Just like exercising or eating well, most of us are already sold on the benefits of content marketing and social media. However getting around to doing it every day is an entirely different story.
We’ve all heard the success stories but it doesn’t make it any easier to find the extra hours in the day to create remarkable content.
Here’s an easy six-step plan to put in place that you can stick to, and get the results you want.
You’ve got to want it. Committing to an ongoing content marketing or social media initiative is the only way to guarantee results. Just like regular exercise ensures you get the desired fitness results. It certainly doesn’t just happen on its own.
Choose someone who will keep you honest. Ideally they are content marketers too so you can check-in with each other and compare how you’re going. Swap open rates, show them your work and most importantly get them to keep you accountable.
Eventually as your audience grows, you’ll have set an expectation that your readers will get your content at certain times each week. Since you wouldn’t want to let your audience down, it becomes habit.
Plan out what you’re going to publish each week and map it into an editorial calendar. Put in deadlines and stick to it. Knowing what’s coming up also means your brain is subconsciously brewing up content ideas for later.
I swear by blocking time out in my calendar. Allocate enough time every week, so you have the headspace to execute your plan. If you honour these appointments you’ll find it much easier to produce good quality work.
Get it out the door, even if it’s not 100 per cent. Perfection is your enemy and it’s easy to use it as a stalling habit. Put you must publish your work so people can provide feedback. The more you do it, the better you get.
Once it’s off your computer and out the door onto the web, you can begin to understand if what you’ve produced is good, great or mediocre.
This is the easiest part, but it’s usually forgotten about. This final 1% can be the difference between only a handful of people interacting with your content or 10, 100 or 1,000 times that number.
As starting point tweet, like, share, +1 and email your article or video to your social networks.
Then take it to the next level by asking people you know to comment and share. This little boost will help stimulate your blog and guest posts into lively, interactive places rather than empty, echo-ey ghost towns.
If you want to get your own program in place, this 2013 Editorial Calendar Template is a free download and a good place to start.
It’s easy to use, is month by month, includes all the Australian public holidays and has an instruction sheet.
Adam Franklin is the co-author of ‘Web Marketing That Works’, a professional speaker, and co-founder of Bluewire Media.
