Not everything you offer in your marketing communications has to be
original content. Sharing third-party expertise that can benefit your audience is a
great way to deliver value without having to write it all yourself. Of course, when using
third-party content, make sure to properly attribute where the content came from and
link back to the
original source if you can. But don’t just repost another article. Explain why
you like it, and
what you hope your readers gain from reading it!
There are three kinds of third-party
content:
Collectible
Content:
Gather a handful of articles from the web that are related to your industry and the
interests of your target audience. In your marketing, provide a brief description of each
article followed by the link to the piece (if electronic) or a specific QR code to scan
with a smart phone. This is a fast and easy way to put your ad/newsletter together with
quality content.
All you have to do is share your opinion. It’s that simple.
A quick way to find content when you need it is to consider saving articles from your favorite email newsletters and blog posts in a folder in your email inbox. This way you won’t have to look far for content at the last minute. Another great place to find articles to share with your audience is Google News (http://news.google.com). You can enter a search term such as “small business marketing” and the news database will pull up all articles related to small business marketing posted within the last few days. You can automate this process as well by having Google News email you a list of the latest articles on a particular subject each day.
And of course, your favorite social media sites can provide great suggestions for articles. If you see someone tweet or post an article, save that URL in a document and refer back to it later. Before linking to a website, keep in mind that some online publications may have a reprint policy that includes linking. Generally, though, in this age of interconnectedness, it should be more than alright to link to an article you’ve found, just as long as you don’t claim to have written it yourself.
A quick way to find content when you need it is to consider saving articles from your favorite email newsletters and blog posts in a folder in your email inbox. This way you won’t have to look far for content at the last minute. Another great place to find articles to share with your audience is Google News (http://news.google.com). You can enter a search term such as “small business marketing” and the news database will pull up all articles related to small business marketing posted within the last few days. You can automate this process as well by having Google News email you a list of the latest articles on a particular subject each day.
And of course, your favorite social media sites can provide great suggestions for articles. If you see someone tweet or post an article, save that URL in a document and refer back to it later. Before linking to a website, keep in mind that some online publications may have a reprint policy that includes linking. Generally, though, in this age of interconnectedness, it should be more than alright to link to an article you’ve found, just as long as you don’t claim to have written it yourself.
Pre-Written
Content:
There are many articles written by experts that are available for you to reprint (for free!)
in your marketing and PR. In fact, the web is filled with these types of articles. You just
have to know where to look for them. Two recommended
sites:
If you use an article from these sites, you will
need to publish it in its
entirety and include the author’s name. At the end of these articles the author always includes a
paragraph promoting his or her business along with a link. Usually these links are
harmless and just
lead to the author’s web page for products or services. Be sure to check out these links
before publishing
the article so that you’ll know what content your audience will
see.
Ghostwritten Content:
The third option is to hire someone else to write your articles for you. It’s not as
expensive as you may think. Best of all, with ghostwriting you retain all rights to the
article and you can put your name at the top as the author. Just give the writer a subject, word
count, example of what you believe good writing to be, and a firm deadline.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to consider in advance what themes and
ideas you want the
articles to cover. This way the content will be higher quality and will
truly stand the test of time.
DON'T
FORGET! Repurpose your content across social media!
You can continue to use your
good content across multiple social media channels in an effort to reach more customers, members,
and prospects by
linking to it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or whatever social media site(s)
you use. Conversely, you can use social media to promote your business
and drive
subscribers. A day or two before your marketing message is scheduled to run (via
Enewsletter, radio, TV, online or print) tease what the ad is going to be about
and direct fans,
friends, and followers to watch out for it!
There are many ways a business or nonprofit can generate compelling content that will keep customers and members interacting with their ad campaigns. Once you have a handful of ideas, you’ll find the process is easier than you thought and you may even have more ideas than space to use them, which is a good problem to have.
There are many ways a business or nonprofit can generate compelling content that will keep customers and members interacting with their ad campaigns. Once you have a handful of ideas, you’ll find the process is easier than you thought and you may even have more ideas than space to use them, which is a good problem to have.
Need help coming up with content, or want to hire a Ghostwriter? Call me @ 515.259.0577 for a FREE consultation and brainstorming session!
515-259-0577 - office
316-644-7029 - cell
renee@trioagency.comwww.facebook.com/trioagency
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www.trioagency.com
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