We really need to nail down the actual value of strategic content to a business. The value to your own business will vary depending on how strategically worthwhile your goals are, and how well served your business strategy is by your strategic content. I leave it to you to figure it out for your own business. But, in the abstract, there is no plausible denial of the importance of strategic content in business development in the 21st century.
First, we will define the value. This is essential because serious and effective content creation is not just a brain fart exercise, but takes actual effort. So we need to prove that an investment of time and thought and effort makes sense, even as we also work to talk about what makes for effective content.
Strategic content creation is the most powerful tool available to build business now; we just need to understand that useful content helps you grow your business, useless content is ignored. Make sure you know the difference.
Beware your own limiting attitude about website content.
It still amazes some business owners that web visitors will actually find content online. Most business owners are a bit myopic about how they see the world. They are really busy and don't use the Internet and social media as many of their customers, and just make assumptions that the people they want to meet, are just like them. Well, they are not and your attitudes about the value of useful content is costing you big.I have been asked many times: but how will people find that content and how will it make a difference? This is a really important question because it gets at the very heart of investing time in content.
And, of course, this means that content needs to be strategic and be well planned to content that draws traffic. I had a real smart sales manager tell me last week that a blog post would not get 20 hits in a year. Now he might be right around a particular article, but way off around another more popular article. And, you meet the exact right people with those 20 clicks in one year and you might do some great business.
Where do you get new customers?
You are blessed with repeat customers. You are blessed with customers and professionals who refer you. Aren't referrals great! You do a variety of advertising and lead generation programs and these help you find future customers. Your people are out in the field making a good impression and people are watching them and noting the name on the truck... maybe they walk over and say hello...
Otherwise, your website, and the assortment of digital outposts you keep surrounding your website, youtube- social media- newsletters and email subscriptions are the means by which people cross your path. And all these digital way stations absolutely depend on useful strategic content to actually attract the right traffic, capture their attention and allow you an opportunity to introduce yourself and your company. Great value is generated here. Make sure you see the discussion at How are you being Introduced to Future Customers?
So what is this worth in the evaluation of your company?
And we must realize, in fact, that the effectiveness of our advertising, and our lead generation depends on the website, because they usually visit the website before they call you, and those that just call are not as great a prospect because they are not being discerning but much more likely to be transaction based, and see what you do as a commodity.
And the effectiveness of lead generation programs using online advertising, is directly dictated by your strategic content's ability to create the conversions that turn a click into a call. This is a non-trivial pursuit. It takes useful content and you better have a great idea what useful content is...
Yes, useful content makes the difference in successful sales in the 21st century.
You, as a business owner are in a gold rush to find new customers in a market disrupted by technology. Let's look at the underlying principles here. Traditionally, only about 15% of people did not know who they would call if they had a particular problem. Car problem? Yes, they have a trusted mechanic. Roofing problem? yes, the vast majority of people had a trusted roofer.
Well, this has been disrupted because so many traditional businesses really did not have to do anything to keep happy customers at home because the gradient to finding new talent was steep. You could look at generic ads in the Yellow pages and call people you knew nothing about for an estimate. Buy a self-help book for information. Read a magazine article. Remember Sunset Books? Remember Mother Earth News magazines?
Well, now you have a question and you pick up a smart phone and ask a question at the search prompt. Now, you can pose a question on your favorite social media venue. Now, you can look up reviews on BBB and YELP and a variety of review sites. You can look over their website and figure out if you like them...
Yes, the search for information has changed and how we show and find stuff to buy has changed. Websites and technology are allowing all kinds of companies to reach out to new people with suggestions, and ideas, warnings and recommendations; and it is so easy to get suggestions and referrals from friends in social media.
In this time of realignment, in this period where technology expands the ways we can find useful information; well, the rules and the conventional thinking in marketing is being usurped by new options.
These new options impact the Real Value of your strategic content in dollars and cents in two critical ways
You have a lot to gain and a lot to prevent losing. You get to make friends and earn new customers, but you get the added responsibility of keeping your existing customers happy at home in the corral.
And you have a lot to lose by not paying attention, or doing a botched up job of content creation and just putting forward the usual blah blah blah on your website and in social media. People turn away from banal. People turn away from self promotion. People turn away from the same old cliches. Here is another reminder to make sure you stop and study what is actually useful content
We need to make sure we understand the value of an existing customer. We can get caught up in finding new customers and take for granted the repeat customer. This is folly and it is double folly not to have an active plan to keep existing customers happily ensconced with your company.
We also need to appraise the overall value of a website. It is the central repository of your public presence in the marketplace. When someone gives your company as a referral, the vast majority of folks will immediately look up your website to check you out. This should stop most of us in our tracks because our website; yes, even this blog, is the view of you for people who don't know you.
Content is where people find out if you offer them value. Successful businesses looking forward to a long prosperous future want to attract customers looking for a trusting relationship and not just a transaction based on low price. There is no better way to earn trust with this select customer than having customer centric content.
There are many other more intangible ways great content creates value for your business.
Useful content helps meet new people online and in social media.
How do you meet new customers? The Internet and social media are key tools. Let's make sure you understand how that actually works. Lets make sure we understand how new people meet you online.
We will not discuss here strategic content that fits your particular business needs. That requires careful self analysis and we pick that subject up separately.
And we need to also associate video and podcasts and webinars and the many other ways great content can be re-purposed to reach individual markets more effectively. Useful content is easy to turn into quite useful video. Conversely with insipid content, you can also make insipid video. Remember, customer centric is a big deal.
There are valuable skills that your team develops in the process of participation in strategic content creation. This is an important intangible that is hard to put a number to, but the value is significant. We talk about evaluating intangibles here.
Let's take a moment to understand the strategic value in building team muscles to deal with change; the virtue in promoting adaptability, and the value in looking for ways to be innovative on a regular basis. This is anathema to the industrial mindset, but is an essential skill in a fast changing marketplace driven ever faster by technology. Keep your eyes focused on working hard with eyes lowered and shoulder to the wheel, and you are likely headed into the ditch. Here are other notes on the virtue of fostering adaptability.
Creating great content also helps your sales team, and, in fact, the entire team learn to deal with fear in prospects and deal with objections right up front. The right content can play a unique role in dealing with objections and mythology that can prevent a sale. The right content can deal with just plain fear and apprehension, huge barriers that prevent trust. We talk about the power of content to deal with objections here.
The content creation process also supports a strong inner camaraderie between team members as
- great storytelling around great acts of watching out for the customers interests, or
- taking an active role in the community, or
- supporting the team effort
Then there are collaborative levels of leverage once you have developed your strategic content creation skills. This is Internet marketing 2.0 and entails the combined leverage and power of trusted partners cooperating together to create shared content.
These trusted partners can create content together, create newsletters together and address common issues with homes in a cross discipline fashion and work together to build a large community of homeowners that trust and hire and refer the members of your collaborative team. We discuss this issue separately PAGE
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So, who has some thoughts on the value of strategic content?
What would you like to add?
The value of useful content is hard to overestimate. And it keeps working. All the time. When your select visitor is searching for just what you are talking about.
Feel free to add your thoughts below.
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