What is content creation? Content creation can have many different meanings depending on who you are. A Content Creator is someone who is actively creating and publishing original content to an audience on one or more media platforms. The most common misinformation that is given about content creation for businesses and entrepreneurs is that you have to be creating content everywhere possible and distributing it on every social, print or web outlet. This is simply not true. The best way to start is where you will be most consistent and can deliver the best impact. From this point, you will be able to find the best strategies for distributing your content on different on different channels.
Now, why is content creation important? Content creation boosts your credibility and thought leadership in your area of expertise. In the digital world we live in it is very easy to fake being an expert in your field. Credibility is key in this age of authenticity. The amount of people who are self-declared life coaches, entrepreneurs, business coaches, fitness gurus, social media specialists etc. is staggering. Entrepreneurship is sexy right now and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a part of it. Content creation is going to be the key to separating you from the fakes in your industry.
Below is a list of the different ways you can start creating content right now! All methods can really be done for under $100. Don’t worry about creating high-class visuals. The words you are saying, the pictures you are sharing and the message you are sharing is what matters most.
Video Content
Video content is great. Pictures are worth a thousand words but videos are worth infinity. Here are a couple samples of video formats. It is up to you to choose the right format for your audience.
- Vlogs
- How-to Videos
- Interviews
- Informational
- Cinematic stories
These are not the only ways you can use video to your advantage but it is a good start. When creating a video it is important to keep in mind where you will release the videos. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and your blog/website are great places to release videos that are longer videos. One tactic that many use is releasing a shorter 30-60 clip on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook that is still informative and engaging. The reason behind this tactic is a lot of times you have not earned the right to take up a large amount of that persons time and when they are ready the are able to go to your website, YouTube etc. to consume your longer form content.
Written Content
Written content is the oldest and still one of the most powerful ways of reaching people. Know your customer and what kind of content will cater to them best. In my opinion here are the best ways for you to execute on written content:
- Blogging
- Magazine Articles
- Newspaper Articles
- Books
- eBooks
As companies start to abandon more traditional forms of media for the flashy new digital mediums there will be a void. If it works for your industry to take advantage of this I would highly recommend it. Just because the eyeballs are moving digital does not mean that your potential clients have completely abandoned traditional print. This again is why I stress. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER. ?
In conclusion, I merely scratched the surface of what content creation is. It is important that you take this information and translate it to your business. One way of creating content I didn’t touch on is audio. Podcasts are huge right now and have no sign of slowing down.