Are you creating content with intent?
Attention, attention, attention
Do you feel like you are working for social media platforms? Constantly feeding the beast with what sometimes feels like a never-ending supply of content with what sometimes feels like very little reward? You may be approaching your content creation and marketing wrong.
While having a social media presence is extremely important today, making sure you understand which platforms do what and for whom is extremely important.
So many people and brands are jockeying for attention it can often be hard to break through the noise. But with the right strategy or approach it is possible to separate yourself from everyone else.
At Modern Media School we break down online platforms into two categories: outbound and inbound and differentiate the two by referring to platforms as ‘Social Media’ and ‘Modern Media’.
Some people create or share content with very little consideration as to who they are targeting, what their goal is and what outcome they want to deliver for themselves and those who see it.
Before publishing or posting content to any platform you really need to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of those platforms and ask yourself whether they are the right places to post and are the people you are targeting there and will they engage?
outbound traffic
Most people are interacting and engaging on social media platforms where their posts have a short shelf life, often disappearing from feeds within hours of the original post being published.
The word ‘Feed’ itself is a bit of a giveaway itself as to what these platforms are designed to do.
People feed on the content you are feeding to them (or perhaps are consuming yourself).
The problem with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, Tik Tok, Instagram etc. is these types of feed-based platforms are built for short term attention and posts are outbound.
By outbound we mean, you are pushing the information in front of people who are often not in the mood to consume what you have shared, this is particularly the case for business.
The benefit of these platforms for brands is they can deliver some short-term brand awareness if a post goes viral. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn can offer a little more in the way of community and groups, and pages, however they are mostly motivated by ad revenue to boost posts.
This model means organic reach is often suppressed particularly for business.
Piggy backing on trending and popular topics on these platforms can be a good approach, but you also need to be aware why people are using them and create your content with intent to deliver on what they want, where they want, when they want it.
inbound traffic
Inbound platforms on the other hand are built around search and can work for you like a digital employee, 24/7 and year on year. We refer to this approach of content publishing as an evergreen content marketing strategy. These platforms usually employee Search to bring consumers of content to you.
We consider the inbound approaches as challenging the status quo of traditional media to fulfil the needs of audiences to learn and be entertained.
Platforms like YouTube, Podcasting, Streaming, Blogs, Pinterest, Reddit and Social Audio could all be considered part of the ‘Inbound’ category due to the ability for content to be served up through search queries.
These platforms are taking away attention from traditional media, and therefore we like to refer to them as “Modern Media”.
Why inbound? Because audiences are in a warm mode of engagement and are actually searching for what you are offering or serving up.
The fact you arrived and are reading this blog post is an example of evergreen inbound content marketing.
content with intent
Simply posting on any platform is not enough. You must have a clear strategy behind getting attention, keeping attention, then giving attention.
The core problem with most content is it is people and brands just pitching and selling. The winners who break through are actually solving and serving.
To create content with intent you must do 3 things…
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Understand Problems
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Understand Platforms
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Understand People
This is important because good content needs to deliver value to those who consume it.
If you want to better understand how to create awesome content to engage your audience, followers, customers or fans, be sure to check out our Viral Content Creation article.
need help developing a content marketing strategy?
I am Coach Craig Rowe, a content marketing coach from Applaudable Media. I can help you or your marketing team develop an online marketing strategy that will work for you 24/7 year on year the world over by leveraging online assets like a digital employee. Strategies to deliver outcomes for your business or brand. If you want to create awareness and in turn improve revenues feel free to connect with us via email (mail@applaudablemedia.com).
With over 3 decades career capital in graphic design, IT and digital content creation. I will help you, “Give VISION to your brand”
article by Coach Craig Rowe
I help you give vision to your brand!
Interested in reading another content marketing article by Coach Craig Rowe? Click here – > How to Start a Business Podcast