For many business owners, the thought of creating content on a regular basis seems as though they’re trying to scale Mt. Everest without oxygen tanks.
Are you one of them?
If so, this article may be the life-saving oxygen you’ve been looking for.
Many entrepreneurs take for granted the information they know and how it can help vast amounts of people.
In the article below you’ll read about:
✔︎ What is content
✔︎ How do you recognize content that will be valuable for your marketing
✔︎ How you can use your content and content marketing to position yourself as THE goto resource.
Enjoy.
What is valuable content?
Valuable content is information that a person can utilize to improve an area of her/his life. We all have valuable content, but sometimes we take it for granted. We talk about it to our friends, family, and neighbors during casual conversation thinking nothing about how it could positively affect thousands of people around our community and even the world.
As an entrepreneur, if you cannot find valuable content within your business, you probably don’t understand your own business and how it’s solving problems.
In fact,
A business that takes in people’s money and doesn’t solve problems for them, in my opinion, is not a business, it’s a criminal organization.
But I’m sure that’s not you, so let’s look at some examples.
Toys
Let’s say you have a toy business and you want to create content around that. You can show parents how to keep their kids entertained without relying on electronics. Teach kids all about the old school games we used to play a generation ago. You can teach babysitters how to make time fly while taking care of kids.
Cars
If you have a car shop, show your audience how to change a spark plug in 5 minutes or less. Educate them on standard practices to improve the longevity of any car. Your job as a value provider is to try to help them avoid needing your service. I know that might sound counterintuitive to you but trust me, if you do this, you will have more business than you could handle.
It’s all a process of taking responsibility for other people, because those other people are your potential customers. You know you have this information, so show them!
Talk about it!
Provide VALUE!
Why is this important?
The modern marketing world is a competition for ATTENTION. And attention is won by those who produce the most value for the longest time.
We all have the power to influence but we don’t all use that power. The ones that do, win the game. The ones that don’t stay short of reaching their goals.
Here’s a drill I teach people:
Go observe people at the malls, parks, parties and you’ll see ONE THING. 99% of these people are CONSUMING CONTENT. You need to be on the other side.
You can win by being part of the 1% of people who are PROVIDING VALUE, by creating the content others are consuming. But you need to do it long enough to win.
What’s long enough?
That depends on your goals and ambitions as an entrepreneur. The bigger they are, the longer you need to put yourself out there.
What are the characteristics of valuable content, and what does it do?
Valuable content EDUCATES.
Throughout history, education has made the world move forward. Lack of education has made the world contract or degrade as evidenced by third world countries that lack it.
As a civilization, we have expanded in direct proportion to the amount of knowledge we have accumulated about our world, the resources available to us, and the people in it.
Valuable content provides a path for a person to improve a particular aspect of their life.
With this in mind, content marketing is valuable when it enlightens, entertains, educates and/or inspires. People feel better and more educated, every time they see something from you.
It makes them feel better about themselves or it makes someone feel capable of accomplishing something. It empowers an individual to do better and it provides an actionable plan for them to execute.
How does this pertain to you?
Let’s say you’re an interior designer. You have a unique ability to make a person feel different emotions in her/his own space by the colors you use and how you place their furniture. You can call that ability a God-given talent or you can call it PRACTICE.
Whatever you may call it, it is KNOWLEDGE and it has VALUE.
Imagine this,
by teaching someone interested in the subject of how to make things look more organized, more beautiful and more aesthetic it can transform their lives. Knowing what colors match with what colors? What type of furniture looks good with other types? How much space should be left in between 2 couches? What direction should the couches face? It might help someone who was embarrassed to invite company over become a world-class party planner and launch a brand new career.
All because you shared some valuable content.
How can brands make sure they’re creating valuable content for their customers/leads?
Brands need to find their purpose.
Is it to improve fashion?
If so talk about that. Teach people how to dress better and look better. Teach them every day. Give daily fashion tips. Not because you want to sell them something but because you TRULY want to make them feel better about themselves with great fashion.
Is your purpose to improve the health of pets with high-quality treats?
Talk about that. What are healthy treats? What aren’t healthy treats? What are most people feeding their pets out there? Talk about the studies that have been done. Does the longevity of an animal improve with a healthier diet? Talk about that EVERY DAY.
The same concept applies to ANY business out there.
Whether you sell products or services it’s all the same. We are all trying to help people solve problems through our products, services, and content. And your job is to use these modern communication platforms to offer value and help people solve those problems!
If the only reason you started your business was to make money, you are off to a bad start.
Go back to the beginning and really evaluate how your business will help people.
If you find your brand’s purpose and create a valuable content strategy for it, you are on track to make a powerful brand that withstands time.
Money follows attention and attention will follow you if you focus on giving value in exchange for that attention.
You have access to modern communication platforms that our ancestors could have only dreamed of. Don’t take them for granted.
Use them to share your skills and talents.
Do it often.
Do it everywhere.
And in the long run, if you follow this path you will win.
