actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

I hope this email goes out as planned since I’m deep in the rainforest of Belize at Jaguar Creek, an eco-friendly resort. Owned by a not-for-profit organization, its mission is to minimize its disturbance of the natural environment so there’s limited electricity and wifi.

I don’t write this to make you feel pangs of FOMO and/or jealousy but rather to underscore my strong belief in content delivery consistency.

In case you didn’t know I grew up in a household that received the print edition of the New York Times 7 days a week, where reading the paper was a family morning routine. I learned how to read The New York Times in fifth grade.

Additionally my father owned and ran a local newspaper covering a handful of small communities in Queens, one New York City’s five boroughs. As a result, I learned the newspaper business from the inside at an early age.

Therefore I believe that, as a marketer, you should approach your content marketing and social media engagement like a media publisher.

Please note that I recommend this even though Orbit Media’s most recent Blogging research shows that most bloggers publish multiple times a month but they’re shy of weekly content delivery.

Instead, create a publication schedule and stick with it for 2 reasons that are core to building your base:

• Create audience expectations for your information. Even in a period of time-shifted content consumption it’s critical to build a rapport with your audience so that you become part of their weekly content routine.

• Develop a sense of obligation to deliver information consistently.  Your employees must feel that it’s their responsibility to create and distribute this content.

To achieve this publication consistency goal, I suggest that you use a mix of the 5 core types of content. By integrating a mix of these 5 types of content into your editorial calendar, you support your business.

1. Foundational content: Deep explanation of key terms you want to be known for.

2. FAQ content: Answers every customer question including “Who You Don’t Want For a Customer.” It’s a lead magnet according to Marcus Sheridan. (Here’s an in-depth guide on customer content.)

3. Cyclical content: Keeps your content visible on a regular basis.

4. Crowd pleaser content: Attracts new readers to your content.

5. Long playing content: Maintains the value and visibility of your existing content.

To get your content marketing, blogging and other writing on track to succeed this year, take the time to do annual content planning.

Before you tell me that you don’t have time to complete the assignments looming in front of you, take a deep breathe. Realize that not planning is probably what got you in the predicament in the first place.

While we’re on the subject of content creation, please join me at SMMW18 where I’m talking at 1:30pm on Friday, March 2^nd on how to keep generating quality content ideas.

If you’ve had enough of the winter blues, San Diego in February is beautiful and sunny.

Happy marketing,
Heidi.

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• For those of you who are consultants or considering becoming consultants, I strongly recommend that you read Mark Schaefer’s 5 Of My Best Insights On Becoming a Great Marketing Consultant. Additionally, Schaefer’s Business Grow blog is worth reading to see how to create quality content on a consistent basis.

  If you’re interested in becoming a speaker, I recommend reading Christopher S. Penn’s How To Set Your Speaker’s Fee. Penn breaks down how to assess your value to the conference or show. (BTW—I’m also a big fan of his weekly newsletter, Almost Timely News!)

• Get the inside scoop from 8 pros on How To Do Content Curation Like A Pro in a guest post written by Heidi Cohen for Content Marketing Institute. To be honest, even I learned a lot from these colleagues.

• Heidi Cohen was included in Brian Sutter's post, The 50 Most Influential People in Small Business Marketing published on AllBusiness.com.

• Paul Lentz used Heidi Cohen's Actionable Marketing Guide as a great example in his Buzzsumo post: Using Social Sharing Buttons To Drive Engagement: How To Do It Right.​​​​​