This morning I had the opportunity to speak on a panel at Infusionsoft’s ICON14. What a fun hour! (Even though it was at 8 a.m.) I love panels for a few reasons: One, it means people don’t have to listen to my voice for the whole hour. Two, it’s fun to be a part of a team — the ability to brainstorm on behalf of audience members is a true joy for me. And, three, I almost always learn something from the other panelists.
One thing I loved this morning was hearing what’s on the mind of small business owners when it comes to content. Not surprisingly, something I heard a couple times (during and after the session) was: OMG, how do I find the time to create all of this content?
Even if you have the ability to pay people to create content for you, you still have time and budget limits. So, how can you be more efficient with both? Here are a few ideas to consider:
1. Consider all media and channels together. When you’re brainstorming with your team, don’t focus on just one content medium. For example, don’t start with a newsletter brainstorm. Start with a content brainstorm. Take your top 12 ideas (one for each month, perhaps). Then, list these topics in the first column of a chart. In the next few columns, identify specific ways you can communicate these ideas across mediums — newsletter story ideas, case studies, white papers, reports, blogs, etc. And remember: Just because a form of content or distribution channel exists doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use it. For example, if your product or service is simple to explain, your prospects might not care to read a white paper. If your audience doesn’t have a long attention span, maybe you should stop producing long videos and instead try Vine content.
2. Don’t start from scratch. Is it better to create unique content all the time that your audience can’t get anywhere else? Of course, it is. But you might not have the budget to conduct studies and surveys for original research. And that’s OK. You can use other organizations’ research (yes, you have to give them credit; I’m not green-lighting plagiarism) and then add your own opinions and analyses.
3. Start with the meatiest content. Brevity is a skill. But I always tell people: It’s easier to cut than add to your content. So rather than starting with the simplest piece of content, start with the longest and most complex. Write an ebook or in-depth report first. Then, pull out the pieces that might make good blog entries or social media posts. And yes, you can steal word-for-word from your own content.
4. Think visually early. If you’re a word person, it’s easy to forget the visuals until the back end of a project. But visuals are an important type of content. If you can get a photographer/videographer involved early, you may be able to save money. For example, if you have multiple blog posts or white papers that need original images, plan them out in advance, so you can shoot everything you need in one day. If you think you might need the same setup for video and still shots, combining all the shots in as few days as possible can help you save (on space or furniture rentals or models, for example).
5. Don’t discount free content. In today’s age of crowd-sourcing, consumers are more apt than ever to listen to their peers. Why not quote Yelp reviews or ask customers to participate in short videos of them raving about your business? Another way to get near-free content is to ask employees to write or create short videos (or blog posts) about your business. Consumers love seeing the faces behind brands, and it takes some of the pressure off of you.