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Want to Improve Your Marketing Strategy? Try Video by @eMakeitHappen

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Vintage camera userby Emily Worden | Featured Contributor

Hardly anyone uses video as a marketing tool, which is a shame because it’s effective for many reasons. First of all, the video site YouTube (www.youtube.com) is the second most popular search engine. It’s listed right behind Google, which purchased YouTube in 2006 and has heavily promoted the site since. Second, videos are great for SEO – they help get you to the front page of Google. Third, videos make excellent sharable content for your customers. Finally, videos establish your expertise and authority.

Before making a video, there are three questions to ask:
(1) What are your goals? What do you want to accomplish with this video? You might want to increase sales, promote brand awareness, create valuable content, improve SEO, attract a new audience, target a niche, or highlight new products.
(2) Who is your target audience? Are you creating content for your everyday customers or for a niche customer? Consider the target audience when creating content – it helps focus the material.
(3) What action do you want the audience to take? Think about your “call to action.” Do you want the viewers to give you their email address, go to your website, or view other videos? You can choose more than one call to action, but don’t make it so overwhelming people do nothing instead.

Guidelines for making a video
First, keep it short. Promotional videos should be 30 seconds or less. Informational videos should range 1-2 minutes and DIY or “how to” videos are usually 3-5 minutes. Don’t go over five minutes on a video because most people won’t even bother watching it.
Film several segments in one day then schedule them to publish later. You want to publish content consistently so always have several videos queued up. Study other popular videos about your topic on YouTube. Find ones with high viewings and positive ratings. What are they doing well? Can you learn anything from them?
If you post videos to YouTube, create a “channel.” Why? Channels collect all your videos in one spot, making it easy for others to see all the videos you’ve created. Anyone can “subscribe” to your channel and be alerted when you post new videos. Name the channel and choose a username that describes the business and what you do (e.g., “GreenRibbonDesigns.”) You could even say, “GreenRibbonDesignsdotcom” to lead people directly to your website.

Types of video content
Your videos don’t have to be slick and filled with graphics. The most powerful, sharable videos are often the simplest ones. Just be your authentic, creative self and make content that’s valuable to your audience. Not all videos have to be about your products either. Entertain people with funny messages, cute animals, beautiful quotes, delicious recipes, and compelling stories.
Consider the potential purposes of your video. Can you make one for your About page so people get to know you and why you’re in business? How about videos that feature your products or services used in real life? Interview other people who inspire you. Film it if you can, or just make a video with audio and some pictures.
“How-to” or DIY videos are really popular, even if it’s not related to your products. Share a delicious recipe or easy car detailing tips. Remember, the video doesn’t have to be about your business, it just has to be relevant or interesting to your audience.
Finally, take your frequently asked questions and answer them in videos. My business makes custom bags, and our customers frequently ask about the features of our bags, the durability of our materials, and if our bags are machine washable. Each of these questions can be answered in a short video for easy and compelling marketing content.

Video making tools
First, you’ll want a decent video recorder and a good audio source. Audio quality is just as important as video quality, so think about the microphone. Lots of digital cameras have perfectly adequate video recorders and microphones. You could also record on your computer with a webcam and microphone, most laptops have these built in. Test a short video first to see how you like it. I bought a lapel (a.k.a. “lavalier”) microphone for $60 and it’s been a great investment for quality audio.
If you’re making informational videos, you could just talk over a PowerPoint. Try CamStudio (www.camstudio.org) or Jing (www.techsmith.com/download/jing) for free screen capture software. If you’re making DIY videos, film at an angle that’s useful for your viewers, like over your shoulder or in front of your hands.
Edit content with free video editing software. Try Windows Movie Maker or the super easy Kate’s Video Toolkit (search online for “Windows Movie Maker” or “Kate’s Video Toolkit” to find a free download button, they’re everywhere).
When the video is finished, upload it to YouTube (www.youtube.com) and/or the popular video site Vimeo (www.vimeo.com). Include it on your website and in marketing materials too.

Video SEO
Videos make effective SEO tools. Here’s some tips:
(1) Put keywords in your video description. Ideally have a set of keywords in mind while making the video. Also think about the words or phrases people would use to find your video.
(2) Embed the video on your blog, website, and anywhere else that will accept your content. For example, if you make a “How to” video, turn it into an article for a popular website.
(3) Make a transcript of your video. This is awesome for SEO and not a lot of people know about it. Create a transcript of your video and post it on your blog – not only for quality content, but Google will read it and rank your site higher in search results.

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Emily Worden – Entrepreneur, Business Strategist, Impossible Optimist – Cambridge, MA

headshot1sheownsitEmily Worden is a Boston-based entrepreneur, consultant, and writer. She started her custom handbag business eThreads.com in 2006 while pursuing an MBA and working 3 jobs. After a particularly awful shift at her weekend catering gig, Emily threw down the apron and said, “Screw it, I’m going to do something I love!” She graduated in 2008 and quit everything to pursue eThreads full time. Emily started the cat lifestyle business Ferocious Friends in 2012 with her husband Case to satisfy the needs of their cats Lulu, Smoke and every feline around. She started her consulting business emilyworden.com in 2013 to assist other businesses with persuasive writing, strategic vision, and customer satisfaction.

Emily is an avid DIYer and loves making things with her hands. Her happy place is the library where she walks once a week; she’s always excited to learn something new. Her extra happy place is a great view of sunset with music pumping in her ears. Emily is grateful everyday for following her dreams and hopes to inspire others to do the same.

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How (and Why) to Use a Blogging Calendar by @rachelccool

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Image courtesy of David Joyce/Flickr.

Image courtesy of David Joyce/Flickr.

by Rachel Cool  | Featured Contributor

Don’t just blog for the sake of blogging. Blog to tell your story, reach your market, inspire people and achieve your goals. We always hear how important it is that we blog and for so many businesses, it has become one of those things they do just to check it off the list.

But, to really tap into the power of blogging and use it to grow your business, you need to do it strategically.

The “So What?” Factor

When you set up your blog, plan your content and write each post, ask yourself “so what?” Why should people care about what I’m writing? What does this mean for my market? What do I want people to do after they read my post?

The “so what” factor will help you achieve purpose. It will help you take your ordinary, mundane blog to something that gives your business a voice and helps you succeed.

Pencil it In

One of the best and easiest ways to turn your blog into a strategic tool is to use a content calendar. This doesn’t mean that you have to lose all flexibility or that you can’t be spontaneous. But, a calendar will help you stay focused and strategic so your blog posts don’t turn into ramblings without a purpose.

Build in Your Overall Goals

Whether you blog once a day or once a week, you need to keep your overall goals in mind. What is your business striving to accomplish? Write down your goals and then start brainstorming ways your blog can help you reach those goals.

Look at the Big Picture, not Each Post

Using a blogging calendar is the easiest way to look at your blog as a whole as opposed to a collection of individual posts. It lets you see running themes, gaps where you could provide more content or information and calls to action more easily.

Use your calendar to develop a blog series or use a consistent message for an entire month. Pay close attention to the topics you choose and the order you arrange them in. Instead of focusing on each post, focus on how each one works with the others.

Organize Promotional Tactics

You can also use your blogging calendar as a sort of checklist or outline for how you plan to promote your blog posts. Make a note of when you will share the post on social media, what social media networks you will use and how else you plan to share your content.

The real power of this comes by recycling older posts. Add calendar entries that note when you plan to promote a post again, even months after it was published, to complement your newer content, meet industry trends or go with current events.

Stay Flexible

There’s a reason you should “pencil in” blog posts. Blogging isn’t meant to be completely rigid. It needs room to develop, cover new ideas and highlight inspiration as it comes.

Don’t become so tied to your calendar that you don’t give yourself room to cover current events, company news or just those fun, personality-adding posts. It’s okay to rearrange things as needed or even scratch out ideas that don’t seem relevant anymore.

A blogging calendar gives you direction. It helps you avoid losing sight of your goals and turns your blog into a powerful marketing tool that will bring results.

Start developing a calendar now by incorporating your goals, content ideas, themes and promotional strategies so that next month you’ll be ready to hit the ground running with a smarter blog.

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Rachel CoolRachel Cool has a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. She has experience working in public relations, journalism, Internet marketing and search engine optimization.

Rachel’s passion is writing and she loves helping brands tell their stories, reach their markets and influence their audiences. She feels that a business’ copy, whether it is online or print, is an integral part of its marketing and communications strategies.

When she’s not writing, Rachel loves to cook and get lost in a mystery novel. She also likes to get competitive over a good card or board game, watch movies, fish and spend time outside.

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7 Sins of Social Media by @MyOfficeBooks

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by Amanda Hoffmann | Featured Contributor

When it comes to social media, more small business owners are becoming aware of it’s importance. However, many struggle to find their audience or get results.

Let me solve this problem by sharing the 7 sins of social media and what you can do about it.

1. We “Do” Social Media
Totally the wrong approach! Social media is all about engaging your audience. The correct terminology is ” We engage in social media!”

2. No Strategy
Posts just thrown out into the internet.
I liken this process to putting bait on your fishing line and throwing it into your bathtub, expecting to catch a fish. SMBs need to know who their ideal client is, what platform they frequent and when.

3. No community spirit or engagement.
People need to feel they belong. They want to join something that benefits them and know they will be heard.

7 Sins of Social Media Infographic

7 Sins of Social Media Infographic

4. Fail to schedule or plan
Know when your community is active, what problems they need solutions for and provide the answers when it’s convenient for them. Know your audience, know your potential clients.

5. Irrelevant data and information
Learn to use curation to source practical information. Online tools such as scoop.it, flipboard, twitter search and others will help you find interesting articles, quotes and images to share.

6. Me, Me, Me.
To engage, attract and successfully connect with your ideal customer, it has to be all about them. What problems they experience and how you can ‘help”. If you do not know what these are, learn social listening to find out. [see Manon Leroux’s article https://sheownsit.com/demystifying-who-why-of-social-listening-by-sociallysavvyu/]
It is essential to provide helpful information that will delight your potential customers.

7. Copy everyone else
To stand out and be noticed a small business needs to focus on what makes them unique. You need to find your voice, share something about your company that stands out from all the competition. This will also attract the right clients to you.

Now that you know what the 7 sins of social media are, it is time to rethink, relearn and connect.

By doing so, you will love this free tool to source and find new and delightful customers.

if you think you know of any other mistakes, please share them below so that I can write another article to be of service to you!

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Amanda Hoffmann – Sensational Entrepreneur, Bookkeeper Extraordinaire and loves Social Media

Amanda HoffmannHi, I’m Amanda Hoffmann and live in Brisbane, Australia. I am passionate about business and social media. I currently juggle being a mother of four school-aged children and run three businesses in completely different fields. While challenging, I believe they keep me thinking outside of the box. I have always loved being busy and I believe it is a mixture of my “can do” attitude and loving life that allows me to accomplish so much. Oh, not liking to sleep much certainly does help!

I started managing my first business over 18 years ago but sold it when I decided to start a family. I was unable to envision at the time how I could run a business and still be a dedicated mother. Since I now run three businesses and have a large family, I have found being organised and prioritising is the secret to success.

What are my businesses you might ask? My Office Books Virtual Bookkeeping, Kidd House Accommodation specialising in fully furnished accommodation for both students and professionals and Co-Founder of a new Social Media start-up called The Likeability Company helping SME’s get the most out of using social media and building communities.

I would like to share my experience in small business and answer any questions you might have regarding office organisation, cloud technology and share my experience in property investment.

I personally am fascinated by social media, particularly the fast pace of twitter and exploring the world of blogging. I invite you share my journey and get to know each other.

Twitter – Blog – Pinterest – Facebook – Google+

6 Ways to Keep your Blog Updated when You Don’t Know what to Post by @rachelccool

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Image courtesy of shira gal/Flickr.

Image courtesy of shira gal/Flickr.

by Rachel Cool | Featured Contributor

One of the biggest thing people struggle with when it comes to blogging is not knowing what to write about. Whether you’re a new blogger or a seasoned poster, we all have days when we feel like the idea well has run dry.

The best way to combat this problem is to use a content calendar that helps you strategically organize blog topics so you will know weeks or even months in advance what will be on your blog.

But, even with a content calendar writer’s block can still be a problem. Here are six simple ways to keep your blog updated when you don’t know what to post.

Build a Resource Page

One of the easiest ways to create a valuable post and update your blog is to put together a resource page. Choose a theme that will interest and benefit your readers and then compile a list of blog posts, articles, resources, videos and other materials in an organized way. Don’t forget to include a few links to your own content!

Add your own commentary and use headings and sub headings to make this a comprehensive resource.

Write a Tips and Tricks Post

People love posts that help them do something better, get more out of a product or work smarter. Write a post that includes tips and tricks for using your products or services better and encourage comments by asking readers what advice they have to offer.

This is also a great way to highlight and promote your business and show off what you can offer your customers.

Post an Image

Blog posts don’t always have to be written articles. Images can help you evoke feelings, show instead of tell and lead to more social media shares. Consider adding text to the image to make it more shareable and help you communicate an idea.

Search engines can’t read pictures so it’s always a good idea to include a short paragraph or even just a caption that includes a few keywords when you post a photo.

Create a Mini Case Study

Case studies can be a powerful way to prove results and attract more clients. Consider posting mini case studies, which are easier and faster to read, to your blog. Internet users are so overwhelmed with content and a quick case study that is to the point can be just as effective as a 10-page case study.

The best case studies define a problem, describe actions you took and then illustrate the results and prove success. Use a small project for inspiration or summarize a longer case study.

Write a Day-in-the-Life of Post

Add some personality to your blog with posts that give people a behind-the-scenes look. Posts about travels, office events or recent client experiences make blogs feel more current and relatable.

How transparent you decide to be is up to you, but simple posts that give readers a different look at you or your business are easy to write and help you build your brand.

Do an In-House Guest Post

We usually think of guest posts as a chance to let someone outside a company share her point of view. But, why not do an in-house guest post? Let an employee, manager or even your CEO contribute to your blog.

This lets your readers hear from someone else and see things from a new point of view. It’s also a great way to capture attention. A special message from your CEO will stand out on a blog that is normally written by your marketing or social media team.

Keeping your blog alive, updated and stocked with fresh content will help you increase search engine rankings, traffic, sales and brand awareness. On those days when you just don’t think you have anything to say, use these ideas to spark ideas for a blog post.
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Rachel CoolRachel Cool has a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. She has experience working in public relations, journalism, Internet marketing and search engine optimization.

Rachel’s passion is writing and she loves helping brands tell their stories, reach their markets and influence their audiences. She feels that a business’ copy, whether it is online or print, is an integral part of its marketing and communications strategies.

When she’s not writing, Rachel loves to cook and get lost in a mystery novel. She also likes to get competitive over a good card or board game, watch movies, fish and spend time outside.

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3 Content Marketing Tactics To Build Organic SEO by @JenniferFrezza

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ORGANIC-SEOby Jennifer Frezza | Featured Contributor

There are currently over 1.8 billion webpages out there in the World Wide Web.  That number is staggering when you sit down and contemplate ways of how to get your own website to stand out and shine.

There  is a multitude of techniques, and as many varied opinions, about what is the best way to drive traffic to your site.  My experience has shown that using the following formula works almost magically, to organically boost your search engine rankings and increase traffic to your site.

Content Campaign + Social Media Strategy/Marketing = Organic SEO 

Develop a content campaign using original, thoughtful and educational material for your website and social networks with the purpose of generating a specific outcome. This not only organically raises your search engine rankings, but it works to build relationships with both your clients and prospects that are built on trust.

  “If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.” – Zig Ziglar

The content that you have created can now be used in a social media strategy and marketing campaign that uses your originally crafted works in a variety of ways, and across all of the social platforms, that you are using to market your business.

3 Content Marketing Tactics That Will Help Build Organic SEO

1 – Blog

This is where you can let your talent shine. Show off what you know by creating blog content that your target market will be searching for and ensure that it is rich in keywords – and remember to have a title that is both catchy and keyword dense.

2 – Photo / Video

 The average user will spend less than 4 seconds on a website – but are willing to watch a video that is approximately 2.5 minutes long.  This is your opportunity to make an impression… fast.  Remember, all videos and photos should have your metadata embedded in them.

3 – Social Media Management

Great content is just that if it can’t be found.   Proper social media management creates opportunities for your content to be found and shared.  This is one area that we most often see small business owners fail.  Proper social management takes time and dedication.  To date, 95% of all social media pages that we have audited have not been set-up to leverage visibility.

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Jennifer Frezza – Social Media Strategist and Marketing Consultant – Montreal (Qc) Canada

Jennifer Frezza - Social Media Fairy GodmotherWhat if you really  could  have a fairy godmother to make your dreams come true? What would you wish for? If you answered,  “a successful online presence”, you’re in the right place, in the right millennium!

As the founder of SocialMediaFairyGodmother.com boutique multimedia agency,  Jennifer Frezza  has one primary role: to develop customized and cross platform social media marketing strategies that get her clients noticed.

Driven by both her passion and in-depth understanding of the varied social media networking platforms – their differences  and  their advantages, Jennifer has created a powerful and effective program for businesses looking to get set-up in social media.  This program is based on Jennifer’s belief in the power behind leveraging strengths and optimizing time.  The social set-up media program is a proven and effective solution for business owners looking to become visible online.

Always at the frontline of social media changes and trends, Jennifer makes it her business to ensure that the ever-changing information and opportunities behind social media marketing strategies trickle down into every aspect of her clients’ business goals.

Jennifer is also the creator and strategist behind  The Social Media Round Table  where she leads groups of entrepreneurs towards the successful development of profitable relationships. Her innovative and proven approach has helped small- to mid-sized business owners from diverse industries.

Practicing what she preaches, Jennifer has a strong online presence herself:

Facebook – Twitter – LinkedIn – Instagram – Google+

Free subscription to SMFG Daily Newspaper

 

The Secret to Exceptional Content Marketing by @JenKaneCo

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by Jennifer Kane | Featured Contributor

Secret

An editor once told me, “Jen, you gotta show more than you tell in your writing.”

It’s a tip I wish he’d share with content marketers, too.

A lot of the content marketing you read these days consists of companies telling and telling and telling… all about themselves, all in exactly the same way.

And, a lot of the posts you read about content marketing are the same way.

I aim to change that, right here and now.

First, I’m going to tell you that, in my opinion, exceptional content marketing does three things:

1.    It tells a cohesive story...
2.    With a collection of shareable assets…
3.    In a way that is surprising and memorable.

Now, I’m going to show you what that looks like…

1. Exceptional content marketing tells a cohesive story. Your company’s story is the thread that stitches together your content marketing into a cohesive brand experience.

For this post, my story is a simple one…

Most content marketing is bad because it tells instead of showing. So, I’m going to explain how to make your content marketing better (exceptional, actually) by teaching you how to “show” more. To give you a sense of what “showing” looks like, I’m going to give examples in the post you are reading right now.

2. Exceptional content marketing includes a collection of shareable assets. To extend the reach of a story, try to augment it with additional content assets that support it in different ways and in different mediums.

Ideally, each of these assets can also have a life of its own, separate from (but still connected to) its source material. (Kind of like when you blow a dandelion into the wind to spread its seeds and create new patches of dandelions somewhere else.)

For example, in addition to reading this post, you might also choose to explore (and share) other assets that support this topic, like…

…sharing the (pin-friendly) title image above on Pinterest…

…or watching this video with four tips for establishing a consistent voice for your content…

 

 

…or reading another post I’ve written on brand storytelling that explores systems for organizing additional content assets.

…or sharing this quote of mine from above…

 

Thread Quote

 

These additional assets/resources don’t all simply repeat what I’ve already said.

They are a family of elements that support and tell my story in different ways, using different approaches, words and images.

Together, they tell a richer, more fully realized version of my story and give my audience more ways to engage with my content and share it with their communities.

3. Exceptional content marketing is surprising and memorable. Sure, for my final post in the content series I’ve written for She Owns It, I could have chosen something basic like, “Five Ways Content Marketing provides ROI.”

And maybe you would have even read that post. (Though, I seriously doubt it.) But you wouldn’t likely remember it the next day.

If you want to create exceptional content marketing, you need to set the bar higher.

You need to surprise people. (Heck, you need to surprise yourself.)

For example, in addition to taking an unconventional approach to this topic, I also wrote you a poem* about content marketing, using the dandelion metaphor I mentioned earlier.

(Yeah, I know. A poem! Crazy huh?)

Why? Because I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen a poem about content marketing before.

And, I want you to know that I care so much about you as a reader to have actually made you something, totally original, that no one else will give you.

poem

You see, the “exceptional” thing about exceptional content marketing is how it makes your audience feel.

And that doesn’t require a degree in journalism or a huge budget or a giant pool of authors.

It requires thoughtfulness, effort and guts.

You take that thoughtfulness, effort and guts and infuse them…

•    …into your story
•    …into your supporting assets
•    …into your surprises.

…and you show your audience you care about them.

THAT is the biggest secret to exceptional content marketing.

*I am in no way a professional poet. That was just me being wacky, trying to make a point. So forgive me if it kinda sucks.

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Content and Communications Strategist – Jennifer Kane of Kane Consulting – Minneapolis, MN

JenKaneJennifer Kane is an entrepreneur and marketing/communications strategist with more than 15 years of experience working with B2B and B2C companies through her firm, Kane Consulting.

Jennifer conducts training sessions, teaches and speaks nationally on topics related to social media, content marketing, change management and digital communications. Combining humor, tough love and passion, she’s known for giving it to people straight — from the hip and from the heart.

In addition to writing for her own blog, The Social Cyborg, Jennifer is part of the author community at Steamfeed, has guest blogged for BlogWorld and Mark Schaefer’s blog, {GROW} and been syndicated on BlogHer. She is also frequent guest on the Next Stage Business Radio Network podcasts.

Jennifer is mom to one active eight-year-old and two lazy Basset Hounds and manages the “Spinal Fusions Suck” social community on Facebook. In her spare time, she thinks a lot about the zombie apocalypse and the awkwardness of writing about oneself in third person.

 

How to be a content diva by @JenKaneCo

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by Jennifer Kane | Featured Contributor

HiRes

 

A diva knows that it’s not enough just to sing a song. You need to sell a song — transform it, work it, glue it to the back of your open-mouthed audience’s brain.

Creating good content to market or sell your business is no different.

It’s noisy out there – both online and off. You can’t just push out nice, safe information and education and hope someone notices you.

You need to take your brand over the top and be amazing, irrepressible and powerful.

You need to be a content diva.

Now, to paraphrase the immortal words of Sweet Brown, you may be thinking, “Be a Content Diva? Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

Oh, but you do, my friend.

Being a content diva isn’t about doing more work, it’s about bringing a different attitude — a diva attitude — to the work you already do.

1. Divas make a statement.

A true diva makes an impact because she tries harder, aims higher and reaches farther. She always takes the gamble, even when the gamble means she might lose.

Try to emulate that moxie in your content.

Anyone can barf out a blog post on “the top five reasons why blah de blah is super important to your business.”

You can do better.

•    Shake up topics like a snow globe and find a new perspective to discuss.

•    Peer deep within the cracks in your industry and tell us what you find there.

•    Ask the provocative questions your competitors are too afraid to ask.

2. Divas work it.

Divas are all about verbs — bringing a sense of action, life and energy to everything they say and do.

You don’t describe a diva by saying she “sings wonderfully,” “dances with great skill” and “vividly expresses her perspective.”

No, a diva preaches. She commands. She transforms. She dazzles. She conquers.

This is how you should talk about your brand, too.

•    Eliminate superfluous and fussy words and corporate buzz speak.

•    Layer in meaty adjectives that roll like thunder from the tongue.

•    Wrap messages within the comforting and secure arms of a story.

•    And never release any content into the wild that does not have a specific goal and purpose.

3. Divas look fierce.

What is the hallmark of a diva?

The look, baby — the clothes, the hair, the shoes, the style.

Do not underestimate the importance of appearance for your content, too.

•    Choose powerful images to go along with your writing. (Or maybe skip text all-together, and let video or audio assets do the talking for you.)

•    Make sure that the media or medium that holds your content is well designed and creates a fluid and intuitive user experience.

•    Make sure your content is well optimized for search and can be easily viewed on multiple devices.

4. Divas make their mark.

You remember a diva after she walks out of the room.

That’s by design.

Everything a diva does is carefully calculated to create the biggest splash and leave a longest lasting impression.

You need to be similarly strategic with your content.

•    Carefully and methodically research your audience to get a better understanding of what they want and need.

•    Design an immersive experience around your content to highlight your audience’s senses, tantalize their imaginations and leave them hungry for more.

•    Connect all the dots between your content to create a digital breadcrumb trail that ensures you get a return on your investment of time and effort.

5. Divas dream big.

Divas aren’t satisfied being the biggest fish in the pond. They want to be the biggest fish in the ocean.

In fact, many of the biggest divas are hyphenates, (they sing, act, dance, write, produce, etc.) They want to conquer all the oceans.

You need to think that big with your content, too.

•    Reach further in where you publish and distribute your content (Explore guest posting, content syndication or joining content communities.)

•    Try something new to expand your content repertoire (Write a whole lot? Give podcasting or video a try.)

•    Stop talking about yourself all the time and start interviewing your customers and telling their stories.

The world is your oyster, content diva. So, go out there and crack it open!

Turn to your favorite diva — whether that’s Barbra, Cher, Madonna, Mariah, Gaga, Beyonce or someone new — for inspiration and a well-heeled kick in the pants if you get stuck while you’re crackin.

Here’s a song from new favorite inspiration, Janelle Monae, to get you started…

•    Memorable look? Check.

•    Funky dance moves in killer stilettos? Check.

•    Thoughtful lyrics with a hot hook? Check.

Sounds like a diva in the making to me.

———————————————————————————–

Content and Communications Strategist – Jennifer Kane of Kane Consulting – Minneapolis, MN

JenKaneJennifer Kane is an entrepreneur and marketing/communications strategist with more than 15 years of experience working with B2B and B2C companies through her firm, Kane Consulting.

Jennifer conducts training sessions, teaches and speaks nationally on topics related to social media, content marketing, change management and digital communications. Combining humor, tough love and passion, she’s known for giving it to people straight — from the hip and from the heart.

In addition to writing for her own blog, The Social Cyborg, Jennifer is part of the author community at Steamfeed, has guest blogged for BlogWorld and Mark Schaefer’s blog, {GROW} and been syndicated on BlogHer. She is also frequent guest on the Next Stage Business Radio Network podcasts.

Jennifer is mom to one active eight-year-old and two lazy Basset Hounds and manages the “Spinal Fusions Suck” social community on Facebook. In her spare time, she thinks a lot about the zombie apocalypse and the awkwardness of writing about oneself in third person.

You can connect with Jennifer on…

Twitter: @JenKaneCo

Facebook: kaneconsulting

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Content Marketing Boot Camp: 60 Topics in 60 Minutes by @JenKaneCo

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Sporty woman

by Jennifer Kane | Featured Contributor

You’re busy with a business to run, people to meet and a personal life to live. So understandably, content marketing may not rank high on your priority list.

Today, we’re gonna change that.

Content is important. It can help ensure online traffic flows to your website, connections get made, products and services get promoted, good public relations is maintained, and clients/customers are landed, (among other things.)

But first, you need to come up with some things to write about.

The exercise below will help jumpstart this process.

So, grab a whiteboard or a big sheet of paper, find a quiet place to think and get ready to drop and give me 60.

1. Warm Up.

To get the highest return on the time you’re about to spend, clarify what you intend to use this content for…

  • Build brand awareness?
  • Increase lead generation?
  • Increase brand reach?
  • All of the above?

Also, clarify the different audience segments/personas your business serves and what your objectives are for each of those audiences.

2. Cardio.

Now, draw a circle in the center of your whiteboard/paper with your business’ name in it. Then, surround that circle with bubbles describing the different products or services you offer.

For instance, if you own a full-service salon, your drawing might look like this…

My Salon

Now, subdivide each program/service bubble by audience focus. For example, starting with the green “hair care” bubble, our audiences could be…Hair Care

Once that is completed, spiral off with any sub-divisions for those various audiences, like I’ve done below for the purple “Hair care for women” bubble…

Hair Care Image

Next, start to add some topic themes to these smaller bubbles, like I’ve done for the “hair care for women with long hair” bubble…

HC for women

Finally, look at each of your topic theme bubbles and brainstorm as many different content ideas/titles as possible.

Don’t over think this. Just start writing.

For example, let’s take the “Challenges with hair care for women who have long hair,” bubble. A list of topics/titles could include:

  • Top products for caring for long hair.
  • Profiles of hair care binders/clips that won’t damage long hair.
  • How to identify split ends (slide show.)
  • Locks of love and other suggestions for when you’re ready for the big chop.
  • Common mistakes people make in caring for long hair.
  • How to be workout-ready with long hair (e.g. profile Olympians with long hair.)

Repeat this fleshing out process for all of your products/services and audience segments.

Feel free to reuse some of your ideas in another form on a different branch of your brainstorming tree (e.g. Many of your tips for women with long hair could also go on a branch for men with long hair, etc.)

3. Cross train.

Next, for every bubble, in every cluster, for each product or service offering, make sure you have some of following content types represented…

  • How to/Educational: giving your audience tools to troubleshoot or understand topics on their own.
  • Manifesto/Thought Leadership: exciting ideas on your product/service offering(s) that no one else is talking about.
  • Engagement/Call to Action: asking your audience to do something specific for you.
  • Entertainment: eye candy to attract traffic/attention and build word of mouth.
  • Big Ideas/Radical Thoughts: turning conventional wisdom in your industry upside down or challenging norms.
  • Competitive: exploring how you stack up against a competitor or the industry standard, etc.
  • Search Bait: playing off of your industry’s highly searched keywords or connecting your brand to influencers (e.g. “10 Hair Care Tips from America’s Top Salons.”)

Then, for every bubble, in every cluster, for each product or service offering, make sure you have content that represents the following perspectives…

  • For every piece about your brand, make sure you’re creating one from your audiences’ perspective.
  • For every piece that offers the pros of something, also consider a companion piece that plays devil’s advocate.
  • For every piece that explores your strategy or thinking behind something, make sure there is a case study showing how that thinking paid off, previously.
  • For every logical, strategic piece, also develop at least one, wacky out of the box piece, (e.g. “Hair care tips for Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse.”)

4. Cool down.

Congratulations! You should now have at least 60 content ideas (If not, explore different types of content for each of your topics – such as video, audio, e-book, image slide show etc.)

It’s okay if things look like a mess right now. You can refine, polish and sort these ideas later. The point of this exercise was simply to get them out of your head.

Now, go hit the showers and take a break. You earned it.

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Content and Communications Strategist – Jennifer Kane of Kane Consulting – Minneapolis, MN

JenKaneJennifer Kane is an entrepreneur and marketing/communications strategist with more than 15 years of experience working with B2B and B2C companies through her firm, Kane Consulting.

Jennifer conducts training sessions, teaches and speaks nationally on topics related to social media, content marketing, change management and digital communications. Combining humor, tough love and passion, she’s known for giving it to people straight — from the hip and from the heart.

In addition to writing for her own blog, The Social Cyborg, Jennifer is part of the author community at Steamfeed, has guest blogged for BlogWorld and Mark Schaefer’s blog, {GROW} and been syndicated on BlogHer. She is also frequent guest on the Next Stage Business Radio Network podcasts.

Jennifer is mom to one active eight-year-old and two lazy Basset Hounds and manages the “Spinal Fusions Suck” social community on Facebook. In her spare time, she thinks a lot about the zombie apocalypse and the awkwardness of writing about oneself in third person.

You can connect with Jennifer on…

Twitter: @JenKaneCo

Facebook: kaneconsulting

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