We live in a world that is driven by two things—the ideas people dream and the content they create around them.
If you’ll reflect on that statement for some time, I believe you will find it to be absolutely true.
I’ve certainly found it to be true, which is why much of my time each week is spent creating content in the areas I am passionate about.
Currently, I write this blog, my personal Christian ministry blog, and also host a podcast.
I have some fairly detailed plans for content I plan to create in the future as well.
The point is—if you want to stand out from the crowd in your marketing, you need to be doing two things.
- Creating new content.
- Getting it out to the world.
Your business, platform, ministry, etc., will rise and fall on your ability to do those two things.
But maybe you’re completely new to this. Maybe you have something to say, but you’re not sure the best way to get it out to the masses.
If that’s true, you’ll appreciate this post. I am going to give you five different types of content you can launch out into the world with today for massive marketing results.
You don’t need to (nor should you, necessarily) do all five at once, but you could eventually be doing all five and even more! And, you can certainly achieve massive marketing results by following through with your decision.
Here they are:
1. Blog Posts
To start my platform, I chose blogging. Now it’s true that this method will largely depend on your ability to write, however, I would not decide against this method unless you know for a FACT—and others will validate—that you have no hope as a writer. The bottom line is that written content is still at the top of its game, and you could be doing a massive disservice to your brand and business if you are not blogging. Don’t take my word for it, though. As I have written about before, studies show that businesses that blog see a 97% increase in traffic over those who do not. This number is staggering and should make you shudder! And—don’t worry if you doubt your writing chops. I used to think I could write extremely well, and now, I cannot STAND to look back at my previous work. The old adage is true, practice makes perfect, and you will always see room for improvement in your work. So please—don’t let that keep you from getting started.
2. Podcasts
Recently, I have given podcasting a go on my personal platform. While blog posts are, in my opinion, the best way to start out, podcasts are certainly able to stand on their own. While a blog should almost be a “given” in 2017, you may actually find more initial success with a podcast. This is because while there are millions and millions of blogs in the world, there are only hundreds of thousands of active podcasts—and much less high quality ones. Even though podcasting has been around for awhile, it is still in its infancy in terms of potential and popularity. One thing the podcasting market is NOT, is oversaturated. This provides a tremendous opportunity. An idea with even a fair amount of uniqueness, coupled with some knowledge of podcast SEO and some decent sound equipment will likely put you ahead of the game in terms of your particular niche. To get started, click here to visit Cliff Ravenscraft’s website, and sign up for his email list. You will get the BEST podcast advice emailed to you each Friday for FREE. Just taking his free advice has multiplied my listenership many times over. DO IT! You will not regret it.
3. Youtube Video Blog
Ironically, this is another thing that Cliff Ravenscraft has ventured into recently, and has indeed seen good success with. As I think back on it, this is an area where I have followed content for the longest. When I was first getting into technology I would watch the videos of guys like Carlos Aquina (itsmemorphious), John Rettinger (john4lakers—now TechnoBuffalo), and Ty Moss (tysiphonehelp). This is an area where I would urge you to take some caution. See, it’s true that Youtube is actually the second largest search engine in the world (it’s owned by Google, go figure), even topping Yahoo, Bing, etc. So this is a great opportunity—however, the market is incredibly saturated. I mean everyone’s got videos of everything you can possibly imagine. In my humble opinion, it would be better to begin building a blogging or podcast platform and then move over to video to get some momentum. Of course—you may choose to completely ignore this advice. I have not started to work with video yet, however when I do, it will likely be still images with an audible reading of my older blog posts over top of it. So while I would certainly urge you to think carefully about this move, the potential to expand your platform on video is astronomical.
4. Short Facebook Videos
Facebook, on the other hand, provides a little different opportunity by way of video. It is a fact that Facebook tends to promote live videos when they are recorded, even going so far as to send many of your friends/followers a direct notification when you go live. These live videos (which of course remain as uploaded videos on your channel once you are through recording) provide an opportunity to become a part of your friends’ days in a more intimate way. From a marketing perspective, this is a good move because Facebook not only gives you attention but it is also easy to share your content! If you have a good sized platform and 10 minutes, why not jump online to do a quick Q&A. That short session could provide you with five or ten new content ideas, as well as give you valuable face time with your audience. While this is another area I have not personally explored, I imagine it will not be long before I try to break into this market.
5. Sharable Quotes
Finally, we all love to find the perfect quote for the perfect moment to share. Something I started doing is, when I think of a quote or write a blog post where I can cull one out, making a little graphic which features that quote and putting it on a “Shareable Quotes” page on my website, which you can see here. This provides a nice, concise way to share your thoughts about something, while giving yourself a bit of a marketing plug. Also, the better quality of these you produce, the more likely you are to get noticed and shared often. I provide this on my website so people have a place they can go to quickly grab something to share with their friends. While it is certainly not the most popular page on my website, I do see traffic there, and I know I am providing a useful resource for my blog readers and podcast listeners.
[bctt tweet=”The old adage is true, practice makes perfect, and you will always see room for improvement in your work. So please—don’t let that keep you from getting started.” username=”northmacsvc”]The challenge of marketing your brand is a big one, especially in such a noisy world. But to keep things in perspective, you must remember that one of the best things you can do is simply stay consistent.
I’ve heard it said by others and it’s true: Most others will fizzle out. Your best chance for building your brand is simply showing up, week and after week—those who are dedicated and fully committed are the ones who succeed and rise to the top.
With that level of commitment and perseverance, you can successfully tackle ANY of the platforms I mentioned above.
The only question is, what are you waiting for?
Discussion Question: Which of the above-mentioned content types have you seen success with? We’d love to know in the comments below!
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