From the Customer Retention NOW! Newsletter
April, 2012
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Do you have enough content to support the needs and interests of your prospects and customers? Most companies would say no. The two biggest challenges for companies engaged in content marketing are:
- Finding a way to create quality content
- Creating enough of it
These are major challenges for a lot of the readers of this publication. And hearing about these difficulties from so many of you is the reason we’ve been creating custom content for small and medium size businesses since 2010. It seems you can never have enough of the content that is designed to drive visitors to your web site, build a reputation as a trusted industry resource, or increase awareness for your brand.
Getting new content created on a regular schedule is a great strategy. But sitting down and writing articles is a task that many of our clients never seem to get to. Fortunately, it isn’t always necessary to start from scratch. With a little editing and reinvention it might be possible to meet some of your immediate needs for content without isolating yourself in an undisclosed location for a week or more – just so you can get some thoughts down on paper! Most companies have existing sources of content that are not being exploited.
Here are some ideas for harvesting content that may already exist:
Trade show literature – You may have some great stuff that could be shared online, but the printed collateral was created before you redesigned your web site or developed your content marketing strategy. Summarize the main points in the handouts and you’ve got the basis for a blog entry or newsletter article.
Documentation and user manuals – Scan through material like this looking for a subject that suggests some real-world applications of one of the features of your products. A couple of opening and closing paragraphs bracketing a list any you’ve got an article called “11 Ways Feature X Helps You Accomplish Objective Y”.
Materials from the sales force – Either created by the company or by the salespeople themselves, you might find some statistics, infographics, or charts that provide some evidence that backs up marketing claims. Data like this can be highly relevant to prospects, since it comes right from the front lines. Build an article for your newsletter, blog, or web site around compelling tidbits of information.
Previously-published articles – Were you creating more frequently at some time in the past? Go through the archives and find some content that can be relevant today with just a little updating. It’s OK to re-visit the same topics more than once in the same channel or publication. Just put a little different perspective or spin on the article and it can be ready in no time!
Customers – Check with customer service or technical support. What are the questions that they handle most often? How do they answer them? This kind of material can result in a checklist, hints and tips, or FAQ’s. Or you can put together a quick tutorial video, perhaps with the help of engineering or technical support. Video that is shot with a flip camera or even a phone can be good enough for this purpose. Or you can use screen-capture utilities to demonstrate how to accomplish a certain task with your software product or use your web site to get help, order supplies, etc.
Eventually you will want to create some new content from the ground up. Customer case studies get stale after a while, so you’ll want to update them regularly. An original article written especially for a trade publication is more likely to get published. A forward-looking white paper should include current trends and conditions. When you’re ready to add to your content library with some items like these that are part of your long-term strategy, give us a call.
In the meantime, look around your own organization. You may be surprised to find there is plenty of source material to meet your short-term needs.










