CC Chapman, opening keynote speaker at Digital Summit in Phoenix, drives online marketing efforts, wrote the international bestselling book “Content Rules” with Anne Handley and has worked with some pretty impressive, high profile clients. He has been working in content marketing for years and opened the conference with some inspirational words peppered with a whole lot of humor. The essence of his presentation: the point of everything you’re putting out there is to tell your story but you get to decide how you tell your story, so be strategic. Below I’ll share with you some of CC’s best tips for content marketing.
If it’s not owned by you (in terms of social networks or websites), it’s rented land. In space that you do not own or run yourself, be very careful where you’re building your audience. Leverage your own website and remember that while email may not be sexy, it’s important because you can reach out to your list when you want to. You own that list and have control of your message and its frequency.
Always be creating. Use your smart phone, take notes, just be observant. You need to use images to help tell your story, to craft your marketing story. Think about these details that bring in readers and visitors. Need photos for your blog? Take photos and use your own! We’ve all seen the same stock photos, so when you take your own photos, you don’t have to pay for the images.
Make sure you’re sharing what you create on your website. Get visitors on your page or into your CRM, just be sure to get your audience in. Editorial calendars can help, because they help you plan to create at a regular cadence, which keeps your audience coming back for more.
Showing what’s actually happening in your workplace is interesting to people. Consumers pay extra to buy movies that have features like outtakes and behind the scenes footage. Profile your employees—go behind the curtain. While it might sound boring to you, you’re creating it for your fans, customers and prospects and people like to see what goes into the work. The day-to-day might be super interesting to your audience, though you might see it as typical or even mundane.
Trust your gut in your creative process. While you might question yourself sometimes, know that you’re doing something that you’re good at. If you’re concerned about what you’ve created, sit on it for a few days, then revisit it to see if it’s worth publishing. It probably is.
Don’t be lazy. Don’t rely on mail merge (it’s obvious) and address people by name (they’ll appreciate it). Think about when you receive a piece of mail that says, “Dear resident.” Do you feel like they’re targeting you specifically? Or do you feel like you’ve just been mass mailed? Definitely the latter, and that certainly doesn’t open people up to wanting to engage with you. Also, don’t EVER buy lists; grow yours organically. You’ll have a more targeted list and you’re at far less risk for being marked as spam.
At the end of the day we’re all people, and we need to be good people. Use discretion with the way you craft your message and be mindful of your audience. Remember who you are and do the things that you’re comfortable with, that align with your strategy and that will make YOU successful. And don’t forget that content is fun! Enjoy it and create things you love.
This post CC Chapman Wants us to be Good, Creative Humans was first published on the Big Ideas Blog.