Time. The most scarce commodity for any Solopreneur, Freelancer or Micro-Business. You can’t save it; you can’t bank it. So, it’s imperative that you use the time you have as effectively as possible. This is especially true when it comes to marketing your business. That’s why, in this post, I’m going to share some tips and tools that will not only put your precious time to good use but will also help you give your content a marketing makeover.
Tip 1: Create Evergreen Content
It’s time you start taking the planning of your marketing content seriously.
It can seem a bit daunting planning for a whole year. That’s 52 weeks you have to fill!
Fear not! Here’s a big (not-so-secret) secret.
Use all the stuff you created in previous years!
I’m a huge fan of refreshing and repurposing content – that’s where the concept of Evergreen Content comes in.
Why?
Because Evergreen Content stays continually fresh and relevant, long after you first created it
[Evergreen Content is content that is not time-sensitive; it does not rely on current events, therefore it can be re-used, amended and updated over time to keep it relevant.]
Popular examples of Evergreen Content include:
- ‘How To’ guides
- Instructional videos
- Lists
- Top tips
- Industry jargon ‘explainers’ (you can get hold of a great example here)
- Blogs that answer frequently asked questions
For the best results, create your Evergreen Content in simple language. Try your best to make it appeal to beginners, or to people who don’t know much about your business or industry.
While news items, recent statistics or pieces that focus on a current trend aren’t examples of Evergreen Content, it doesn’t mean you can’t use them to keep your website and social media pages up-to-date.
By creating content that you ‘freshen-up’ and keep on sharing over time you will save yourself loads of time as well as remaining extremely relevant to your audience.
This is the epitome of having a content marketing makeover.
Once you have created your Evergreen Content re-share and repurpose it for new audiences at regular intervals. After all, why would you let all that effort go to waste?
Want to know a secret?
This blog is an example of Evergreen Content. I have refreshed and updated continuously for the past four years!
Tip 2: Give Old Content a New Life With a New Look
Nothing makes something look new and enticing like a fresh, new look.
One of the easiest ways to refresh your written content is with some new, eye-catching images.
Visual and audio content creates greater friend / follower / customer engagement. Images, videos, webinars, Lives create 70% more engagement than written content.
A simple example from Facebook is that posts with images generate an extra 14% in organic reach.
Maybe 14% doesn’t seem like a big number. But when you consider that the average reach for organic content on Facebook is about 0.9% – adding an image sounds like a good idea. That’s if you want to get your marketing messages in front of as many people as possible.
There are a number of image creation and editing tools I really like. My favourites include:
Canva
If you don’t know it, Canva is an online design platform and image library that allows you to create social media images, blog post pictures, animated images and videos.
This is always my first stop when I am doing my own content marketing makeover.
Canva is worth its weight in gold.
The free version is good; the paid for version is excellent and worth every penny for all the extras it brings.
Adobe Color Wheel
You can inject some colour into your content to bring it to life, or give it that all-important refresh.
With the help of Adobe Color Wheel you can create your own colour schemes or browse through thousands of beautifully designed combinations.
Tip 3: Get Your Business Camera-Ready
Time for another fact.
Do you know that users watch eight billion videos every day on Facebook alone?
Video content generates the highest organic reach on social media posts, which is why every platform now includes the ability to upload recorded content and a ‘Live’ function.
Video content accounts for 80% of all consumer internet traffic.
Not quite ready for going Live on social media?
Don’t worry, you don’t always have to appear on screen yourself to create engaging video content for your followers.
For example, you could record an animated ‘explainer’ video using tools such as Videoscribe, film some client testimonials, or share some behind the scenes activity from your workplace.
You can use apps like Videoshop to get really creative; adding music and images to your video, editing out any unwanted moments, or merging a series of video clips together.
Clever Lumen5 allows you to create video content directly from your blog posts with a simple linking process. Now that’s what I call repurposing!
Your Content Marketing Makeover
So, next time you’re creating content for your business, ask yourself these three questions:
- Is it evergreen?
- Can you add an image or some eye-catching colour?
- Can you record it?
If the answer is ‘Yes’ to any or all of these questions you will be well on your way to developing a process that will allow you to continually give your content a marketing makeover.
Your Next Steps?
Here are two things you can do immediately that will effortlessly add an extra hour into your 24-hour day.
- Book a conversation with me and we can talk through the exact steps you need to take.
- Get yourself a copy of my book, The Big Social Media Marketing Organiser. Not only is it packed with unique ideas, it also give you the means and motivation to put your plans into action.