Content generation and content distribution are some of the phrases
that you will come across when you start building your own business. You
will also often hear the term, “content is king.” When you’re focusing
on building great products and services, you may wonder what exactly is
so important about having good content and who can create it.
You may be aware of the crucial role that a website, Facebook, and
Twitter page can play in ensuring your brand’s exposure. You can enhance
your brand’s ranking in search engines by adding relevant and intuitive
content to your website and social media accounts. When you do that,
your website will not only be a place where your customers will go in
order to see your products or services, it will also be a place where
potential customers will go for valuable information.
To illustrate the point better, let us assume that you want to buy a
kayak and that you have come across a couple of different websites. On
one website, you see different models of kayaks along with their prices.
However, a second website has that and a blog written by the founder of
the company giving beginners tips on kayaking. It also has links to
some of the best kayaking destinations and videos showing helpful tips
such as what to do when your kayak overturns. Though both websites
provide the information you were initially looking for, the content on
the second website makes it much more attractive and is more likely to
gain new customers.
It is a fact that incorporating as much information as possible into
your website will not provide the intended benefits. The content that
you provide must have value to the visitors of your website.
Here are five simple ways of producing great content for your brand:
1. Provide How-To Information
You may have extensive knowledge about your products as well as your
industry. However, your target audience is not likely to have the same
in-depth knowledge. This presents you with an opportunity to help them.
Starting with the basics, you can include information on how to do many
things. To give you an example, if you are a maker of online
applications, you can offer tips that your audience can understand as to
how they can become successful through a distance learning program. You
can make use of a blog post, a video presentation or articles to convey
the information to your audience. Whatever the method that you adopt,
it must be simple, light, easy to read and informative.
2. Provide Inside Information
Give people the feeling that they have the privilege of getting
insider information when they go to your website. They will absolutely
love it. The information that you add or update on a daily basis may not
be exciting to you, but your audience may be looking forward to it. To
give you an idea as to what you can do to give them this feeling, here
is an illustration. Assume that you are at a trade show and identifying
suppliers for your upcoming product. You can take a few pictures of the
fair and make it available on your website. Such information sharing
will not only provide greater access to your brand, but also add a human
touch.
3. Have a Founder’s Column
Customers often want to get to know the founders of a company better
as it helps them identify better with the company. As the founder, you
should have a presence on your website and contribute to your column
regularly. Founder’s blogs are available on the websites of many
companies. The topics in these blogs include the latest information on
trends in their field of operation, personal success stories, etc. This
is not only an opportunity to provide unique and enticing content, but
it’s also great for public relation efforts and helps build customer
loyalty to your brand.
4. Facility for Interaction
People like interacting with others and also the brand they adore.
This is one of the major reasons why social media is so popular. It is
therefore important that you have the facility for regular interactions
with your audience. You can arrange for contests on a weekly basis, rope
in guest bloggers and encourage your audience to share relevant videos,
photos, thoughts, etc. You will have a growing community around your
brand even before you realize it. You will also have a great archive of
content.
5. Take Charge
You may think that all the content has to be created by you, but that
is not correct. You can share an article or any content related to your
industry or brand that you happen to come across. You should not
reproduce articles that you see on websites without prior permission.
However, you can always share a link or an excerpt. It is even better if
you add your own opinion. This is a great way of making your audience
learn about your connections outside your business. This adds to your
credibility and also helps you stay ahead of the competition.
As you strive to educate, inspire and establish a connection with
your audience, you should keep in view the fact that your content is an
extension of your brand. The content must be kept relevant. It is also
important to ensure that words are not spelled wrong and the content is
always grammatically correct. You want to give the impression that your
company is professional, not careless.