Who are some of your favorite content creators in the world of online business and entrepreneurship?
If you answered “Tom Gaddis,” well shucks. Thank you.
Regardless of the creator, have you noticed they offer their content in multiple formats? I follow a content creator who loves to teach leadership. When I received his monthly email, it contained a few options along with the text. If I wanted to, I could listen to the email instead of reading it. Or, if I liked what I read and wanted to know more, I could click a link to listen to a podcast that further explained the topic.
There are reasons content creators use multiple formats for their content, and it’s the same reason you should, too.
Maybe you publish regular content in a podcast or blog, or you go live on Facebook every week. Perhaps you used to produce content and discontinued it after a while. Maybe you’re at the early stages, wondering (or worrying) about how to expand your influence using content.
Regardless of your current output, you should have regular content published in a few different modes.
To get your online presence started up, or to expand what you already have, take a listen to my podcast episode with Liana Ling!
Exponential Reach
It takes several repetitions of the same information for a person to learn something. If you have kids, this comes as no surprise. You have to repeat the same thing in multiple ways before it clicks.
The same goes for your content. Presenting it in text, video, and audio form will help your sticking points… stick.
Plus, there are different learning styles for each person in your audience.
Some people are visual learners. No matter how many times you explain it in your podcast or blog, they need to see you share a visual aid to understand what you’re saying. There are also auditory learners, who don’t benefit much from text, but love to put on a podcast. Then, of course, other people really need the information in text form for them to digest at their own pace.
Another layer of complexity comes from having both independent and social learners in your audience.
Some people prefer to learn on their own. Podcasts, videos, and blogs work well for them. There are also social learners, who learn better when they’re learning together. For this kind of person, you need webinars and Facebook Lives they can interact with in real-time.
Finally, simply having more options available means you’ll reach more people—sometimes exponentially more.
Some people will engage with your content on Facebook but nowhere else. You will have other people faithfully read your blog and newsletter but never check out your podcast. You could even have a dedicated fan of your podcast who doesn’t feel like joining your social media page.
The more forms of content you consistently publish, the more people you can reach.
Making an impact with your content is all about adding value to your audience. Listen to my podcast with Gina & Jamie Atkinson to learn more!
How to Produce Multiple Streams of Content
Here are a few tips to follow so you can take advantage of each kind of media.
- Start Your Content Marketing Strategy
The first step is to start. Open up a document and list everything you want to talk about… even if you don’t have the knowledge yet. This will give you an opportunity to research and plan your content accordingly.
Then, pick two or three formats to begin. Many people start with a weekly blog, podcast, and email list. Don’t try to build Rome in a day. You don’t need 10 different kinds of content at first.
If you’re just getting started in online business, check out my FREE guide that details exactly how to create and market an explosively profitable product. The revenue from your first few products can be reinvested into equipment for producing your content.
- Repurpose Everything
Generally speaking, your pieces of content will have one big idea to share. For example, the big idea of this blog post is that online entrepreneurs should offer different modes of consumption for their content.
The good news is, the big idea can be used in all of your types of media. You can repurpose the content of a blog post and make a video. Or, you could start a webinar series based on your last season of podcasts.
Here are a few kinds of content you could start, along with my guides:
Take a big idea you love to talk about and make content about it for one of those modes.
- Hire a Content Manager
For those consistently publishing content in three or four modes, it can become difficult to track everything. Some people try to use a physical calendar with notes on it. Others keep a spreadsheet. They want to make sure they are continuing to create quality content across the board. But it can become too difficult to keep track of, and one or two kinds of media start to fall away.
When you get to this point, hire somebody to manage your content. You already have enough on your plate. Bring in someone whose only focus is making sure your content is firing on all cylinders. If you’re bringing in anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 a month, then your content manager will quickly pay for themselves.
A good manager will ensure that everything is created, edited, posted, updated, and managed. All of this will grow your audience. In time, your authority and credibility will grow, too. This creates an abundance of new leads you weren’t reaching at all a month or two ago.
Finally, to hear some of my content in a different mode, check out my podcast.
