The key to a successful business is successful marketing. The key to successful marketing is memorable and impactful content creation. From copywriting to videography to graphic design and so much more, effective content is content that stands out above all the millions of pieces of mediocre and boring fluff that consumers are forced to see everyday as they scroll through their social media timelines, watch a video on TikTok or YouTube, and even just on their commute to work. While it’s important to follow media and industry trends to a certain degree, it’s also vital to be the one that “zigs” when everyone else “zags”. Creativity is the name of the game in content creation so always look to be trying new strategies and evolving. With such a fast-paced world around us, staying ahead of the curve will set you apart from competitors and establish your business as a creative hub to your audience.
What is Content Creation?
The term “content creation” is incredibly broad and thus, needs some explanation. At the heart of all marketing efforts exists content creation. It is the process of researching, brainstorming, bringing ideas to life, and promoting them to your target audiences. Now, what these ideas could be and should be is entirely up to you and your research. For the sake of simplicity we’ll name a few major forms of content:
- Graphics
- Videos
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- Social Media Posts
Within these broad categories, there are endless ways that you can create content that stands out and helps influence an audience. For example, within the Blog category, there’s many types of posts you create such as “How-To Guides”, interviews, checklists, and many more. Whichever form of content you choose, just remember the basic “author’s purposes” which are to inform, entertain, and persuade. When running a business, it’s easy to assume that your purpose should always be to persuade since in the end, you want to persuade a consumer to buy your product or service. However, much more can be achieved by incorporating the other two purposes. By choosing “to inform”, you’re turning your blog or social media account into something much more than just an outlet for whatever you’re selling. It becomes a hub of thought leadership that your audience turns to when making decisions related to your industry. You establish trust with the audience because you’re showing them that you care about them enough to provide them with knowledge and expertise, even if that doesn’t necessarily turn into profit immediately.
Why is Content Creation Important?
Content creation is important because, as we’ve said, it is the core of all of your marketing and business efforts. From ads, to social media, and even website design, appealing content represents so much of what it means to run a business in this digital world. Consider the last time you watched a major sporting event like the World Cup or Super Bowl. The ads you see throughout the game aren’t just 30-second product descriptions or showcases. Rather, most rarely even acknowledge what it is they want you their consumers to purchase. Why do companies pay millions of dollars for a short time slot of your already occupied attention and then not even directly state their value proposition to you? It’s because they know that on a much deeper and psychological level, if they’re able to evoke some sort of emotion from their audience, they’ll be much more successful in converting you into a customer later on. This is why Nike won’t directly show you their latest shoe or equipment during these ads, but instead, they’ll show you an athlete working hard to achieve their dreams and goals despite facing adversity along the path, and oh yeah, they just so happen to be wearing Nike products from head to toe while they’re doing it. When we see those Budweiser commercials with the puppies or Clydesdales playing with each other or doing something that has absolutely zero relation to beer in any way, it’s still a wildly successful ad because it tugs at your heart strings and gets you to talk about “how cute and heartwarming that Budweiser commercial was” the next day at the water cooler. So why is quality content creation important? It’s because it starts conversations and inspires your audience beyond just a transaction. It creates trust and builds your community.
What is the Content Creation Process?
Research:
Before spending hours creating a million pieces of content that you think are interesting, it’s imperative that you spend a few hours researching what your target audience finds interesting. While you should always put your personal touch on your work to develop your brand’s style, you always want to be writing or creating for the consumer and not yourself. A great way to start your research is with search engine optimization in mind. Keyword research is crucial to the success of your content, especially when writing blogs. Beyond that, competitor research can save you a lot of time in this process. Never steal anyone’s work or ideas, but building upon themes or topics they’ve covered successfully is an easy way to complete this process efficiently. Always remember to put the customer first, and your content can be successful.
Brainstorming:
Once you've completed your preliminary research and compiled a list of topics or themes you want to explore, it’s time to brainstorm ways to create your content in an effective and memorable way. During this stage, you’ll want to consider all the various forms of content you could produce. If you found an interesting statistic you think will provide value to your customers, a brief infographic posted on your Instagram or Facebook will likely be the best route. Conversely, if you’ve completed a lengthy case study about your industry, you would be better suited to publish it as a long-form blog directly on your website. This is the state in the process where you should be most creative and explore as many ideas as you can so you can be sure to make the right decision.
Creation:
Once you’ve decided on your idea, now it’s time to “put pen to paper” and bring your idea to life. This step could vary in duration depending on what type of content you create. For example, a video will take longer to produce than an infographic depending on your team and capabilities. Remember to take your time and create content to the best of your abilities. The better it is, the faster you’ll be able to achieve your business goals and expand your reach.
Publishing:
Now the hard part is done and it’s time to publish your creation and monitor and engage with consumers. An important factor in the publishing process (after deciding where to publish) is when to publish. Timing is hugely important and consistency is as well. Consider your audience and their habits: will they be more receptive to it during their workday, their weekend, or their evening around dinner time? Unfortunately, there’s no one answer to this question and that is why the research step is so important. Understanding your audience and how they think and act is critical to your content’s success and reception. Consistency in publishing is usually a good policy for a content calendar because your audience will be consistent in how they view it and thus, it is easier to track success.
How to Promote Content and Expand Reach:
After this process is all finished, there’s still one more step that is paramount in achieving success for your business’s marketing and content creation efforts. This step is content promotion. This will vary greatly depending on the form of content you produce but its importance will remain the same. Social media is a great way to publish and promote your content to a wider audience for free and, when done effectively, will be one of your best promotion tools. The beauty of social media is that consumers can comment and interact with the content and each other directly on the posts which adds a level of engagement you otherwise would not be able to achieve. There are also so many different outlets you can choose to post on depending on your content and audience. TikTok is great for your video content while Instagram is great for graphics and Facebook is great to link to blogs. Beyond social media, you can also cross-promote with another company by guest-posting to their blogs or utilize sponsored-content. Email marketing is also a great way to get your message out to an audience that you know already wants to consume it. This step is no different than the others in that creativity will be the key to achieving your goals and expanding your reach.
To wrap up, content creation is the heart and soul of marketing and is foundational to all success in your field. Inspiring an audience, providing value, and evoking emotions will build trust and community around your business and enable lasting success. Partnering with a top level digital media agency is a strong step on the path to success. Find out more about the value Nxt Era Marketing can provide to you and your business by scheduling a free consultation today!
