Giving the gift of content: Don't harm your reputation!

 

Content marketing is a wonderful way to engage your customers and build your brand’s credibility. I love the idea of being able to give customers tools to educate themselves in order to entice more business. Some organizations do this very well; others do not.

 

One of the pitfalls of content marketing is that some who use this approach do it badly and make people wonder if they are going to be duped into buying something useless. If the offering is not presented well, and not highly useful, then you are doing more harm to your business than good.

Here are some things to bear in mind as you develop your content marketing products and strategies:

1. Avoid having your customers read through long, convoluted messages or watch long videos that make no valuable point. I see that a lot among those trying to become gurus of their profession.
2. Make sure you deliver the information you are promising!
3. As you develop your “gift” ask yourself if what you are giving away is genuinely useful to your customer.
4. Don’t be afraid to help your customer more than yourself. It goes without saying that the product you are actually selling will be much more valuable than the one you are giving away.
5. Try to offer something unique. This can be a little tough sometimes, but if you are able to do what nobody else is doing, your offering will automatically be perceived as having more value and your credibility will rise as well.
6. Don’t use your offering as a way to collect email addresses and spam people endlessly. Ask people if they would like to receive regular email from you and let them choose the frequency. If you respect your customers, they will respect you.
7. Avoid using hyped up language urging people take action. Find another way to generate excitement. Hype will lead people to doubt your credibility.
8. Be creative! Content marketing can be everything from videos, games, e-books, charity drives, microsites and more! Even your blog can be a form of content marketing. The more unique your approach to content marketing, the better.
9. Check out this site for some really cool examples of content marketing! http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp- /uploads/2013/05/Ultimate_eBook_mayrev.pdf

Go forth and engage!

For years, I tried to teach employers how to engage their people through effective leadership practices. When I decided to change careers and get into Communications/ Public Relations, I thought I would have to let my passion for creating engaged work environments die. Fortunately, I wasn’t very far into my studies before I realized that as a communicator I could still support and influence organizational change.

 At the risk of sounding like I have no life, I have to say that it’s exciting for me to know that the role of a communicator in supporting employee engagement initiatives is extremely important. What’s more, when you work in an area of business that is not directly tied to something as measurable as sales, it is extremely important to be able to justify your existence to your employer. God knows, it is easy for both HR and PR people to seem superfluous in a sales driven environment.

The secret for Communications professionals (and HR people too) is to be able to link their efforts with the results of employee engagement surveys. Since employee engagement is directly tied to the bottom line, your supporting efforts must be part of that measurement.

According to Gallup Management Journal, disengaged employees cost American companies over $300 billion each year. This is largely due to things like poor customer service, turnover, absenteeism, manufacturing waste, lost sales opportunities, etc. Being able to reduce losses in any of those areas could make a huge difference to a company’s bottom line.

Here are a few ways communicators can contribute to employee engagement efforts and boost overall business results:

·         Work with Human Resources to promote mentorship and career development programs

·         Produce newsletter articles about how to give effective feedback to employees and bosses

·         Developing and promoting workplace social activities

·         Promoting and encouraging participation in company charity initiatives

·         Publicly recognizing employees for doing quality work

·         Keeping the mission, vision and values of the company top of mind for everyone

·         Developing employee feedback systems that management is committed to embracing

·         Rewarding employees for contributing toward process improvement

It is important to know that all employee engagement efforts require a communal commitment from management, human resources and communications. We cannot do it alone, but every bit of effort counts, so go forth and engage!