No content, no forward motion.
Bad content is just like bad fuel. Your engine doesn’t perform well, it’s sluggish, and doesn’t get the mileage you expect.
Given what we’ve been hearing about Mark Schaefer’s content shock — people consume 10 hours of content per day, which won’t change, but the Internet is expected to grow 600 percent by the year 2020 — your engine needs some high octane content just to be able to stay ahead of the increased supply.
Rather than give you five content marketing “secrets” like write with passion or understand your audience (which aren’t really secrets at all, but are common sense ideas everyone should already follow), here are five ways you can improve the quality of your content marketing, regardless of what kind of content it is.
1. Pick one new technique and use it in everything you do
If you’re working on writing, practice the new technique in everything you write, including emails. Photographers, videographers, podcasters, the same goes for you. Practice your new technique until you master it, especially on the little things that “don’t count.”
Try new lighting techniques or composition, or play with color. Podcasters, start thinking like a sound engineer or public radio news producer, and play with ambient and “found sound.”
2. Do it every day
You’re not going to get better if this is something you consign to the bottom of the priority list. Reinforce your new skills by making them a habit.
We know a professional photographer who said he only got good enough to make the leap to being a professional when he began carrying his camera with him everywhere and constantly took photos. The same is true for writers, videographers and podcasters.
You don’t have to publish every day, but just like exercise, you have to do the work every day to improve.
3. Teach it to others
It’s the old “See one, do one, teach one” method. The best way to lock a new process into your head is to explain it to someone else.
Once you’ve been practicing your technique, tell someone about it, even if they’re not that interested. The simple act of speaking it out loud will put it into your brain faster than doing it constantly.
4. Read others’ work
Writers get better by reading. Videographers get better by watching. Podcasters get better by listening. This is why professional athletes watch hours and hours of game film. See what the pros are doing, and copy it.
Carry a notebook with you and write down those things that catch your attention. Dissect them to figure out what was so compelling to you. See if you can break those techniques out and practice them yourself.
5. Work with a professional
Not everyone has the time or expertise to produce top-notch content. While many of us would love to write better, take better photos and videos, or just learn how to naturally interview people or speak off the cuff about a topic, we don’t have the time to get that good at content creation. We have our regular jobs to do.
Maybe we’ll get there eventually, if we practice the four previous steps. But that will take months and years, and we need better content in days and weeks. Hire a professional photographer, writer, videographer or podcaster. Let the pros do what they do best so you can do what you do best.
Your engine is only as good as the fuel you put into it. By following these five steps, you can put in the best possible fuel and get the best possible results.
