By Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz. Owner & Make-It-Happen Director
More and more businesses are hearing about how important it is to diversify their content. Just what does this mean, though? Diversifying content is expanding your efforts past your current platform. For instance, if you have amazing blogs, publish them on different channels. This will help build more loyal followers and grow your brand. It is also a cost effective way to connect with current customers and attract new ones. Here, we’ve outlined 10 ways any company can diversify their content, using a blog as an example.
1. Email blasts.
Also known as eblasts or e-newsletters. These electronic mailings are a great way to let customers know the latest happenings in your industry – especially how it might affect them. With the blast, you can include incentives, such as coupons or sale dates. To let readers know about your blogs, include a snippet of the blog with a ‘read more’ link that takes them straight to your website. They get the information they want and your search-ability is boosted by more visitors to your site.
2. Press releases.
Press releases give companies an effective way to convey a newsworthy story or industry happening for the media to feature in their outlet. Perhaps your latest blog is about recent changes in your market and it’s important for readers to learn of these changes. The press release is a perfect vehicle, since companies can reach beyond their existing audience. Press releases also solidify you as thought leader, build brand awareness and create an emotional connection with the audience.
3. Presentations.
This option is all about getting in front of your audience and connecting with them on a personal level. Live presentations allow you to tailor your message in accordance with their reactions and questions. Webinars are another great way to give presentations. These can be presented live and recorded at the same time. The recordings can then be stored on your website, put up on YouTube, sent in eblasts or put on other media channels. If the topic coincides with a blog you’ve already published, be sure to cross link the two to drive more awareness.
4. Social media.
Social media is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to reach existing customers and attract new ones. Almost everyone has seen or heard a message that has gone ‘viral’ – meaning that it has been shared over and over again until its content is common knowledge. Social media also allows you to target your message to a specific audience. Additionally, businesses can learn from and react to what their customers have to say. Pictures and quotes from your blogs are perfect for social media posts and they reduce time developing specific content for these channels.
5. Printed handouts.
Flyers and brochures are excellent examples of printed handouts. They allow you to provide detailed information than you can give in a quick introduction or ‘elevator speech’. Also, handouts are one more way for readers to be reminded of you and your key messages. This is especially true if your message is complex or very technical. Here, you can highlight topics you’ve written about in your blog and direct people to where they can get more information.
6. ePublications.
Also known as electronic or digital publishing, it is the creation of texts, images and other content for electronic or digital media. They can be set up to look similar to printed works, such as catalogs, magazines, newsletters, or books. This is a great option because there is no limit to what a business can put out to their audience. You can also include links to your website, video channel or other sources. Blogs are inherently epublications, and they can live in many places, not just the blog page on your website.
7. Postables.
Also commonly referred to as memes, these messages are perfect for posting onto social media channels, as part of an email signature or added to your website. ‘Grumpy cat’ is a famous face, well known for her sarcasm and faux negativity, mostly due to an under bite that makes her look like she is pouting. If one of your postables goes viral, consider printing it onto a card as a give-away to customers or presentation attendees. A great quote from your blog with an attention getting picture is a good way to create these postables.
8. Case studies.
Case studies are a look at how your organization has helped a client. If the topic of one of your blogs closely identifies with one of your clients, you can create a case study. Use the theme of the blog and a testimonial from the client – and you have a terrific case study. It’s a proven fact that when somebody else talks about their positive experience, people listen.
9. Deck of cards.
Have multiple products or services? Especially ones that tend to need explanation? Write a blog that defines them for your audience. Then take those blog points and turn them into a deck of cards. This deck is a handy marketing tool you can give out at meetings, presentations or seminars. You can even create a mobile app from this deck and use it as a sales tool. Check out the app for the JJR deck of cards here.
10. Mini book brochures.
Mini books take various pieces of your content – from blogs or elsewhere – and puts it into a special brochure. These books could be made up of quotes from a book you wrote, your company blogs, case studies or testimonials from customers. It’s a marketing tools that people tend to hang on to – because it is both unique and connects with them on an emotional level.
Without a doubt, it’s critically important for every business to diversify their content and build awareness of their brand. Pick the avenues that work best for your time or the time of your employees, create a plan and implement it. Your customers – even the ones you haven’t met yet – will thank you for the timely information!