You’ve probably heard time and again that “content is king”. This phrase made its way into our life when Bill Gates published an essay on the Microsoft website in 1996 arguing that content is where “much of the real money will be made on the internet”. However, as he equally stated, the definition of content (particularly in relation to the internet) is very wide.
While Bill Gates was referring to content from video games to software creation, in the age of social media, news sharing and online communities, content marketing has continued to rise in importance.
As more and more people and businesses continue to flood the internet with their creations, how do you make yours stand out from the crowd? Well, the first thing you can do is make sure you’re producing the right sort of content for you.
Why is content important?
If you’re already researching the types of content you need, you probably already know that it’s important. From blogs to podcasts, all seemingly promise the opportunity to improve your Google ranking, generate traffic and leads and boost conversion rates. While these are possible solutions (and valid motivators for creation), content shouldn’t be creed solely to move and manipulate people around your brand.
First and foremost, content should add value to your audience. Time and again market trends have shown that individuals value a personal connection. In the last few years we’ve seen big brands get down and dirty with current trends and memes, relate to their audience and promote a ‘small business vibe’. When it works, it really works.
Content is all about building trust and engagement. When done right, it can help establish you as an authority in your field and hone your unique brand voice. Building a positive relationship in this way is ultimately what will go on to drive traffic, leads and conversion.
Why is it important to choose the right types of content?
If you’re a beer salesman, you’re probably not going to set up shop right outside a school. Equally, if you’re a feminist spokesperson you’re likely not going to deliver speeches outside a supermarket, where people are just trying to get their shopping done in as little time as possible.
Choosing the right type of content for you works the same way as picking a physical marketplace to set up shop. Firstly, you need to attract the right audience. If you’re looking to find business clients, you should be looking at creating content that performs well on LinkedIn. Or, if your target is daily commuters then you’ll need something that grabs people’s attention on public transport – like short podcast episodes.
Once you’ve found how to reach your consumers, then you need to know how to engage them. This is where it’s good to play to your strengths. Some individuals or companies work really well with visual content. Others, who don’t have a visual product to push may rely on the written word to showcase personality.
The only right way is the right way for you. What does your product/field lend to and what skills or characteristics do you have in-house that can be built upon?
How to choose the right content for you
Audience analysis
As mentioned, you need to know who your audience is, where and when is the best time to reach them with your product/service/voice and how they like to consume content. Even when you’ve set up a content strategy, audience analysis should never stop.
Content types
There are a million and one content types, so this is when you need to consider your strengths. Typically a mix is the best way to go but there’s no point setting up a Youtube channel unless you actually have something to show people. If you don’t have much of a visual aspect to your brand, you may want to limit your visual content to images for a newsletter or the occasional posts on text-based social media platforms.
Resources available
It’s way better to choose a few content areas and do them well than trying to do everything. There’s no point setting up a podcast to interview experts in your field if you’re short on money and time. In this instance, a blog with suitable social media promotion would likely work better.
External support
Similarly to the previous point, if you have the money to spend, it makes sense getting an expert in to write content, film and edit your videos or at least show you the ropes. Then, your time can be better spent driving the business and giving your content creators something to shout about.
Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products – a marketplace of content.
Bill Gates
There’s no ‘right’ way to do content, and often the most successful pieces have been unexpected creations. But that also doesn’t mean you should reinvent the wheel for the sake of it. Always consider your audience first. Then, play to your strengths.
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