Not ready to write? Curate first.

I have met so many experts in diverse fields--people who are professionals in their field and passionate about their business. However, some of the most intriguing people I've met (some of whom are most excited about what they do) are not where they could be in business because they don't evangelize.

It's all about the content. Inc. published a great article today (This is How You Get Yourself Out There to Market Your Expertise) that reiterates that it truly is all about the words and how you publish them.

The key, however, is to be an expert before you write. While there is quite a bit on content marketing out there, if you have nothing to say, or you don't have any knowledge above and beyond the mean, don't bother. But, those business savvy people I know have lots to say, they just don't know how to say it or why.

You can have a conversation with one person and change their perspective--you can blog or comment on social media and reach hundreds, or not thousands.

Social media storytelling is one of the key marketing trends in 2016 and with good reason--consumers want more than a pitch. (For 6 major trends, read more here.) They are looking for the truth behind who you are, who your brand is, and what makes you tick. Now. let's tell those stories!

So, how do you get started? First, share what you read. It's called curating, and it's basically sharing the most valuable pieces of content and the things that touch you. You're an expert in your profession, and you likely read several pieces a day on your industry, on the business world, on what interests you. People who are in the industry want to know what you are reading, what you value. LinkedIn, facebook, Twitter are all ways to share written content. If you have visual content, don't forget Tumblr and Instagram.

If you're not ready to write yet, share. And, eventually, you'll be ready to write. Because, if you're an expert, you have something to say. It's just getting down to saying it.

Comments

Instagram: Thank you for scheduled posts...and reposts!

After extensive changes that make marketing through Facebook even more difficul t , Instagram marketing and posting (which is also owned by Facebook) is becoming easier. If you use Buffer , Hootsuite , Soci , or any other social media management tool, you #instalife just got easier. Now, instead of posting from your phone to Instagram, you simply schedule and the post becomes live at the preset time, like all other social networks. How does this help you tell your story? We all, as business owners and entrepreneurs, have a story to tell. Instagram allows us to tell it visually, and to reach audiences unavailable on other social networks. With every post, we create a visual storyboard that reaches an increasingly attention-starved world. When you can project your message, your story in seconds, you magnify your reach. How do you tell your story on Instagram? Clarity in your profile, an Instagram aesthetic, tagging and distilled images are the key. My favorite Instagram examp...

Deep breath: Facebook changed.

Facebook has changed its strategy when working with businesses to protect users--what's a business owner to do? The reality of it is, for most businesses who have been using Facebook to authentically engage with their audiences, the strategy need not change in major ways. Facebook is still accepting posts from businesses, and they're still all about posting beautiful, relevant content for users. Google's similar strategy This change is similar to the Google changes that have been made over the past decade with tags and SEO. At the beginning, SEO was a game in which coders would generate hundreds of tags and place them behind the page to create a search presence. The content that the user saw did not necessarily relate to these tags, and the content didn't have to be good; it was basically the wrapping to deliver the tags to the web. As Google grew more sophisticated, so did the content strategy. Businesses actually had to write content engaging to the reader and...

The Social Media Starting Kit (Part 3): Calendars and Management

You've got a profile, you've got ideas for a few posts and images, and now it's time to begin posting. But, how do you bring strategy in? When do you post? Where do you post? How do you keep from becoming a slave to your social media? That's where the next two crucial elements of social media management come in: calendars and management. First off, each social media platform has different needs, and each audience within the platform has different expectations. The average consumer expects a response from a corporation in Twitter, and 72 percent of people who complain on Twitter expect a response within an hour, per the HubSpot blog . Otherwise there are standard best practices for when to post and how often to post on each network. Image courtesy of Fast Company SproutSocial posted earlier this year about the best times to post on each social media network for engagement . It is an incredibly thorough post, and I would recommend reading it to begin charting ...

Susan Does Social

Search This Blog