Content Marketing: it’s all the rage and everyone is talking about it, but what do you actually get out of it? Great content can accomplish many goals for your business, but at its core your content marketing should a) establish you as an authority, and b) engage your customers.
Most content marketing is done through blogging – writing articles about your product or service or what your company’s been doing with its time. But not everyone is a writer. Many people (myself included) sit down at their computer and stare at the screen, wondering “what in the heck will I write about, and why would anyone care about what I have to say?”
Here’s a little secret. Not all content is created through blogging. You can still engage your customers and show them that you know what you’re talking about without sitting down to write a novel.
3 Ways to create content without writing a blog or article:
1. Video – Our Chief Communications Scientist, Lisa, loves making videos. Sometimes they’re serious, sometimes they’re silly, but more often than not they provide our audience with information in a different and fun format. Take Lisa’s vlog (that’s video-blog, for short) on content. It’s completely different from this blog, but with a similar theme, and she’s presented it in a way that’s easy to understand.
If you have a smartphone, we suggest SocialCam and Videolicious. They’re simple to set up and use, and you’l be sharing interesting, relevant content in no time.
2. Presentations – If you’ve recently given a presentation in front of a crowd, it’s easy to share that information online with people who weren’t able to attend at the time. You put a lot of preparation into that presentation – you may as well get a little extra bang for your buck. You can easily take your PowerPoint file and upload to SlideShare, record a voiceover of your spoken presentation, and share with your clients. SlideShare is free, simple, and a great way to share your extensive knowledge with a large audience.
Extra credit: Link your Slideshare profile to your company’s social media profiles for even more exposure!
3. Newsletters – I know what you’re thinking. “Don’t I have to write articles to use in a newsletter?” Nope. You can, but it’s not absolutely necessary.* You can use articles you find online that you think might be relevant and interesting to your customers. Just make sure you’re giving proper credit to the original author – citing your source is the difference between sharing content and plagiarism. Also, when you create your newsletter, you may want to write a brief introduction in your own unique voice. Your customers come to you because they like you and trust the way you do business… don’t leave them wanting for authenticity.
One final word on content — once you create it, don’t forget to share on all of your social media sites (like we’re going to do with this post)! The more people who see your post, the more people will know what an awesome, knowledgeable, likable person you are. And people want to do business with people they think are awesome.
*Note: Creating original content in the form of articles and blog posts will increase your exposure online. The Lab3 Chemists suggest writing a little content every now and then to get the most out of your newsletters.
