Sandra Stewart | November 20, 2014
One of the most pernicious myths about content marketing is “If we build it, they will come.” Or perhaps the notion that people will seek out and find great content falls more into the category of wishful thinking. Either way, the reality is, even the most compelling content does not have its own gravitational field.
Producing quality content, alas, is just the start of a content marketing program. Once you have it, you have to lead people to it and push it in front of their faces (in a nice way). That means emailing, posting, tweeting and talking about it; sharing it, online and in person; and revisiting it periodically (because plenty of people missed it the first time).
Here are few things you can do to get your content the attention it deserves:
- Promote it repeatedly through all your social media channels (one post is a feather in the wind).
- Find online communities that are talking about your topic, or likely to be interested in it, and share it with them. (Respect the group’s guidelines on sharing and self-promotion, but keep in mind that genuinely useful content is almost always welcome.)
- Have your sales staff personally send tip sheets, reports and substantive blog posts to clients, prospects and partners who might be interested.
- Have your PR team mine it for story ideas or use it as an update to reporters in your field.
- Submit it as an article to third-party sites (partner sites, trade organizations, media sites and so on), reshaped to fit if necessary.
- Bring hard copies to events or use it to promote or follow up on relevant events
All this requires ongoing attention and the cooperation of more than just the marketing team, so yes, it can be a lot of work. But if you don’t do these things, chances are your excellent analysis and advice will live a lonely, unfulfilled life, talking to itself in a corner.
Get more tips on successful content marketing in our Strategy>Shift guide, Content Marketing: Myth vs. Reality.
