4 Alternative Types of Content for Your Business If You Hate to Write

-
Content is essential to your business becoming (or remaining) an industry leader. It’s fast becoming a differentiator as more and more customers do their research online and make purchasing decisions long before they speak with one of your salespeople. If you hate to write, but don’t want to pay someone else to do it for you, you don’t have to give up on content. You shouldn’t. There are other forms of content production that are as effective in helping you become a resource for your customers as the written word is. If you’re not a great writer, chances are these other forms of media will also be a lot more compelling and engaging for your audience. 

Video

There are a lot of options in this category from webcam or cellphone production to slick agency creations. What you use depends on what you sell and who you’re selling it to. But even a high-end luxury brand can create a campy, low-budget production hit if it resonates with the target audience.
Generally, you’ll want to keep all videos under 3 minutes unless it’s very meaty subject matter. Ideas for videos include telling your story, client testimonials, product explanations, and things people who are in the market for your product or service need to know.
Don’t forget to check out the live-streaming video options with Periscope, Meerkat, and Blab. Businesses can also do interesting things on the six-second looping Vine.  

Podcasts

The old joke, “You have a face for radio”, is no longer applicable with the increase in interest in podcasts. Thousands of mainstream marketers have embraced this successful medium because people are listening to podcasts with the same zeal families gathered around the radio to hear the latest installments of their serial programs back in the 1940s. Just ask NPR.
Podcasts can be anywhere from a few minutes to thirty minutes long. A computer, headset, decent mic, and some editing software is really all you need to get started. You can create a tips series or cover topics of interest to your audience. If you run a gym, a podcast on good nutrition might be a nice fit.

Interview Series

While this is a type of video or podcast it deserved its own mention. Lining up subject matter experts each week or month is a lot of work but a video series of this caliber provides an exponential return on your time investment. It becomes a valuable resource for your audience and establishes you as an industry expert because you are surrounded by top minds. Also because you are selecting the guest line-up, you can choose experts who can help you further your message. Now you’re not the only one telling customers what to consider when buying, others (very smart others) are endorsing your beliefs. 

Images

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Picture posts get more click-throughs and shares than posts with just words.  There are a lot of free design sites (Canva, Visme, Pixlr, to name a few) that can help you create posts that get attention. Marry your images with a strong message or inspirational quote and watch your engagement take off.
No matter what media you choose to work in, it’s best to repurpose your content whenever possible. Use your videos to create transcripts for those who enjoy reading. Use soundbites to create social media posts, memes, or image quotes. Give your audience what they want in a form they can enjoy. When you do, you’ll find it saves you time and reaches a much broader audience. A broader reach translates to more sales.



Christina R. Green teaches small businesses, chambers and associations how to connect through content. Her articles have appeared in the Midwest Society of Association Executives’ Magazine, NTEN.org, AssociationTech, and Socialfish. She is a regular blogger at Frankjkenny.comand the Event Manager’s Blog. 
She’s a bookish writer on a quest to bring great storytelling to organizations everywhere.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

21 Easy Ways To Use Social Media To Get New Customers

-
Image
Social media marketing is about more than just gaining followers and likes, but sometimes it can be difficult, especially when starting out, to strategize around the right elements, and to use the platform-tools and options to achieve your business goals. But there are key, fundamental tasks that you need to be covering off in your approach, essential steps you need to take to move beyond the basics and into generating actual leads from your social efforts. Outlining this, Tonya Burge from Your Marketing Lady has created this in-depth infographic on the key social media marketing elements you need in order to formulate an effective social media marketing plan. Burge advises that brands need to first establish their business presence, then move beyond this by utilizing effective calls to action, providing customer service and driving traffic to your website. The graphic serves as a solid social media marketing blueprint - you can check out the full post here, or the graphi...
Read more

How to Succeed in Influencer Marketing without Being Annoying

-
Image
The internet is a bonus and a bane to most people. You can research anything, get your message out inexpensively, connect with people around the globe, and entertain yourself for hours. But it also has created a need for itself. It has a constant hunger for content. It provides a large bullhorn for people to pronounce their views and others are listening. That’s why influencer marketing has become so hot. What Is Influencer Marketing? Influencer marketing is a type of word of mouth marketing. Just like big brands may use a celebrity endorsement such as an athlete who wears the brand’s sneakers, influencer marketing uses well-known (or well-followed) internet personalities to talk about their product, service, event, etc. Just like in celebrity endorsements, this influencer has a fan base and is likely considered a pro in a given area. There are people who will buy your product/service or look into your organization just because the influencer talked about you. Where you fin...
Read more

4 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Small Business

-
Image
  This year has been a little more difficult to figure out new year’s resolutions. Part of that is because we’re all still reeling from the “lessons” we learned in 2020. Even the best prepared businesses lacked preparation for a global pandemic. Still, the new year is a great time to reexamine what you’ve been doing and how it can get better. Here are a few ideas:   4 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Business The following ideas are a good start and in case you are one of the “words” people when it comes to year themes, we’ve worked those in as well.   Automation Get ready to retake your day. There are so many ways you can use automation to simplify tasks. From drip marketing campaigns to nurture leads into sales to daily briefings your AI can play to help you start your day (or “if, then” sequences) with the necessary information, you can spend less time on the administrative tasks and more time generating revenue.   Analysis You know all that hard ...
Read more