Want to Know a Secret?

According to Wikipedia there are around 38 specialized areas of marketing. They break it down by either the type of product you advertise or how you advertise your product. Today, I want to share with you the greatest marketing secret I learned a couple of years ago.

It’s called content creation marketing or the “give to get” model. Essentially you create content that educates, inspires, or empowers people and give it away for free in hopes of getting something in return. That could be information, sales leads, actual sales, or something else that’s valuable to your business.

This form of marketing is effective for the entrepreneur because it delivers value to the customer at the beginning of the relationship instead of at the end of a transaction. Social media marketing is only an extremely popular form of word-of-mouth advertising (idea being, if people like you they’ll eventually buy from you). Content creation marketing takes it a step further by giving people something to talk about.

How can you maximize this form of marketing for your business? Here are a few thoughts;

Start Writing: You can start a blog, write e-books, or create white papers (detailed studies). The key is to come up with something extremely valuable that you can give away. Out of all of these, blogging gives you the most return on investment. Sure, people can share an e-book or white paper once, but blog posts stay in a constant stream of sharing – especially if it’s good content. When it comes to blogging, the rule of thumb is, if you feel like you’re giving away too much . . . then you’re on the right track. Here’s my best advice on blogging;

• 8 Magazine Strategies that add Value to Your Blog

• 3 Magazine Advertising Strategies for Blogging Success

• How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog

• 5 Keys to Blogging Success

• How to Grow Your Blog’s Community in 3 Easy Steps

Start a Show: Youtube, Vimeo, and other video sites are absolutely huge right now. A video has more of a chance to “go viral” than almost any other form of content. Once you have someone’s attention and you’ve delivered something of value, you’ve earned the right to make an offer. Here are some ideas on what kind of videos to make;

• Interviews – set-up meetings with key people in your industry and ask them questions from a customer’s point of view.

• “How to’s” - show people “how to” use a specific product, service, or how to accomplish a task.

• Best Practices/Tips – I’m a big fan of learning how to do stuff better. Show people the best way to accomplish a goal or objective.

Video Blog: If you don’t have anything super important to share then share your everyday life. Video-blogging is still pretty engaging on a content level. People love to “go behind the scenes” of other people’s lives (that’s why reality TV is so popular). Want some advice on how to produce that A-list video blog? Here you go;

• Focus on a topic – No one wants to sit and watch you ramble on and on about nothing in particular. Gather your thoughts and drill down to the important stuff in your video.
• Spend a Little Money – I absolutely hate watching low quality videos on Youtube and so do you. If all you’re going to do is produce videos then spend a little money on a decent camera. You can get a Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera (Amazon Aff link) for only $130 on Amazon right now. That’s what I use to produce my “Inside the Success” web show.
• Become a Production Engineer – Ok, not really. But, don’t forget the importance of good sound and lighting for your videos. Unfortunately, you won’t get the best audio from a Flip or Kodak pocket camera far away. But if you get right on your subject and stay in good light, your video will turn out awesome.

Get on the Radio: Before this whole internet thingy took off people used to listen to radio shows (come on, you know that’s funny). Why not start your own? I use Blogtalkradio to produce my “Inside the Success,” show. Here are a few suggestions on producing your best show;

• Plan Ahead – Don’t “jump in” the water without knowing which ocean you’re in. Get your solid show idea on paper first and plan for success.

• Pick a Niche – Don’t interview random people or discuss random topics. Just like blogging, choose an area of expertise that you can own, flesh out good topics, and choose guests based on those first.

• Have a Back-up Plan – Things don’t always go as planned, especially if you’re doing a live show. Have plan-b at the ready. That could be, having a second guest at your fingertips if your primary guest doesn’t call-in. Having a second phone to call-in with if your primary goes dead. Whatever you need to get the job done, just be prepared.

• Cancel Noise – I’ve done a couple of interviews where I was outside, in my car, and a firetruck drove by or my dog started barking because of a siren going off. Now, I run the show in-doors, put the dog up, turn off phone ringers, and etc. Do whatever it takes to make sure listeners can listen!

Content creation can be time consuming but it pays off in dividends! Unlike traditional marketing techniques you put the customer’s needs first instead of throwing them a sales pitch. If you don’t have their needs in-mind then your content will lack power and the influence you’ll need for them to eventually buy. Do you agree or disagree? How do you market your products and services? What works for you? Share your thoughts below.

Note: Enjoyed these tips? Subscribe to my Success Tips Newsletter 2.0 to explore marketing your business even more. I’ll be sending out the first issue for 2010 later today. Take a look at past issues in the Email Archive.

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