The most effective way to create content today is through the power of the networks around your business.
As a Go-to-Network marketer, you need to break out of your silo past company-first resources. In order to drive warm, sustainable revenue through content, you will need to actively engage with the thought leaders and the experts that surround your business.
Just like every other section in this guide, the red thread woven throughout Go-to-Network marketing is trust. Buyers no longer trust company-first materials and resources because it feels inauthentic and transactional.
Your buyers want to trust the people they’re buying from, and expert-driven content is where it all begins!
Identify and activate your networks. Everything in a Go-to-Network approach starts with your networks. Start by making lists of a few top names from your customers, employees, advisors, and investors (Commsor can help with this!). Consider other networks around your business as well!
Create Expert-Driven Content
Creating content from a Go-to-Network approach is inquisitive in nature. It’s about assuming you don’t know the answer and setting out to find it through the right people. “Write what you want to know, and seek out those who have the expertise to help you learn more,” Chelsea Castle says. If you go to your network (pun intended) for the answers, you’ll ensure that the content you distribute is authoritative and resonates with your intended audience.
Find your experts:
- Start thinking about the types of content each person in these lists can contribute to, and go from there. Build a criteria for how you approach influencers, creators, experts and thought leaders. It can be tempting to look outward for these people, but don’t overlook the people right under your nose!
- “Consider your internal network,” Amber Rhodes says. “It can be tempting to go straight to the people with high follower counts, but in doing so, you may overlook Jim in finance who has just as much to offer as a subject matter expert.”
Chelsea Castle’s 3 C’s for finding the right voices:
- Credibility: They are proven experts in the particular field. Integrity is key as well.
- Character: Does this person align with your brand values? Character values? Do they put out content that presents themselves in a way that you want to be associated with?
- Community: Consider engagement over just follower counts. Who engages with their content? Are they talking to the same people you’re trying to reach?
Yer a Journalist Harry
If you’re a marketer, you’re a journalist!
- Have an understanding of what information you’d like to gather from others. This requires an understanding of where your knowledge gaps are so you can begin to shape the questions you’d like to ask your experts.
- Remember that “good content marketers truly believe there are no stupid questions. Humble yourself and ask someone who knows their stuff,” says Amber Rhodes. She also mentions that asking stupid questions can often be where the most interesting, impactful content comes from.
- Involve multiple voices, distill their perspectives, find overlapping themes and build it into a cohesive narrative that is valuable to your audience.
Distributing and Amplifying Your Content
Creating the content is just the beginning. Once you’ve found the right people, asked the right questions, and distilled the content into a digestible medium, it’s time to distribute and promote the content. Remember, no one is as invested in your content as you are, so it is vital to be respectful of people’s time and effort.
Set expectations early
- Outline what the contributor’s involvement will look like. If it’s an interview, let them know if it will be recorded and share questions ahead of time.
- Ask them what they expect to come from this contribution. If they’re a bigger voice, do they expect compensation?
- Prepare them with ways that they can share the content with their audience as well.
Send personalized gifts
- Show your appreciation! Even if the person asks for no compensation, send them a highly personalized gift (not a $10 Starbucks gift card; think more like personalized dog collars, etc.) as a thank you. It creates a memorable experience that keeps relationships warm as well.
Track and measure
- Finally, keep your eyes on how your network shares and amplifies the content. Watch how audiences engage with the content and step in where possible to add to the conversation. Reply to those who consume your content to help people put a face to your name. You can use this information to adjust your approach in creating content with your network!
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