exposure is increased.
And, vice-versa, when you publish your own content on the web, allowing others to “share” it will increase your audience and allow you to be seen as a thought leader or industry expert.
I could talk for ages about this new model of marketing… if you are interested you can read further on other Blog posts, but right here I will summarise with a quote from Joe Pulizzi, Author of “Get Content, Get Customers” :
“Content marketing is
the art of understanding exactly what your customers need to know and delivering it to them in a relevant and compelling way”
Here are some ideas to get you and your business blog underway with some great content:
- Article – write your own or hire someone to write posts about your business – the reason behind it, your story, FAQ’s
- Tips and Advice – Tip or Quote of the Day, Lists (people love lists), how-to’s
- Testimonials about your business – quotes are always great
- Case Study / Examples – interesting stories about how others have benefited from your product/service. It’s a good idea to also address any potential objections that a potential customer may have
- Ask a question – then blog the results, like a poll/survey
- Thoughtful observations about good/bad practices related to your industry
- Grab interesting (or funny) content from others that relates to your business and comment on it
- Existing Video that relates to your business in some way – search on YouTube and embed or link to it
- Develop your own Video – film yourself talking about your business or interviewing a key person in your niche, and load it on your blog
- Promotions/Competitions – special offers to subscribers or to build your audience
If you want to discuss Content further and how the above relates specifically to you and your business, please contact me, Kerry Ensor, SocialMediaMgr… Helping you to Connect. Engage. Interact. with your potential customers while you continue to deliver your product or service.
