Content is King Revisited

Posted by mdraycott on Jul 1, 2011 in Blog, Education, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, People, Social Media, Technology, Twitter, Value, Web | 1 comment

A year or so ago I wrote a guest a blog called Content is King, discussing how the key to getting recognised in social media was delivering great content for your audience.

Recently I was searching for this post to write an update but unfortunately I found that the blog was no longer available…The ‘Hurricane’ I described in the original article has ‘claimed another victim’, as trends have shifted and Brain has moved on to Other projects.

So before I write an update, here’s a quick précis…If you want to build a following online THINK before you share; I’m not saying don’t discuss your life, but what people on the social web want is content; news, ideas, reviews…Just take a look at the top social influencers in any given niche, they are constantly producing and sharing great content: that’s what gets them recognised and helps them develop a following.

To do this you really need a HUB…A webpage that all you’re other profiles link to where you can author / host your content, you’re on mine now by the way…It’s from this Hub that you disseminate your message, ideas or news.

Once you establish your Hub you then need to target the key networks that your audience is using, that could be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or right now for real early adopters Google+. Make sure that these networks are all coherent, same images message etc. And that they all link back to your Hub.

When you have profiles set up on these sites don’t rush in straight away, watch the flow, see what conversations are going on and think about how you can contribute and get involved… to kick off start some conversations, comment on ones which are already in progress and begin to build following by sharing relevant news and information focused on your key topics. Doing this should help you start to gain followers, as your network grows remember to nurture these first few people, as they will be crucial in supporting your ideas and disseminating your content… which by the way you are now ready to produce.

So, to get you started here are 5 ideas about the kinds of content you could be creating on the social web.

1. Stuff your passionate about: On the web there is an audience for everything, if what you really love is mid 50’s kitchenailia there will be people out there who want to talk about that and will value your opinion.

2. Stuff that’s you: Don’t try to be another Garry Vaynerchuk, create your own story in your own voice. There’s two reasons why this is key…number one; you can’t be someone else for very long and number two; web audiences are well trained at spotting fakers, be authentic and show people that you opinions are interesting and original and people will take a second look.

3. Stuff that’s social; Go and look at what other people are doing in a similar vein and work out where your voice might fit-in, once you find these people engage with them and their audience. Remember social media is a discussion and these people will most likely be your first market so get them interested in what you have to say by adding value to their discussions.

4. Stuff with edge; you can’t pander to the mass market, it doesn’t work; if you love Star Trek and think Kirk is Better than Picard, then you are mad, but entitled to your opinion; don’t water it down…some people will never like what you have to say, so what? There are billions of web users, what’s 1% of that again?

5. Stuff that…well, this last one isn’t so much about content, it’s about being patient, recently loads of people have been asking me how I’ve created my profile online, the only answer I have is that it’s a lot of work over two / three years engaging with people, having discussions and creating content…it’s not quick, you won’t be huge overnight, but if you’re willing to share and take your time the rewards are pretty cool!

Well I hope that’s been a useful summary of some old and out of circulation blogs, it would be great to hear some other views / techniques that people are using…Key for me, is that with new platforms launching at rate of knots over the summer it looks like the Hurricane winds are rising again and the question is will you end up lost in OZ or safely building a new Hub back in Kansas.

Create great content and people will find you.

Peace
Matt