Content is still king. You’ve heard it before, but what are you writing to share your industry leadership? Are you generating content that gives your prospects and customers more reasons to return to your website and engage with you? Professional writing is an important factor here and the opportunities to share your content is endless. Let’s explore some of the common challenges with content generation for business leaders and some ways to get over that hurdle.
1. Limited time to write. I hear this all the time and I do understand. Most business leaders have schedules packed back-to-back from morning until night. However, if leaders like Virgin’s Richard Branson can make time to blog and make it worthwhile, then it’s time to take note. Remember: you don’t have to write a 5-page college essay. Everyone’s time is limited, so aim to write 500 words for your blog posts.
2. Not sure how to tie content generation to revenue. I encourage companies to use Google Analytics or Data Studio to take a snapshot of how much traffic they’re getting to their website, to which pages and with which results. Use that data as a starting point. Then commit to blogging at least once a month with the intention of increasing the frequency over time. Each month measure the same metrics that you took at the start and watch how your website traffic increases. Next, offer site visitors with more content (downloadable tip sheet or eBook) in exchange for their email address. Now you’re adding more leads to your marketing and sales funnel. At this point, can you tie your blogging efforts to sales? I can.
3. Writing hasn’t made it to the top of the priority list. I think this has to do with business leaders not realizing that their content generation can be as little as 500 words. Once you have your blog post written and published, you or a team member can repurpose it in numerous ways to again attract more prospects. This is inbound marketing 101. (I’ll cover ways to repurpose your blog content in a future post.) If your content draws in new leads and elevates your brand above your competition, shouldn’t writing be a priority?
4. Your business is so unique that contract content writers couldn’t possibly write the articles or posts on your behalf. This is a reason often given by professionals who don’t want to outsource their writing, but also aren’t getting the content generation done themselves. Understandably no one can be an expert at all things and certain businesses focus narrowly and deeply. However, good writers know how to ask questions that get subject matter experts to share in a meaningful way. From there, writers draft the articles or blog posts and allow the thought leader to edit. Trust me. Editing is much easier than staring at a blank screen with a cursor blinking at you. This outsourced writing process typically accelerates content generation and still highlights the leader’s expertise. For those who literally can only dedicate 30-60 minutes per month to content generation, this really is an option to consider.
As I check my word content at this point, I’m sitting at about 550 words, so as a matter of principle, I’m going to wrap up with a final thought. Sharing your knowledge and experience online is a low-cost way to stay in front of potential customers and drive inbound leads. Like many efforts, a disciplined approach coupled with breaking the larger project into smaller steps will deliver big rewards. Blog on!
More Resources on Content Generation:
