Content Is King

This month’s marketing blog is part of a three-post segment on the theme of ‘The Ying-Yang of Content and Community’, following the initial post ‘Why Content Is King and Community Is Queen’. This month and next month, we will drill down into the top-ten list from the August blog and cover ‘The Key to Quality Content,’ our September blog below, and ‘Integrating Content and Community’, the October blog topic.

Engagement is the key to momentum, and creating relevant content, delivered to the right audience is essential for building that momentum. Below are some thoughts on how to create content that matters.

Make content credible.

1. Base any position you take on data points. Otherwise, it’s about one opinion over another, and is less appealing to a large population set who responds to data and logic.

2. Enlist writers who have the background and knowledge to write, pontificate and theorize. It adds credibility to the theme, community, and message.

Make content memorable.

3. Be succinct and vary vocabulary and syntax.

4. Engage the reader, but start by knowing who the reader is, and what would engage her or him and why.

5. Pepper it with a picture or two, especially if it adds to the message.

Make content valuable.

6. Have a reason for writing on the topic, a reason that would benefit your intended audience. Stretch thinking and perceptions of others, of course with a purpose in mind. Escapist writings have their place, but in a business context, content should stimulate thinking, engage and connect, and sometimes have a call to action.

7. Tell the story behind the data on a topic, don’t just spew out the range of data available. Interpreting the meaning of the data in the context of its relevance to the intended audience is a core value-add of content.

8. Offer specific examples and reasons on how the information has influenced decisions and identify results.

Stimulate thinking. Invite action.

9. Identify the goal for the content and how it would benefit the intended community.

10. You get a ‘C’ if the reader is entertained, you get a ‘B’ if the reader is entertained, and pauses and thinks. You get an ‘A’ if the reader is entertained, thinks about it, then know what to do about it, and even change their thinking, words and actions!

This is second final blog on the ying and yang of content and community, focusing on how to create content that matters for the community. Stay tuned for next month’s blog focusing on creating that niche community. Your thoughts are welcome.