Content is what makes the social media and marketing world go round. Don’t be fooled either, content has always been the master of marketing. But today, in a world where we share more than ever and access information faster than ever you need a good content strategy to stick out socially. It comes down to two things – Content Curation & Content Creation.
Why You Need A Content Strategy
There are tons of reasons that you need a good content strategy. Here are the 4 most important.
To Get Found Socially
To Communicate Your Value
To Engage Your Customers
To Increase Your Search Engine Rankings
What Makes A Good Content Strategy
So what is a good content strategy? It depends on who you talk to. Some might argue that a good content strategy starts with curation. Others might tell you that it’s all about creation. I’m going to tell you that it’s a mixture of both that will have the greatest benefit for your business.
Content Creation
If you read our blog, you’ll know that I’m 100% about creating your own content on your site. In fact, I really believe that the best way to increase your online clout is through a regularly updated blog. I’ve seen it first hand. Blogging is the best way to help you grow your following, grow your traffic, increase your leads and make more sales. Obviously this is the cycle we all need as business owners to stay in business.
Content creation gives you a ton of authority. In fact, it can make you an authority in your industry. So, not only does it allows you to make a name for yourself it also gets people sharing and linking back to your website. Your audience and your customers are going to respond to content that works for them. So it won’t only be blog posts. It can also include webinars, podcasts, videos, Vines, contests, photos, images, text cards, slideshares, ebooks, white papers, etc. The list goes on and on. And from a business standpoint, you’ll know what works best for you. I’d say focus on about 5 types of content that you are really good at and keep producing.
Content Curation
Content curation on the other spectrum is the act of sharing other’s content that is still relevant to your customers, but it doesn’t come from you. While content curation doesn’t have the same effect on your website as content creation, the benefits are still good.
Most of all, content curation helps you build relationships and brands you as a thought leader in your industry. It makes you a different type of expert and it makes people want to follow you because you always have the good information to share.
There are a bunch of tools you can use to get into the content curation game. The best one for b2b companies is Scoop.it. They have a great community to engage with.
Content Curation & Content Creation Together
So you can see why they are both beneficial to your business. Now let’s look at what happens when you combine the two into your content strategy. Boom! You are unstoppable. People want to follow you because you share your own great content & curated content from others. People want to engage with you because they know you will share their content if it is good. And other content curators will want to share your content because it is good. It’s a win – win strategy.
