We get it! If you’re going to spend time and effort creating content, you want to make sure you get the most out of your hard work. It’s easy to see how content can get relegated to only one space. An article written for a specific publication only gets released once, or a blog gets posted to the website and that’s the end of its lifespan. No more! Let’s make sure you can maximize the content you create by following a simple workflow. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Evaluate landscape for gaps – Avoid developing the same content as your competitors. You can still talk about your industry and trends but try to approach it in a fresh way. Discover your topics and then create content that fills that space.
2. Determine theme – Once you find your topic, create a theme around which you can develop several pieces of content. Brainstorm several content ideas around this theme before you start creating so that you have at least an idea of what you want to cover.
3. Develop the content piece – It’s time to create! Develop your first content piece under your chosen theme. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to just be an article, it can be a video or infographic or a variety of other types of content.
4. Media relations – The next step is to shop your piece to the press. Create a pitch to pique the media’s interest (make sure your subject line grabs their attention) and reach out to publications that are known for running content in your field.
5. Share on your blog – Once your content has found a home and been published, make sure to share it to your blog and add a “As seen in X Media Outlet” notice so that your followers can see that you’re relevant, credible and staying on top of your game.
6. Send an eBlast – Send out an email blast letting your customers know that your new blog is up, tease the content, and provide a link to the blog to drive traffic to your website.
7. Post to social media – Not everyone is on your mailing list or will open your email blast, so cover your bases and share the blog on your social media accounts as well. This will drive additional traffic to your website and increase share opportunities.
8. Run targeted social ads – Want to boost exposure of your content and gain new followers? Try running targeted social ads with your blog as the content. You might be surprised how many clicks and new follows you get.
9. Measure/evaluate success – Time to make sure it all worked before diving in for another round. Take time to measure and evaluate this piece of content’s success. Was it well received? Did the media show interest in your angle? How about website traffic, were there many click-throughs from your eblast, social posts and targeted social ads? Review, analyze and adjust moving forward.
Get with the flow
Alright, it’s time to maximize your content by following this easy workflow. You’ll get the most out of each piece while driving traffic to your website and attracting new customers. It’s a win all around and will make creating stellar content worth the time and effort.
