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Audience first marketing is all about the notion of building a loyal audience first through content creation and sharing, before actually ever having a business. The piece I wrote about this was widely shared recently. If you happen to have missed it, here’s a link. Once you have an intimate knowledge of the audience needs and wants, you have an incredible opportunity to sell into it from a position of fierce loyalty. Simple sharing to help others learn is a beautiful gift that although needn’t be reciprocated, often is.
But here’s the thing. Creating content takes commitment and consistency. Over time that commitment and consistency also leads to mastery. You need to be committed to a topic as well as sharing platforms, and you need to be consistent (some would even say predictable) but at the very least strategic over time, in your delivery. Creating content to position your business or brand not only boosts your search results, it also over the long term allows you to develop a loyal audience that can be leveraged for multiple business opportunities.
So, if you like to write – write. Publish a blog, write a newsletter, become a guest contributor or columnist with content and leverage the reach of national, international, or industry specific print media.
If you like to talk – talk. Record a podcast, video a vlog, go live of Facebook, create a series of videos for Youtube or Vimeo, become a guest commentator or regular contributor of content on someone else podcast, and leverage the reach of national, international, or industry specific broadcast media.
The key with writing and talking is that all these platforms have some sort of digital footprint, which can enable content to be tagged for search. Done consistently over time, you won’t be paying for SEO – quite simply your content will do that for you.
Content marketing takes time to earn readership or viewers who turn into loyal followers. Content marketing also takes time to earn SEO (search engine optimization) that positions you as the go to source in your product or service area, or as an expert in your niche. But it’s a commitment well worth making.