Content. Content. CONTENT! Everywhere you look there’s content. You can stream it in the palm of your hands, watch it on demand, and download it to your heart’s desire. If you’re a small brand or independent creator trying to grow your brand, the idea of creating even more content to reach customers already streaming in a sea of content can be daunting, to say the least.
As a society, we’re consuming more content than ever before- from the music we listen to, to the shows we watch, and the social media platforms we scroll: CONTENT IS QUEEN. This is GREAT NEWS for creators and companies that generate content and even better news for the creators interested in expanding their audience. But, where do you start? And, how do you find the right content release strategy that works for you?
Today – we’re breaking down all those questions and more.
First things first; what exactly is content? Does it refer to the digitally produced material a company has, or does it have a broader meaning?
When we hear the word “content”, we think “information”, “collateral”, “marketing materials”; all those things that tell your brand’s story is content when it is generated for specific purposes, with a specific part of the customer’s journey in mind, including keywords that are important to your primary industry, and is used to help audience find and connect with the business. This piece right here? It’s CONTENT.
It’s your first point of entry to our brand and this is where we start the conversation. Think of it like an exercise in trust, with each piece of content you are gaining the trust of your audience with the hope of converting them to a customer.
Now that you understand what content is, we can start the process of figuring out what content is best for you to create.
Before you develop a single frame of film; endeavor to record the podcast, or put pen to paper – you need to ask yourself 3 questions:
1. What is the goal of the media?
2. Who is the intended audience?
3. How will the information get delivered to the target audience?
Answering these questions means that you have to know your intended audience and have an understanding of the ways they consume media. If your intention with creating media is to be a resource, then the types of media associated with that objective are podcasts, informational blogs (hey!), and interactive videos. Our favorite from this category is podcasts. Podcasts are fast becoming everyone’s favorite way to consume content because they can do it while also being occupied by something else. Video, for informational purposes, seems a bit invasive to us, but a quick 15-minute podcast release bi-weekly could be just the thing you need to take your brand to the next level.
For musicians and visual artists, we can’t say enough about IGTV or other forms of video content, to engage your audience. We’re sure that track is AMAZING, but so were the 10,000 other tracks released in the last few hours – set yourself apart by establishing an authentic connection with your audience. It doesn’t matter that only 300 or so people tune in versus the 11K followers you have on the platform. It’s important to remember that Followers aren’t necessarily fans, but the 300 who are tuning into your weekly content can become part of your tribe if you nurture and engage them often enough.
Lastly, in choosing the right content strategy, it’s important to remember that a key goal of content creation is to establish time content that can be used again and again to provide relevant information regardless of when the audience stumbles upon it.
You got this – we’re rooting for you.