Who Cares What You Have to Say?

We’re all familiar with the eternal “If a tree falls in the forest…” debate. Now let’s put that in the context of your online content. Say you upload a post to your blog, but there’s no one there to read it. Does it still count?

With the push to create content deemed valuable for search engine rankings, I urge every one of us to take a step back and pose the question, “Who really cares what you have to say?” So many businesses today are misled, thinking that as long as they are posting some content, any content- that they will be looked upon favorably by the Google Gods. Yes, creating the content is a step in the right direction, but what is the real value if no one is reading it?

Creating a Content Strategy

Effectively promoting your content is crucial in driving traffic to your website, increasing clicks or shares and ultimately ranking higher on search engines. But let’s look further than that. What are the goals of your business? Are you looking to drive traffic to your website, engage fans and build an online following, or perhaps establish a thought-leadership position in your field?

Design a content plan for your brand, establishing who is posting what, and where.  Part of what makes some content superior to others is the ability to appeal to its audience. Create a list of topics valuable to your audience, topics that are going to make them want to read and share.

Flooding your online channels with content or mindlessly re-posting others’ isn’t going to do the trick; but, strategically planning what you are writing and where you are posting it will help you accomplish some of your goals while reaching your target audience. Oftentimes, making others aware that your content exists works best as a company-wide effort.  For instance, have your CEO tweet the link to your post along with some personal insight to his or her own set of followers.

Track What Works

The best part? You can now track clicks, referrers, reach, retweets and much more to learn who is actually reading your content and where your traffic is coming from. Take that useful information and evolve your methods accordingly based on your brand goals and what topics and platforms (e.g. Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest) seem to work best for your audience. Pay attention to what your readers like and I promise, the rewards will follow.