Content, Container, Channel. Those three words define everything you need for a complete marketing program.
Let’s face it, it is crowded and crazy out there… and there is no sign of it easing up. Did you know over 12 days worth of video is uploaded to YouTube every 60 seconds? Over 204 million emails are sent every 60 seconds? Did you just check your cell phone to see if one of those emails was yours? If you are like most Americans you own a smart phone and will look at it over 150 times today. Are you reading this article on your cell right now?
With all this activity – it is no wonder we all feel crazed and overwhelmed. You probably feel like you have to be online, all the time, because you don’t want to miss that tweet or post or email or comment or “whatever” that just might lead to your next big client. Or, perhaps, you are constantly interacting back and forth with current clients who often need to be reassured that the fifth round of edits to their email is more than enough!
As a dear friend of mine who literally just received his PH.D. in Psychology with an emphasis in “media addiction” says –“ Stop The Madness! Put your smart phone down… firmly place your hands on the table and push.” Step away from the feeling that you must be available all the time – and start thinking about how you can truly spend your time wisely – strategically – so that your message can actually be heard/seen/read/liked/retweeted and cut through all that clutter. (BTW – I find it interesting that the phrase “spend your time wisely” really does relate directly to “time is money”.)
Stop Being Scattered and Start Thinking Strategically
Use these three words to help you get organized with your marketing – Content, Containers, Channels.
What Content do you want to share? What Container will hold the content? What Channel (or, better yet, channels) will you distribute that container on?
Content is King
I am sure you have heard that phrase over and over – and it still remains true. Content is king because it is the hardest thing to create. You actually have to sit down and write it, or film it, or record it, or say it. And you have to do it again and again. As close to real-time as possible. Use these ideas to create content:
- Create content that you know that your audience doesn’t. That can include Tip Sheets, How To Videos, eBooks, etc.
- Create content that can share your access to that information that your audience can’t. That can include interviews with experts you have access to, guest postings from experts on your blog or website, collating information from multiple sources into one easy to find location (with all sources cited appropriately!).
- Along those lines of gathering information, you can curate content from multiple sources that you want to share with your audience, just remember again, you must cite the source. Citing sources actually will help your content to be shared because when you mention and link an article that has been written by someone else, you are creating an opportunity for them to comment back to you and also share your comments.
Containers
The easiest way to think about containers is this: Content is poured into them (just like leftover soup is poured into Tupperware). When you first think about containers, you might mistakenly identify the channel they are delivered on as the container. For example when you think of a webinar, you might think of that as the container but it is really the channel. The presentation delivered on the webinar (the PowerPoint, or the outline, or the video or even the demonstration) is the container.
Channels
Channels are the easiest to understand because we all use them all the time. What will help you strategically though is to understand that content and their containers can be shared on multiple channels without having to do any more work at all. For example, let’s say you have a great video testimonial from a client. You can share that container on multiple channels such as YouTube, Facebook, your LinkedIn profile, your website, etc.
Use Your Excitement to Share as Your Barometer
When you stop thinking about all the channels out there, I hope that will immediately start to ease the stress of having to be online all the time. Sure there are a ton of channels out there, but they are not as important as the content. Content is all you have to focus on, because if you have great content, it will easily be shared. People want to engage with and share great content. When was the last time you shared terrible content? I’m guessing never. So concentrate on creating great content. Use your excitement regarding the content as your barometer to share it. If you can’t wait to share, then hit send right away. If you are just ticking things off your check list and aren’t excited about your content – once again step away from the computer and do not hit send – or share – or post – or publish – or tweet – or whatever!
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