"Marketing content" refers to a wide range of things. Think of it as anything that a prospect or client could read, listen to, or watch that helps them see how working with you will benefit their business.
For the typical training consultant, this could include white papers, web pages, audio or video, newsletters, e-mail campaigns, blogs, social media, special reports, published articles, direct mail (postcards and sales letters), diagnostic tools, surveys, and more. Indeed, this embarrassment of riches is exactly the problem: there are plenty of options, so you have to choose to do some things, and not do, or at least postpone, others.
Add to that the reluctance many consultants feel about writing or creating content, about coming up with ideas of what to say and finding the time to get it in print (e- or otherwise) or audio or video, and you have a major challenge.
Content Life Stories
To be realistic about the amount of effort it takes to create marketing content, it helps to look at how the "life stories" of different types of content end.
For example, material in social media, such as Twitter or Facebook, is consumed very rapidly. It has to be replaced constantly, having a very short "life span" among the target audiences.
Other material can be recycled, with a little processing. The article you wrote for one trade journal can often be revised and submitted to another.
And something like a white paper can be used, and re-used, again and again. You give the same white paper to the next prospect as you gave to the last one, getting multiple uses out of this content without the need to revise or update it very often. (A lot of your web site is re-used, as well, of course.)
There is no inherent advantage to one of these categories, compared to the others. But thinking about your content this way can help you gauge the effort involved, how it fits the way you work, and what it will take to get a return on your investment in creating the content in the first place.
For example, some consultants jump into Twitter because they have heard so much about it, because there are all these people out there saying you simply have to use it. Some do not realize how quickly Tweets are "consumed" and that you have to constantly produce new content. Others like that: they find it easier to come up with short bits of information, and often, than they do sitting down to write a paper or article.
Some consultants, again, are just the opposite. They feel comfortable working out a complete piece, but aren't good at "small talk," at keeping the stream going. They want a tool they can use when a prospect shows some interest, perhaps using an article reprint to advance the conversation.
And any given audience may be more or less appropriate for a stream of content versus individual pieces at certain points in the selling conversation.
The right answer is specific to your business, your skills, your style, your target market. Understanding the "life span" of the content you might use will help you make better choices among marketing strategies for your training business.
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