Two-Headed Approach to Content Creation

We recommend to our clients this two-headed approach to content creation.

1. SEO content

   Use an SEO expert to help do keyword research relevant to your business and what folks are searching for more information. Take the search terms and use them as blog topics and article names. You can outsource this writing to a company like CrowdContent, and these posts should be between 750-1k words. These are heavy lifts that using a 3rd party will eliminate any burden on you but contribute to you and your website’s authority. The function of this content is to build your site’s authority, not sales “conversions” or sales content since it will drive traffic, not necessarily customers. That content comes from you directly in #2. On the high side, 5k words a month / 3-4 blog posts total. These can be packaged into a monthly newsletter and broken down into other bits of content if you want to ramp up your content marketing.

2. Thought leadership 

   This content comes primarily from the mind of Larissa. Since your SEO needs are satisfied by #1, your content can be much briefer and to the point. As Cloris said, make sure you’re creating the type of content your audiences are consuming. Writing live text is always a good idea, but if short videos are better, make sure you transcribe the audio and post the video with the text as a blog article. Whichever medium you choose for your cornerstone content, create a plan to chunk the juices bits and get them flowing on various channels to “drip” on your audience. This content will build your persona brand authority and lead to new customers and leadership opportunities (interviews, podcast appearances, speaking…). Try to commit to 2-4 pieces of original content a month.

3. Content Calendar

   Map out your first 6-months of content, make sure it isn’t too ambitious, and you can commit to it. All good content is excellent content once you get your marketing machine rolling. But you don’t want to start and stop because you’ll send the wrong message or lose all your momentum. Think about a full year of content and cadence and how it will build up over time and into the following year (content takes 12-18 months to get exciting returns). It is a long game, but I recommend you only commit to planning six months at a time—the future is too unpredictable.

4. Marketing punch list
   

   Create a marketing punch list to manage the flow of your content. New SEO blog going live tomorrow? Now what? Well, add it to the monthly newsletter email, schedule to push it out on your relevant social channels, and ask your team (ask, not tell) to amplify it on social my liking and sharing. Is new thought leadership going live too? Now what? Depending on the piece, have your flow chart punch list ready to go. For example, if it’s a short video, have your admin transcribe it, edit in the subtitles, take the video, post it on LinkedIn, and the transcription. Next, post the video on your Youtube channel, host the video on your site with the live text, if compelling enough, send the text out as an email. Et cetera.