I get asked by business owners, marketers and managers about content marketing. Specifically blogging.
They ask what they should be creating. The type of content. Not the channel – video, audio, text – but the type.
There are many different types.
Usually the tendency is to create sales content. Everything about your company and your product. That’s great…for a sales page.
Not for a video or podcast or blog post.
A great place to start is with Question & Answer. Finding questions people are asking and answering them. Specifically at the crossroads of where you’re an expert.
Another option is to give your opinion on things. Not necessarily answers, but your thoughts on certain topics. Maybe trends. Maybe predictions. Advice.
I would say that Q&A is better.
But even if you do those you can still run out of ideas. Or maybe you feel you’re not doing a good enough job with Q&A.
If that’s the case there is something you an do instead…
Documenting Your Process
It may seem strange. It may seem like your life is boring.
But think of the stuff we watch, read and listen to these days on social media. We will watch people doing all kinds of things.
It started with Real World on MTV where we watched people in their 20s just doing everyday stuff that 20 year olds were doing.
Now we watch gold miners. We watch truckers. We watch all kinds of people just living their lives. Edited lives, but still mostly just what they’re doing.
An Example
Don’t overthink this strategy for creating content.
Let’s say you’re a dentist. You’re not sure what questions patients are asking that you can answer with your content.
Instead of doing that, have someone record your processes. When you’re looking at a patient, talk about what you’re examining. When the hygienist is cleaning, have them discuss what they’re doing.
When the person at the front desk is taking the bill, have them talk about what is in the bill.
The cool thing with documenting is that you can edit the content. Record everything. You can do it with video, audio or text. Just have someone sit with you and act like a journalist. Documenting what you’re doing. Asking you questions. Listening to your thoughts.
Then have them go through it and pick the best stuff. The little nuggets that answer questions or that are the most entertaining.
The best reality shows are always a mixture of education and entertainment. You learn something, but you also feel emotions with the people being documented.
I think of American Chopper. We watched for the family drama, but we also watched to learn what the fabricators were thinking while they were creating unique bikes out of thin air.
Final Thought
Your work life is content for content marketing. It takes a little more editing, which is hard work. But there are gems of great content in there. Entertaining and educational. Things your audience will pay attention to.
You’re also a unique person and unique company. The little ways you do things will be different from the competition. People will pick up on that and become attached emotionally to it.
It’s all for attention because attention leads to trust and trust leads to sales.