Everybody seems to have a blog. To be more precise, there are over 150 million of them eating up the internet. While that’s great for freedom of speech, it is more of a problem for businesses or individuals eager to enhance their profiles.
The vast majority of written words get lost in the mix, or occasionally ride high for a few days before fading into the obscurity of the blog ‘archive’. Then the process starts anew – different week, different blog, same battle.
Step forward the Content Pool :
A dedicated section of your website which hosts all your content assets. Think blogs, images, videos, awards, press, and e-books. All neatly segmented – making it simple for anyone searching for information to easily access it.
The marketing juggernaut that is Red Bull have the most extensive content pool currently available, with over 5,000 videos, and 50,000 photos – bringing their brand to life in a way others can only aspire to.
Whilst mimicking this may prove a tad difficult, it is often surprising just how much content can be pulled together. Maybe there are photos on Facebook and Instagram that never made it to your website, or videos from YouTube and Vimeo. By collating these alongside your blog history, a decent looking content pool may only be hours away.
Social media organic reach is now severely curtailed, with Facebook especially becoming a pay to play platform. It therefore makes sense to use our websites as the premier content hub. (In reality, our websites are the only areas of the internet we own and control, with no constantly changing rules to abide by.)
If you put a little effort into creating the content pool, the long term rewards will be greater. Here are some good pointers to focus on :
- Make sure you state that your information is free to share – increasing brand reach organically.
- Label each section clearly so that media connections can go straight to the source.
- Your website is your online reputation ; your brand message. Be sure to make it as compelling as possible. Photos and videos always help to shape this strategy.
Once your content pool is up and running, make certain people know about it!Link back regularly via your social media channels. Drop images on social as an appetizer, not the main course – Get used to releasing content first on your website. In short, give people a reason to visit often.
The most powerful aspect of a content hub is the way it allows your brand to flourish – more than a blog alone could ever do. Use the opportunity to create a real feel and connection to your ethos.
For sectors such as manufacturing that have traditionally found PR difficult, it can give a genuine insight into company processes such as production videos and behind the scene situations. Similarly in industries like fashion, the content pool can take potential consumers on a company journey, invoking emotion and increasing prospect quality.
As word gets out and additional material continues to be added, industry authority will naturally grow ; PR opportunities will become more regular and website traffic will increase – great news if you have an e-commerce store only a click away.
This article was originally posted at Digital Dock, and has been republished with permission.
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