Channel Your Content Into Strategy

You’re the best at what you do. It’s true. If you’ve been successful in business, it’s because you’re offering unique services, making superior products or fulfilling customers’ needs better than others.

Congratulations on achieving that, but you still need others to discover your expertise. For leads to find out about your subject knowledge and experience. If only someone would tell that story. How about you?

A content strategy gets your message out and draws customers in. It’s a multi-faceted approach designed to deploy over multiple channels, some external and others internal. Doing it well bolsters credibility and ultimately creates opportunities.

Establishing Your Authority

The goal throughout an integrated content strategy is to establish credibility in a given space. Whether that’s as an aircraft broker or aviation support service provider – your content serves as the credentials to gain customers’ trust and spur their action.

Build your authority piece by piece, with each step burnishing your reputation. It can happen over years, such as FlightSafety International’s seven-decade climb to become the world’s premier aviation training provider.

It also happens quickly in emerging industries. North Dakota just launched Vantis, the first statewide network for unmanned aircraft systems, but Vantis already has authority within UAS communities and with entrepreneurs alike. That’s because it has been successful in telling its story and showing the possibilities it provides.

Media Matter

Four major components serve as the foundation for your content strategy. All work with ways to distribute messaging through media, but only one requires dedicated funding outside of creation:

OWNED Arguably the most important component because it’s the one controlled exclusively by you. It’s what you use to establish your bona fides and expertise. That includes thought leadership or case studies. You answer frequently asked questions. Why are you an expert? Owned media lays out your case.

EARNED The heart of earned media is outside news coverage or media relations. There are many ways to show your potential customers you have credibility. One of the best is to have news media or influencers, who have authority in their own regard, highlight your products or cite your work.

SHARED Social media opens up directions for content that weren’t available 10 years ago. Actively engaged social media channels allow shareable snippets to reach target audiences quickly. What’s more effective than word of mouth? Try platform-tailored videos and content, shared with a tap or a swipe.

PAID Finally, the realm of paid content isn’t exactly what you might think it is. It’s not buying a traditional billboard ad – it’s about finding ways to deliver messaging to the right person through a boost. Analyzing data and specific markets are key to ensure you get the most bang for your buck.

Achieving Your Goals

Creating a good content strategy means having good grasps on what you hope to achieve. Are you building brand awareness or trying to generate leads? Are there key performance indicators to reach? What benchmarks would define success going forward? Good strategists can create and activate plans that work for your business and show measurable results to support them. Remember, you’re already the expert in your field. It’s time to tell the world about it.