Would your business grow with more content?
Maybe…
Would your business grow with more VALUABLE content?
Probably…
Would your business grow with more content VALUABLE TO YOUR CLIENTS?
Yes.
Derek Halpern will tell you, (and I agree) most bloggers and business owners create way too much content. However, this has nothing to do with the frequency.
The frequency of publishing is NOT a variable in the equation of content value.
Most bloggers and business owners create way too much self-indulgent, self-oriented content.
This is the problem.
We create content valuable to us and our business, not to our clients. Then wonder why we’re not getting traction.
Self-indulgent, self-oriented content wastes your time and far worse, the time of every visitor who is unfortunate enough to come across it.
So what does valuable content look like?
Valuable content provides simple answers to everyday questions.
Marcus Sheridan wrote an incredible book on this topic, “They Ask, You Answer.”
Content marketing isn’t rocket science or marine biology, it’s the process with which we answer the questions our current and potential customers have about the product or service we provide.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times…
Content marketing works, it’s just work!
I’m not necessarily advocating you produce a new piece of content every day. It would be great if you could. But unless you’re competing against TMZ or the New York Times posting with such frequency is not necessary.
Publish as often as you can add value.
I’ve been preaching this stuff for a while, as you’ll see in this video from 2014, where I explain the relationship between value and frequency:
If you want to watch this video on YouTube you can do here and I encourage you to subscribe on YouTube so that you never miss a new episode.
People ask me every day how I produce so much quality content.
The answer lies in the lessons learned from my work producing 100 video-based blog posts in 100 days (outlined in the video above). I did so many things wrong during that project.
However, those mistakes were whitewashed by the consistent delivery of valuable content my audience (at the time potential and current insurance clients) was searching for on Google.
If producing mass amounts of content is important to your business, (in the form of answering questions), the following 7 tips will help you find success.
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7 Simple Tips for Creating Valuable Content Every Day
1) Create an Editorial Calendar
The worst possible scenario is you show up each day and don’t know what content you need to produce.
Confusion distracts you from the work of content production. No matter how many days in a row you plan on posting fresh content have every question you plan on answering scheduled ahead of time.
2) Video is Your Friend
How long does it take to create a two-minute video?
About 20 minutes (from recording to editing to uploading).
How long does it take you to write 500 to 750 words?
Much longer for the vast majority of people. Video is easy, video is fast, and video will humanize your brand.
3) Stay on Topic
Group similar topics of information together as best as you can. This was a big mistake I made early in my content marketing career.
The topics of questions I answered were random. This made it hard to remember what I’d said previously and how I said it. This also created a disjointed feel to the projects as each video felt disconnected from the previously published video.
4) Steal Like an Artist
In his book, Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon gives us permission to pull thoughts, ideas, and strategies from peers, competitors and even people and businesses outside our own industry for use in our own work.
He’s not talking about plagiarism or copyright violations, but rather the assimilation of successful concepts.
Your unique voice and brand is a mixture of everything you surround yourself with.
Trust me, at some point, you’re going to need inspiration.
5) Work in Batches
This was by far the largest mistake I made early in my career.
I tried to produce a new video each day. HUGE MISTAKE. Take a day and record 10 videos, then package them all up for publishing.
You will thank yourself for this preparation. Too many things will pop up each day providing excuses for NOT getting content out.
Batch creation is exactly what John Lee Dumas does for his daily Entrepreneur on Fire podcast.
6) Use a Formula
Trying to recreate the wheel with each post (or video) is a sure path to burnout.
Have a formula for the content you create on a consistent basis.
A nice simple formula might look like:
- Headline,
- Image,
- Intro,
- Video,
- Transcription,
- Call-to-Action,
- Recap,
- Done.
Don’t worry about each post looking similar. The video is what you want them to watch anyway and most people scan posts. Most people who return to your content will actually appreciate the consistency.
7) Have a Purpose
This is a big one.
Don’t create content simply to be active.
That’s silly and a HUGE waste of time. Only take on a project if there’s a specific goal you wish to achieve. For the 100 Insurance Questions Answered in 100 Days project, mine was inbound new lead phone calls.
Make sure visitors to your content know what you want them to do.
The Rub
Here are two bonus tips:
- Embrace Your Flaws – Don’t get messed up over “ums” and “ahs.” Try to limit filler words like these as best you can, but remember, much of the power behind answering questions is displaying your ownership of the knowledge. A little human error is fine and in some cases appreciated.
- Solicit Help – If you take on a project with this level of content production you’re going to get burned out. I did. Have days where someone else gets in front of the camera. In general, this is good for branding and it will help you regain some sanity.
I want to stress that you don’t NEED to create fresh content every day.
But if you can and do, while maintaining a high level of value to your customers, the results will blow your mind.
Thank you,
Hanley
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