Content writing is probably the biggest worry when I run social media workshops and yet content is the fuel of all social media, fuel for social marketing.
Two questions I ask about these worries about website content are
- If you run a business, I can't believe that you can't talk about it? (Infact if you don't then you may be in the wrong business!). See your blog as you having a conversation to a good friend about your industry.
- Content for website is all around you - what do consumers ask you, what are their problems, what is happening in your industry
People talk about content management, I prefer to refer to it as content leadership - as content writing is about creating a reason for people to follow you - it needs to be valuable to the audience - either entertaining, informative, educational. When that is achieved the content becomes shareable between your customers.
Content management is not about you...it is about your audience. Your content calendar should represent what issues, problems, hopes, fears are on your target market, your target customer "kitchen calendar".
So here are 3 tips on creating shareable content
- Write content that is important to your target market NOT you
- Write content that has the right tone for the personality of your brand - that may be conversational - great example is Abel and Cole, thought provoking - e-Consultancy, inspirational - Patagonia
- Write content by listening. The more you listen to what your customers are saying, doing, their hopes and fears...the more you are inspired to write content that has meaning to 'real lives' not to represent your marketing aims
Remember social media is like creating a town and the content is the communication between people, not technology....
