of the medium in which it is being done.
The approach we, at Carle Publishing, take is based on the three
pillars of marketing, but I want to discuss digital marketing in
particular. First, let me establish one thing as a fact: the content
and the message is what is most important, not the method of
delivery. Without a good message, it doesn’t matter what you send
out. People won’t accept it.
Different people consume content in different ways based on their
tastes. My friend Kevin Daum, a writer for Inc. magazine and
author of Roar and Video Marketing for Dummies, articulated a
theory to me over lunch when discussing how people consume
content online. To summarize his thoughts: people like to consume
content in one of three ways: reading, watching, or listening. This
simple idea makes a whole lot of sense and spoke to me in a
profound way.
Let’s spend some time going through each format and discussing
pros and cons:
THE FIRST FORM OF CONTENT: WRITING
Written content is either by article or by listicle, and the length will
depend on the medium in which it is published. You are probably
familiar with listicles. They are easily recognizable as articles
written in list format. Think “9 Ways to Increase Productivity in
the Workplace” or a slew of variations on that general theme. They
are quick, easy to consume, easy to read, and easy to put out.
Something like a case study would be a longer-form article written
in a more traditional way.
And writing for a blog will be different than writing a quick quote
for social media. The medium often dictates the message.
THE SECOND FORM OF CONTENT: VIDEO
Video has been steadily growing in popularity, thanks in no small
part to huge platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Video is
engaging, fun to watch (if the content is good), and stimulates
both audio and visual senses. Unfortunately, it requires a time
investment. You can’t skim a video. Either you watch it, you don’t,
or you miss out on a lot of the content. The focus it requires is both
in terms of time and attention.
Nobody is opening a video link and pausing it to return later. They
open it, look at the time, and decide right then whether they have
the time to watch it or not. I recommend minute-and-a-half to
three-minute videos for maximum consumption and to remain
short and engaging enough to keep an audience. However, I also
do not believe videos should be relied upon by themselves.
THE THIRD FORM OF CONTENT: AUDIO
The third delivery method is audio, usually as a podcast. These
have been around for fifteen years or more but have been getting
more and more popular recently. Why? Easy. You don’t have to pay
full attention to get the content. You can listen on the commute, in
the gym, while walking, or any other time you want.
What does this mean for you? In my book How to Win Clients and
Influence People, I cover the three pillars of marketing in depth.
Ultimately, if you take the time to make content, my suggestion is
to make the content in all three forms. That way, you will get the
maximum exposure possible for the message you want to send out,
whether it’s written, in video form, or as a podcast. The hardest
part is coming up with the content. If you spend the time to
actually do it, which I know you all can, then please put it out in
every format so people can easily consume it and make their lives
richer and deeper as a result.
This is why our Integrated Content Solutions program at Carle
Publishing covers all three. We will make all three forms of content
for anything we create. Content is delivered as a media-rich
newsletter containing articles, videos, and podcasts which all
hammer home the same message.
If you have any questions about your content, we would love to
chat with you about it. A quick phone call to talk through what
you want to achieve will help clarify your goals. Pick up the phone,
give us a call today at 877-719-8919, and ask to speak with
someone about Integrated Content Solutions. We will be more
than happy to share our experience and suggestions with you.
“Whoever owns the ink in an industry is the one who gains an
unfair advantage over their competition”
- Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and Author of Scaling Up
MEET
ANDY BUYTING,
FOUNDER & CEO
CARLE PUBLISHING
HOW TO
WIN CLIENTS
& INFLUENCE
PEOPLE
WARNING
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ANDY BUYTING
Andy Buyting's thought leadership journey
started when he publis