I have worked with a number of small businesses and organisations, and one of my biggest challenges is getting their buy-in to produce content. Either they don’t see the point, they don’t feel they have enough time to create content, or they feel they can’t afford to create content.
To cut a long story short—content is the key long-term tactic for exposure on the Internet. With no fresh content, your website is nothing. It cannot be found.
By having a content plan and a modest allocation of time and financial resources, you will stand a much greater chance of reaching the people who really want what you have to offer!
Here are five reasons to think seriously about content-production today.
Publishing content is a great way to show you are qualified and skilled in what you are offering. By sharing your knowledge, you show that you know your market’s pain points and problems, and you have solutions for them.
Through market research we have conducted, we have found that most people are looking for providers with experience, qualifications, and skills. If you share content that displays your professional expertise, it is a much more subtle and credible way of establishing authority than blowing your trumpet about it.
By providing information that answers questions, you will also be picked up by the search engines. They will assess that you are an expert, and will give your website higher authority points. Remember, search engines like Google expressly state that they want to promote sites that provide credible and useful information.
Even if you are not a highly experienced expert, researching and writing content will cement your knowledge and vastly improve your ability to convey and explain what you do.
Many of my clients offer awesome services and products that may be innovative but relatively unknown. As a professional and an expert, you know what the customer needs to effectively solve their problems. Because of their ignorance, they may choose options that underdeliver or that are inappropriate for their needs. Publishing content is a great opportunity to educate your prospects—and your customers—about what services and products you may offer that could more effectively solve their problem.
“People don't know what they want until you show it to them.”
Steve Jobs
Another aspect of publishing content is providing your customers added value. If you are a health practitioner, you could send your patients information on how to take their supplements, how to eat to support their health, etc. This form of communication gives them a sense of belonging and of being supported. It promotes customer loyalty and even advocacy, which is a very powerful way of extending reach.
It is often said that the mailing list is the gold in digital marketing. Email, when done correctly, is the most effective converting medium as well as the most cost-effective. The operative words are “when done correctly.” Email communication has been abused, and you have to be very ethical and sensitive to maintain quality email communication.
The marketing guru Seth Godin has a phenomenal mailing list, which he built through writing a daily blog of inspiring and thoughtful content. Here is how his list is gold: Godin is now an author, and whenever he writes a book, he tells his mailing list and invites pre-orders. His books are almost invariably sold out before launch—to his mailing list.
Create original, useful, interesting, delightful content to spark interest, then readers will want to read more. Then, ask them to subscribe to the mailing list.
People are not necessarily interested in products per se (except maybe for techies); they are interested in benefits and experiences. You can find ways to blend in content that answers questions, solves problems, and arouses interest, with information about your products and services.
A powerful way to use content, is to explain how to meet a need or solve a problem. Most readers will then go and try to do it themselves. But there will be some who actually don’t have the time or the inclination to tackle the issue themselves, and really want some help. This is where you give the reader the option to engage your services or buy your product. This is especially true for consultation services and premium software.
Retargeting and remarketing are the buzzwords for 2020, especially in New Zealand which takes a few years to catch up with the rest of the West. Retargeting means, when a reader visits your content, your website leaves a cookie on their browser, which enables you to target them with ads on other websites, on YouTube, or on Facebook.
They expressed interest by finding and reading your content, but they may not yet have been ready to purchase. By remaining visible as they journey through the internet keeps you in top-of-mind, highly increasing the chances for a conversion down the line.
In this way, specific content is a way of attracting people with specific interests, the very people most likely to buy your products and services. Retargeting is an advanced way to stay visible and improve conversions, even off-site.
You cannot decide to create content when you feel like it, and expect to be consistent and strategic. I know—I stand guilty! That is why I urge you to have a plan. You need to define your objectives, figure out seasonal themes, create a content calendar, and plan the production. You can pre-produce and use online services to drip-feed your social channels on schedule. Use a quiet weekend or the long holidays to write several articles. Hire a videographer for half a day and shoot a load of interview or how-to videos. Get help if you need it, but do it.
Content marketing is a key factor in many of the successful businesses I know. You probably have more to share than you realise. Get some trusted friends or colleagues together and have a brainstorm—you will be surprised by how much content you will come up with.
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