It’s the people who offer the real value to me and my company: the members, the community leaders the Chamber brings together, and the Chamber staff themselves. These are all sources of great information that I can use to grow my business.
There’s just one small problem… many of these people don’t know they’re experts. It’s like the dead people in The Sixth Sense, they don’t know they’re dead (sorry for the spoiler but it’s been years people!)
You know things that others do not. You’re an expert! Don’t believe me? How many questions did you answer about your business or services today? Whether it’s a client or a coworker, you have knowledge they want.
This is where content marketing comes in. Imagine if you could extend that knowledge out to a larger pool of people? What if you could solve their problems simply by sharing what you know? What happens when you give someone a gift and expect nothing in return?
In the past, we were told not to give away the secret sauce. Marcus flips the script on this one. Sure, there will always be closely guarded secrets, but we live in the information age. It’s impossible to keep a tight lid on everything. And here’s the real secret, the sauce is you!
Marcus offers a simple solution to your content problems: when they ask, you answer, and you do it publicly and honestly.
Marcus was running River Pools and Spas in Virginia. He was facing some dire times and the very real possibility of losing his business. When up against a wall, we will try anything, right? Here’s what he did…
He wrote down every question he was ever asked on a sales or support call. Then, he wrote a post with the answer, honest and forthright.
These were honest answers about the cost of his pools compared to his competition, the quality of his pools compared to his competition, and more.
Not only did this content boost traffic on his website, his prospects could see that his company was one they could trust. Even when his solution was more expensive, he still won the business because they trusted him.
Long story short, he did so much business that he eventually retired from the pool business and is now a sales and marketing consultant. And he has honesty to thank for it.
It’s simple really, be an honest and useful resource and you will earn trust. People buy from people they trust. And once they buy, with continued support, you gain loyalty. A loyal customer is worth scores of potential customers.
Everyday Experts
Not everyone who is an expert will go on a speaking tour, or be a talking head on cable news, or write a bestselling book.
Many of the experts we get the most value from are right in our backyard. It could be your landscaper, financial planner, real estate agent, mechanic, any one of the many people you do business with.
When you’re looking for a service, product, consultation, whatever, where do you usually start? Yes, you’ll likely do a Google search or ask your phone like a crazy person. But, when it comes down to deciding who gets your business, what drives that decision?
Making decisions is hard because we constantly second guess ourselves. Many of us will research something beyond the point of reasonable just to ask a friend, colleague, family member, or neighbor for their opinion.
And who do these people recommend? They recommend someone they know and trust. Do you hear the drum I’m beating here?
Be that resource! You are an everyday expert and people want to know what you know.Utility ContentThis is not a new concept. I’ve written about Utility Content quite a few times. Utility content is your expert advice and tips. It’s the content people need.
Utility content can come in many shapes and sizes:
- Blog posts – these can be lists of resources, how-to advice, things to avoid, etc. Just make sure these are useful and not just a post filled with keywords. I recommend at least 750 words. Longer posts can actually perform better over time.
- Guest posts – original content (with an author link of course) posted on a vendor, member org (like this post on the Chamber blog), or partner company’s website. This can build your exposure and reputation as an expert. Pro tip – link to some of your utility content within the guest post (like I’ve done here). It gives more sauce to the reader and builds channels back to your website (rule: only link to a post that adds value to the post from where it’s linked)
- Video and podcasts – these are the gifts that keep on giving. People love video and audio. Google loves content and multi-media. Check out this overview on how to get the most out of video and podcast content.
- Infographics – these can be a graphical overview of a concept, an analysis of data, or even a how-to. These should be simple and easy to follow. Pair these with written content for a winning piece.
- Interactive Utilities – it’s in the name! Things like calculators or lookup tools. This type of interactive content is a great way to offer added value to the user.
Now, going back to “They Ask, You Answer,” what are the most common questions you’re asked? Jot them down and note the type of person they’re coming from. Boom! Now you have a list of content ideas with a target audience!
One possible hurdle for you will be the dreaded assumption. Never assume (you know, something about a donkey and you and me)! Not everyone knows what you know!
Sure, some of your customers or prospects will know some of what you know. But, it will be a small minority. And, these people will be looking for content that validates your expertise. Utility content is that content. Nothing is off the table!
The Content Marketing Experts
There are many posts and books on how to create content. If you get nothing else from this post, I hope you take this little piece of advice, read these books!
- Content Rules by Ann Handley and CC Chapman
- Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
- They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
- The Content Code by Mark Schaeffer
These are numbered because I recommend you read them in that order. But, don’t delay on getting started creating utility content. Planning is important, but so is doing. Yes, read these books. But, don’t let perfect get in the way of progress.
In his book 10X Marketing (more of a graduate level read for content marketers), Garrett Moon talks about 10% content. This is the final 10% of effort that can hold a piece of great content hostage. He argues that people will forgive the small mistakes if they’re getting value from the content.
Don’t let obsessiveness hold your content hostage. Find an editor you trust. When you’re at the 90% finished state, give the content to them. Accept their edits and post that bad boy!The Iowa SyndromeYou’ve seen the movie. Kevin Costner builds a baseball diamond in his corn field and Ray Liotta shows up.
Trust me, if you write it, they will not come. Why would they? They have no idea it’s there. You need what Mark Schaeffer calls the “content boost.”
Read his book (listed above) to get all his boosting tips. For the purposes of this post, I will give you a simple list to follow for each post…
- Email newsletter – do you have an email newsletter? If not, set one up (and read No Bullsh!t Social Media by Jason Falls and DJ Waldow). If so, share these posts to your email list.
- Social channels – some of you might follow me on social media. If so, you’ll notice that I post other people’s content (OPC) more than I post Wood Street content. It’s an 80/20 rule. Post 80% OPC and 20% yourcontent. Make sure all of it has value to your target audience. Check out Buffer.com and CoSchedule for social media scheduling options.
- Manual syndication – you can repost your content on channels like Medium and LinkedIn (and even the Frederick News Post if you have an account). Post the content as-is or tweak it a little. Either way, always include something like “This content originally appeared on the Wood Street Journal (with link). Reposted with permission.”
- Auto syndication – if you’re lucky enough to have an industry where there are popular content sites, see if they will syndicate your content. For example, we syndicate to sites like Business2Community.com. I give the link for our RSS feed and they will repost my content on their site. This is a win/win. They get useful content from me, and I get exposure on a content rich and heavily indexed industry website. Look for these opportunities in your industry.
When it comes to boosting your content, nothing is off the table. As long as you make sure you are linking back to the original, you’re usually in good shape. Just make sure to do you research on these channels and make sure they’re right for you.
If you see someone you trust using one of these, ask them about their experience and if they can recommend any other channels you should use.
See what I did there?
Now, go be the expert I know you are!!!
Jon-Mikel Bailey is CDMO at Wellspring Digital, LLC, a full-service digital marketing agency based in the Mid-Atlantic region serving clients nationwide. Jon is a speaker and writer about #MarketingAutomation, #SEO, #SocialMedia, #ContentMarketing, and more. Get more information at Wellspring Digital or follow Jon on Twitter.
Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.