Content Balance: Sharing Value vs. Self-Promotion

Mackenzie Fogelson@mackfogelsonFounder & CEO

Mack Web Solutions1

Everyone is

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CREATING CONTENT

@mackfogelson

But instead of

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CREATING CONTENT

@mackfogelson

Just for the sake of

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CREATING CONTENT

@mackfogelson

You’ve gotta

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HAVE A PURPOSE

@mackfogelson

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@mackfogelsonBuild an authentic brand & community around your business

But how the

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HECK

@mackfogelson

do you do that?

Start with

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VALUE

@mackfogelson

What do you mean by

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VALUE

@mackfogelson

Value =

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CONTENT

@mackfogelson

in the form of...

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@mackfogelsonBlog posts, white papers, infographics, video, images, etc.

Value =

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CONTENT

@mackfogelson

that’s not all about you

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@mackfogelson

Your content needs to focus on your customer and provide value during their experience.

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@mackfogelson

Your content needs to serve a need (not just because you want it to rank high in Google).

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@mackfogelson

Your content needs to add value to your business (so you gotta make it really, really good).

Your content also needs

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BALANCE

@mackfogelson

so it helps your customer

Create

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TWO TYPES @mackfogelsonRead this: http://bit.ly/15m6gC4

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@mackfogelson

The stuff on your website is

Foundational ContentThis is the more static stuff that explains who you are and what you do (like your sales & about pages).

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@mackfogelson

The other thing about

Foundational Contentis that it’s inherently self-promotional because it is, in fact, about you.

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@mackfogelson

So you’ve got to pack your

Foundational Contentfull of value so that it helps your customer. Use video, audio, blog posts, case studies, info graphics.

Make it

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ABOUT THEM @mackfogelson

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@mackfogelson

The stuff on your blog is

Community Building ContentThis is more dynamic. It’s less about what you do and more about what you know.

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@mackfogelson

The thing about your

Community Building Contentis that it indirectly promotes your brand & earns links. It doesn’t need to even mention your company.

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@mackfogelson

You can use your

Community Building Contentto bolster your online reputation as an industry expert, build trust, credibility, and attract customers.

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@mackfogelson

Patagonia does a great job.This is foundational content that’s directly promoting Patagonia but they pack it full of value instead of just bragging about themselves.

Those are videos.

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@mackfogelson

Patagonia does a great job.This is community building content that’s doesn’t even mention their company name. It’s all about Tommy. His story resonates with the Patagonia customer. This indirectly promotes the Patagonia brand.

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@mackfogelson

Foundational content before.This is a foundational content page before it had much value in it.

It was just a bunch of text with bullets.

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@mackfogelson

Foundational content after.Now this foundational page has case studies, video, and blog posts to provide value and a better experience for their customer.

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@mackfogelson

When you integrate valuable content you make foundational pages more engaging, you keep customers on

your website longer.

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@mackfogelson

Lots of businesses do a great job with community building content.

They really focus on value and the needs of the customer.

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@mackfogelsonSource: http://bit.ly/107V5Kg

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@mackfogelsonSource: http://bit.ly/107ViNC

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@mackfogelsonSource: http://bit.ly/11D1pzO

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@mackfogelsonSource: http://bit.ly/14pxfkf

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@mackfogelsonSource: http://mz.cm/13qrxzh

Once you have some

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VALUABLE CONTENT

@mackfogelson

Time to

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SHARE IT

@mackfogelson

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@mackfogelson

When you’re using content to

build a community around your brandit doesn’t have to be your own content, it just needs to be valuable.

Try the

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80/20 RULE

@mackfogelsonRead this: http://bit.ly/W8pOWZ

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@mackfogelson

80% of the timeShare valuable content that you did not actually generate. Share stuff that resonates with your values, passion, and approach.

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@mackfogelson

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@mackfogelson

20% of the timeShare your own remarkable content that you, yourself created (with intent and purpose). Use that content to build relationships.

But how the

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HECK

@mackfogelson

do you do that?

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@mackfogelsonAll you gotta do is set some goals & create a strategy.

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@mackfogelson

Make sure you

start with your company goalsand then build a strategy around that. This will help to accomplish important stuff for your business.

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@mackfogelson

Then, develop a

content strategy to meet your goals that includes both foundational & community building content. Make your content about your customer.

Read this: http://bit.ly/16Tsn6q

Build an

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EXECUTION CALENDAR

@mackfogelson

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@mackfogelson

Here are some simple

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TIPS

@mackfogelson

to ensure success

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@mackfogelson

Break your calendar down into

actionable, chewable piecesOtherwise, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not even get started. It helps with accountability.

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@mackfogelson

Don’t plan out a calendar more than

2-3 months at a timeYou’ve got to measure, listen, and be agile. Analyze how your content is doing and make some changes.

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@mackfogelson

It’s important to plan for things like:pre-outreachkeyword researchpost researchfirst draft feedback

revisionslaunchsocial effortsoutreachmeasurement

Read this: http://bit.ly/Te5Z18

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@mackfogelson

The most important thing is

be consistent and don’t give upSuccess from content efforts can take a lot of time. Commit to it 100% and you will experience ROI.

And remember

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IT’S NOTABOUT YOU

@mackfogelson

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@mackfogelsonCat photo source: http://pinterest.com/d4dryan/nine-lives/

Thank you

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@mackfogelson

connect with Mack on

www.mackwebsolutions.com/blog

Link bundle: http://bitly.com/bundles/mackwebsolutions/1