You’ve heard this term, “content”, being thrown around a lot lately.
“If you’re not producing content, then do you even exist?” they say.
The word even makes up half of my business’s name.
But really, what is it? And why does it matter to your business?
Since there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions, let’s use something we’re all familiar with to talk about different content types and functions — weddings.
Just like there’s no one way to throw a wedding, there’s no one way to create and use content.
All the colors of content
Blog posts are probably the most common type of content that people discuss, but there are many other shades of content out there.
Consider going to a New Orleans wedding versus a Greek wedding — the first traditionally has a second line during the reception while the second usually includes smashing plates for good luck.
Likewise, different types of content can be seen across a variety of businesses. If you primarily manage a YouTube channel, for instance, you will produce mainly videos. Or, if you teach writers how to put together a novel, then you might have a webinar series that takes them through each step of writing a book.
Depending on what you specialize in will determine which type of content will resonate most with your audience.
This list will help get your creative juices flowing when deciding which way to educate, entertain or persuade your community:
- Articles, including blog posts and guest posts
- Videos, including live streaming
- Infographics
- Newsletters
- Podcasts
- E-books
- Photos
- Checklists
- Case studies
- Social media posts
- E-courses or webinars
- Promotions or sales offers
- White papers
Quality content matters
Now that you have an idea of how wide the content spectrum is, let’s turn to the important role it plays on your website.
And while we’re discussing the benefits of creating content, it’s safe to assume that we’re talking about quality content and nothing less.
Because just as every wedding detail is carefully thought out, so too is engaging content.
Now, what kind of effect can good content have on your business?
The short answer: a powerful one.
The impact of good content can be more abstract, like building your authority in an industry, or more tangible, like direct sales.
In addition to helping you become a greater authority in the field, content has the ability to create a bond with your community, act as a sounding board for customer pain points, solve prospects’ problems and tell your audience how life will be better with your product or service.
More concretely, content can attract new prospects or subscribers, spark new relationships with strategic partners, cultivate feedback from customers and increase your ranking on search engines.
What will your ‘happily ever after’ look like?
As we’ve discovered, your business’s “happily ever after” will take on a life of its own.
Think about your company’s personality and the characteristics that define your target audience. Is your community more social and driven by visuals or more traditional and drawn to long-form articles?
Whatever it is that groups you and your audience together, try recreating that in content form. Don’t let the endless avenues put you off. Rather, embrace the possibilities, test it out and produce more of what sticks.
P.s. If you’d like help creating content for your company, email me here and we can put a plan into action.