We’ve all heard the statement “content is king” but have you ever stopped to consider what this even means? What is content anyway and why is it important to your business?
Content is the information that you’re generating to help you get the word out about your product. This is important to any business as the content you create will set the tone for your brand, help you to differentiate yourself in the market and attract the right clients for your business.
So yes, content is king. Putting out high quality content consistently is crucial to business growth.
Here are 5 things to remember when preparing content:
1. Don’t Try to Be Everywhere
Decide on the platform that is most relevant for you to build your brand. This will depend on your target audience. Where do they hang out? It’s important for you to be vocal in the spaces where your dream clients play. Join the conversation and give them a chance to see you, engage with you and learn about your business.
Focus on building and mastering one platform at a time before adding layers to your strategy. This will give you the data and experience you need to extend your voice and time to other platforms when you’re ready and you have the manpower to execute.
2. Create Strong, Visually Appealing and Relevant Content
Read the room and take note of what content does best on each platform before you dive into content creation. If your platform needs striking images, be prepared to create them. If your platform needs videos or long form text-based information, take note of this and create the best type of content that will attract engagement from your dream clientele.
3. Follow and Engage Relevant People
Engagement is give and take. If you’re on a platform pushing out content and never engaging in the community, you’re missing out on an opportunity to connect with your people.
Like, share and leave comments on content that is relevant to your business. This helps you to get eyeballs on your brand and drum up curiosity and mutual engagement. Repost and share content from relevant accounts to get their attention while sharing helpful content on your pages.
4. Be Consistent
As with any other part of business, consistency is key. If you stop creating content regularly, your audience may forget all about you and be swept up by your competitors. It’s important to always create compelling content to attract new clients and re-engage old ones.
5. Scheduling and Automation
Developing a content schedule helps your audience to see and expect your content regularly. Once this schedule is in place, you can begin to automate delivery of your content, freeing up your time to move on to other platforms or focus on other areas of business.
Batch create content once and use scheduling apps to trickle your content out over a specific time period. Be sure to monitor the content that goes out so you can respond to any comments or queries and engage with those that engage with your posts.
6. know Where to Show Up as a Brand
There are many places and spaces to engage with your audience. You can create content on your own media or on social media platforms. Choosing the right one will influence your brand’s content strategy.
Owned media includes your website, blog, podcast, videos and email list. Social media platforms help you to get your content far and wide by putting it in front of an audience that’s already gathered to consume whatever type of content that platform is known for. If your target audience loves to watch videos, chances are they’re hanging out on Youtube and so you should include videos in your primary content strategy.
Major social media platforms to consider include:
Facebook
Linkedin
Pinterest
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube
Snapchat
TikTok
7. make your content as compelling as possible
It all starts with your copy.
What you say, how you communicate with your audience, when you’re communicating and why you’re communicating is extremely important and must be adapted for each platform.
Writing copy that is clear, detailed, strong and compelling is important, but it should also reflect your brand’s personality and the personality of the audience you're trying to engage.
Your copy is unique to you and should be consistent in tone. Think of your copy as the storefront display for your products and services...it should be interesting, engaging, convincing, appealing and complementary all while showcasing the product you’re selling. Strike a balance between personal and professional to develop a strong brand voice that’s easily identifiable and natural to you.
a few more nuggets...
If you’re stumped for content creation ideas these easy strategies should help. Pro tip: keep your content organized in a Google folder or other such space to help you quickly find your created pieces.
Themes and Holidays
Will your product be useful around a particular holiday? Create content around that. Also create a few themes for your content that you can use over and over. Perhaps a series of tutorial posts showing ways to use your product or a series of creatively designed reviews of your services.
Product Showcase
Woven into the natural series of content that you publish should be some tastefully designed product placements to show your products and keep them in front of your audience.
Content Repurposing
Use your old content in new ways and on new platforms. If you have a video that you’ve already published, turn it into a blog post or series of snippets on Instagram for more engagement.
Giveaways
Everyone loves a giveaway. This is a good way to increase the engagement of your content and attract new clients to your business.
Your content strategy is the backbone of your brand and deserves careful consideration and execution. Follow these tips to elevate your brand and churn out quality content on a consistent basis.
Need help developing your content strategy? CLICK HERE to schedule your strategy session! I'd love to help you bring your ideas to life!
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Brittnee N. Smith is a Graphic & Web Designer, Creative Brand Strategist, Speaker, and Author. She is also the founder and C.E.O. of Brittnee Smith Creative Company. Her mission is to help women owned business and entrepreneurs effectively promote and communicate their brand through creativity, design and media. Brittnee’s areas of expertise are Brand Development, Social Media Strategy, Personal Development, Motivation, Live Video & Digital and Print Design. Through motivational speaking, workshops, coaching and consulting, she helps her audience and clients transform their thinking, through authentic branding and excellent design.