The most beneficial new years resolution any small business owner can make as they head into 2017 is to invest in quality content creation, marketing and analysis.
Content Is King.
This article will show why content should be your main focus and why that content needs of moderate or high quality. The results will prove themselves and I’m here to tell you why.
I’ve been creating content for a decade now and I can tell you with confidence that any small business that invests in quality content always sees more engagement, more leads, increased brand awareness and substantial business growth.
Why is quality content important you might ask?
That’s an easy question to answer; quality content always shines over low quality and it reflects how people see, understand and ultimately interact with your brand.
Let’s be real for a second, if you think you can continue to grow your business without utilizing quality content marketing then you are doomed to fail. Does that frighten you? Good, it should. Now is the time to put your adult pants on and start taking content creation seriously.
1. Content Is King… Quality Content Is Rare
“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.” ~Bill Gates, 1996Content is what the Internet is built on and this will never change. The most popular websites in the world are social networking sites such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. The most powerful search engines are designed to source content first and foremost. The lower the quality of the content, the harder it is to be noticed, engaged with or otherwise found.
Competition is as high as ever and will only continue to get more intense, so the longer you wait on creating a content strategy, the longer it will take to make gains, grow your business and increase your leads, sales and revenue.
So, what do you do? Well, that’s a big question but luckily there are solutions you can be using right now. (like clicking here to hire me)
-Do Research
Look around at what your competitors are creating. Do you see any gaps? Is something missing? What are the interactions for their content looking like? Understand what is happening and you can see what will or could happen. Take time everyday to be informed and never stop learning what people are interest in. This approach will be your saviour when it comes to understanding why content is king. DOn’t want to do the research? Well, don’t complain when your business falls flat.
-Invest In Production and Stop Complaining About It
Did you know movies are made with budgets in the 100+ millions of dollars. These costs are upfront and require immense faith that the project will yield profit. The studios responsible for the production of the films know that investing in a production will produce results. Why would you believe that you’re any different? Sure, your budgets are smaller, but it takes the same amount of belief and faith that what you are producing is worth it, well researched and ultimately marketed properly. For every dollar you invest, you increase the results by a factor of ten.
2. Quality Content Always Stands Out
Content is the ultimate thing every internet user is searching for. The content can take on many forms, such as video, blog posts, wikis, or social media. The form is secondary to the quality. While some forms have higher rates of interaction, such a video, which stands out as the best type of content, your mission is to create quality content that your target audience is looking for. This is best understood as seeing your audience for what they want, not what you think they want. Often times the content you create will not have anything to do with a product or service, but instead it will be about lifestyle or emotions. Start your research and get your head in the game, because while you hesitate your competition is kicking your ass into a ditch.3. Planning, Production and Propagation
There are three basic steps to any type of content you want to create. These simple steps, when carefully taken, will show immense results and will catapult you into the realm of a professional, creating more distance between you and your nearest competitor.-Planning
This crucial stage will set the pace, tone and feel of the following steps. As mentioned above, take the time to do proper research, gather data and understand your audience and competitors. Write it all down, create mind maps, road maps and milestones to help you fully grasp where you are and fig you are hurting your goals and targets. Be ruthless. Your business is at stake so take it seriously by letting the professionals you hire do the work they know how to do.
-Production
Speaking of professionals. Since you have a business to run and probably don’t know how to create edit and showcase a great video, now is the time for me to tell you the truth. You must rely on the people you hire so shut up, get out of the way and stop creating chaos. The best intentions are ruined by entrepreneurs that thing they know everything and who constantly try to tell someone who they hired how to do the job they were hired to do. Here is some insight, you don’t know anything and need to let those who do, do the work they do with the skills they have refined over many years. Have trust and your content will be awesome. Failure to do this will not help you.
-Propagation
Marketing your new content is as important as creating it. There are many aspects to effective marketing, such as SEO, keyword choices, social media, paid exposure, growth hacking and virility. Let the professional do their work and your amazing content will reach your audience, grow and make your business look like the gold standard it deserves to be.
4. There Really Are Guaranteed Results With Quality Content
Yes, the dreaded word: Guaranteed… whenever I see that word a shiver moves up my spine engulfs my brain and renders me mute as i tremble on the ground seeking solace in the shining light of my life… well, not that dramatic but pretty close. The truth is that there are actual guaranteed results that can be understood from quality content. Your quality content will see more views, more comments, more likes/follows, more engagements and more conversions. It’s the way of things with quality content, and you’ll be proud to see that your hard work, investment and faith was well deserved… but wait, here’s the caveat… None of that means anything if you lack the ability to follow up, close the deal and deliver your promise.What is the point of great content if the only result is an increase of numbers (likes, comments, followers) on a screen? It means nothing without he ability to convert that number into something tangible such as sales, revenue or client growth.
My solution: Design your pipeline to the end and make it stick. The pipeline is defined as the total start-to-end design of the campaign/system being created. If your content gets everything you wanted but you fail to close the deal, then what was the point? Think about it.
5. If A Tree Falls In The Woods And No One Is Listening…
Yep, you’ve heard that saying before. I’m not going to waste valuable time by repeating it. So, to the point; without proper marketing strategies your content is useless and a complete waste of resources. Take the time needed to create a powerful marketing system for the content. Videos, blog posts, social media content… they all require a level of marketing to truly leverage them. If no one is listening then that’s your fault, no theirs.6. Be An Expert, Be A Voice, Be Known
How long have you been doing what you do? Chances are that you’re about as an expert as anyone and probably know more than most about your particular business. If not, well, I can’t help you with this article. As an example, I’ve been doing design and digital marketing for over 10 years. Your reading this article aren’t you? You arrived here didn’t you? I mean seriously, this is the middle of the article… ok, what I mean is that clearly I know what “Im saying. I’ve worked hard and so have you. Own it. You know what you’re doing and the world needs to know about it. Let go of the fear and anxiety that we all feel and step into the universe of your own creation. Let your content reflect that idea. DOn’t be afraid to say what you know if the truth…7. Proof Positive
You’ve come this far. You’ve been working hard, building a business, growing your knowledge base and developing the skills needed to be a voice in your industry. If all this work is amounting to anything, it’s the ability to create high quality content that your target demographic can consume and relate to. The results will speak for themselves. If you sound like a jerk, people will pick up on that, fi you know your stuff, people will pick up on that… be diligent, ignore the haters and you’ll soon get the results you’ve always wanted… quality will be your mark. Ignore it to your own peril. Embrace it be a lightning bolt of awesomeness.Quality Content Is King.
Looking for quality content prodcution? That's what I'm here for.