Content Creation with a Purpose
Digital Content for Business Growth
Podcasts, Videos, Blogging, Livestream, Books and Courses
A lot of businesses need to create content. And there are a lot of reasons to create content. It would also probably be fair to say that a lot of business want to create a lot more content than they actually do, and need to be mindful of how much time, energy and money they are investing in it. And it’s definitely fair to say that having some kind of idea about how and when they are actually going to see a return on that investment makes it easier to decide what to create. What return means, exactly, can vary. It might be list building, it might be brand awareness, and it might be networking and connections – but all roads need to eventually lead back to some kind of cold hard cash in the form of sales. Knowing when and how that is likely to happen will help you make the best choices about what kind of content to create and when. Not every strategy is going to immediately convert to dollars, and that’s fine! As long as you know what’s coming. Something we at One Stone Creative tell new podcasters, for example, is that while the benefits from networking are going to be immediately (and THAT can mean sales in the short term!) audience growth, name recognition and monetization in a podcast are the long game. It’s going to take time and work before you start to see a return. Setting the expectation that you’re going to be recording and sharing a lot of episodes before people remember your tagline means that you’ll be less surprised when your first few months of downloads don’t feel particularly impressive.
So, what we’re doing today is looking at the different kinds of multi-media content you might be creating, and the different ways you can use it to increase your sales, and the different ways it can generate income for your business. You should also read our post about Turning Business Goals into Content Metrics – this will help you think about how to make decisions about your content creation. This guide is going to be about consistent content creation plans like podcasts, blogs, YouTube channels, and live streaming – not one-off ones like courses, books, and sales pages. (Those, I’ll get to another day!) Please keep in mind that every marketing mix is different and seeing these kinds of results might take you, personally, more or less time.
A quick note on Repurposing vs. Reusing. The terms are often used interchangeably, but they are different things, and understanding the difference will help you make more strategic decisions about what you create and when. Repurposing Content is when you take the ideas, concepts, words, and ideas from a piece of content, and turn them into something else. Reusing Content is when you take a piece of content you have created and use it in different areas of your business. We’ll be discussing both for each of the content types in this post, and then have a little more discussion about repurposing, and how to do it well. (Learn more about how to repurpose!) And always remember: this is the internet. Your results may vary.
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Making Original Video
Financial Cost:
High. As with all of the content we’re going to be talking about in this post, the expectations from the audience about baseline quality are increasing every year. A decade ago, anyone could open their webcam, record a video and expect a moderate or better amount of traction. Not so anymore. If you have an audience that really knows and likes you, you can provide lower quality videos, and they’ll watch them anyway, because… they know and like you. But they will be less likely to share, and less likely to take you seriously if they don’t already know you. You need a decent quality camera or webcam (I like this list of vlogging cameras from Vlogging Pro), and you or your production team will need the software and experience to take your raw video from gritty to polished. You can expect to pay a production company about $150 a finished minute for edited video, although if you work out a retainer arrangement, you can sometimes get a better deal! (Get in touch with Megan if you want to explore vlogging for your business!)
Time Investment:
Moderate – High. How much time you need to spend on creating good video content will vary depending on your experience level. When you’re an old hand, you’ll be able to look at your content calendar, adjust your lighting, turn on, record and produce something that will need minimal editing and takes. When you’re getting started that will not be the case. You’ll do a lot of planning in advance. You’ll make a lot of mistakes. You’ll do many, many, many takes. (My personal record is 17 for a 3-minute video!) Editing, if you’re doing it in house, will take you what feels like forever. You will get faster. But when you’re getting started, expect to spend about an hour planning, an hour recording and an hour or two editing every 5 minutes of video content. If you’re using a production company (*ahem* ), they will help you with the planning, and take on all of the editing for you.
Technical Level Required:
Moderate. There is some trial and error involved in finding the right settings for your video and audio capture equipment, but once you get it, you’ve got it, and can use the same settings all the time. As much as possible, you’ll also want to provide captions. This is both good for making your content accessible to everyone (like deaf and hard of hearing people, and those who speak your language as their second or third), and useful for people who are watching videos on social media, and don’t want to have the volume on. This article from Techsmith has some creat instruction for creating captions for your videos.
Superpower:
Connection and Conversion! Video has a few benefits above all other formats. When people are watching videos they are usually paying close attention, and in a situation where they can easily take that critical “next step.” On YouTube, for example, you can create playlists of next videos to watch, and even link to resources off the platform (once you’ve reached their threshold of viewing hours!) Video also creates a very intimate connection with the viewer. They can see your face and your body language, and this allows them to develop more of a relational connection to you. If one of your goals is building your personal brand, then ‘talking head’ style video is a wise move. Other forms of video, like slide based, animation or screenshare are also very effective for conveying complex information, and showing how something is done. A mix of different types of video will keep your channels interesting and dynamic, and allow you to explore different ideas and methods of communication.
Conversions:
High. Video has one of the highest conversion rates. Because the content is so relational, the sharability is so good and the technology allows for such easy ‘Next Steps,’ conversions on video are among the highest you’ll ever see. You can direct people to the next video in a playlist you designed, or direct them to a blog post with more information about the idea, or even registration for an event, or to download an opt-in.
Sharability:
Super High. People love sharing good quality videos, and the social media platforms encourage it. Granted, most of them prefer you create the videos ON their platforms – but if your calls to action are strong and compelling, you can get people into your own online spaces, as well as engage with your audience there.
Reusability:
Very High. A video can play many, many roles in your business. When you go into your content calendar and plan the content you’re going to create in video format, you’re going to be choosing the topics that will be best addressed with a video – and if something is worth addressing, it means that members of your audience – fans, leads or customers, will be interested in it. A video made initially for a YouTube Channel, for example, can be re-used as a step in your sales funnel, if it answers a common question or objection. It could also be a bonus in a course or a follow-up to an opt-in offer. Videos are amazing for reusing in your business.
Repurposability:
High. Good videos contain not only a complete concept– they’ll also have the seeds of other concepts, and be *part* of bigger broader ideas. Because they’re recorded – they’re also conversational, high-energy and full of delicious soundbites. Each point in a video can be re-written as a social media share. The general idea could be used in an email or digital course. The resources mentioned can be the beginning of a resources page or blog post.
Direct Monetization Methods:
Sales – Videos that have an offer to buy as their call to action are the most direct way to monetize your content. When used as part of a larger marketing and sales strategy, they can be highly effective for creating relationships, providing necessary information and explaining the features and benefits of your offerings.
Crowdfunding – Some YouTube channels are funded through crowdfunded platforms like Patreon, where fans can contribute either because they want to support you, or to receive exclusive content. Or both. With an engaged audience, crowdfunding can dramatically offset your production costs, but it takes time to build that kind of a recurring revenue stream, and it costs a lot of effort to develop the necessary extra content.
Advertising – At a certain level of subscribers or viewing hours, you will be able to enter the YouTube Monetization program, and have ads play before, and sometimes during your videos. You are paid for ads that are viewed on your video on a per-view or per thousand views basis.
Sponsorship – When you have a popular YouTube Channel, you can create relationships with complementary companies who can sponsor your individual videos. YouTube Hosts tend to have close relationships with their audiences, and an endorsement from one of these influencers can go a long way.
Indirect Monetization Methods:
Audience Growth – Videos can be a powerful part of audience building strategies. Other than face to face communication, videos are the easiest way to develop emotionally driven relationships with your audience. They can see your face, and your gestures, and hear your voice – this makes it easier for them to connect to you and build the knowing, liking and trusting needed for growth. You can also create very elaborate “webs” of content using playlists, embedded links, and written links to help take your audience on a journey through different ideas, content, and demonstrations. It can be a powerful teaching tool!
Brand / Name Recognition – It’s hard to put an exact price on brand recognition, but when you are able to be top of mind and highly associated with your area of expertise, then you’ll see more referrals, more sales calls, and easier customer acquisition.
The Magic of Audio in Podcasting
Podcasting is one of my favorite mediums. I love podcasts. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I produce and strategies for a lot of podcasts. We’re even launching our own soon! The best part of podcasting is that your show, once it’s produced and released, is available to your listeners where they are when they want it. It’s totally “Pull” – and it changes you from some business owner, into a regular part of their lives and schedule. This is HUGE in terms of building brand awareness and name recognition, as well as nurturing an existing audience. Another thing that podcasting is really good at is helping you connect with other leaders and experts in your space. Very often, our clients have found that an invitation to appear on a podcast is a perfect opener for an influencer, potential partner, or even client – one that provides many benefits, options for communication touchpoints and leaves the door open for projects, joint ventures, sales conversations, and referrals.
Financial Cost:
Low to High. Podcasting is both more and less expensive than many people think at the outset. You need surprisingly little equipment to set up a good recording environment and capture great audio – it’s really all about the acoustic treatments for your home or office studio – but the cost of quality production can be surprising to people! It’s certainly possible to find someone to remove ums and ahs for pennies on the dollar, but you very much get what you pay for. Great audio engineers and production teams will make your conversations flow more smoothly, enhance the quality of your voice, add music and spaces for advertisements and promotions, provide amazing intros and outros, and work with you to make sure your podcast fits neatly in with the rest of your marketing efforts. They can even help you recover “bad” interviews or episodes by helping you construct narratives around quotations and ideas, so everyone involved sounds as good as possible. If you’re looking for podcast production services – we’d love to talk!
Time Investment:
Low to High. What you don’t pay to have done, you must do yourself, and the amount of time that people need to prepare for an interview or episode can vary greatly. Like with many things – it’s possible to do it “quick and dirty,” but doing so will probably result in lackluster results that don’t help you reach your business and growth objectives. Interview preparation can involve research, practice and writing. Episode promotion can take as long as you’re willing to invest in it, and editing, if you’re doing it yourself, will take hours for each episode. As a rule of thumb, we recommend that our clients budget about 30-60 minutes for each preparation, recording and promoting an episode. This can be cut down with batching, content prep, recording and promoting, which is helpful – especially for travelers! If you are doing everything in house, make sure to include time (4-5 additional hours per episode!) for guest management, strategizing and editing!
Technical Level Required:
Moderate. Podcasting, more than anything other than marketing funnels, terrifies the non-technical. It’s okay. You got this. There is a bit of a learning curve in terms of setting up your equipment (and if you’re doing your own editing, it will take months or years of consistent practice to gain real expertise), and a little bit in terms of navigating your podcast host, and the different distribution platforms like iTunes and Spotify – but the nice thing about the technical challenges of podcasting (other than editing) is that you only have to figure it out once, and then you don’t really need to worry about it again!
Superpower:
Networking and Relationship building. A lot of podcasters start out with the intention of covering their costs through sponsorship. Unless you have a huge list of a highly desirable demographic, or you’re one of the only podcasters in your industry, that’s not likely to happen. What CAN and DOES happen, however, is that you meet, give value to, and get to know other experts in your space. The benefits of expanding your professional network through podcasting are extreme. You can connect with potential clients, potential partners, people you admire, influencers in your space – almost anyone, once you get started. And because of the nature of podcasting – there are going to be multiple touchpoints with each guest you work with. The initial scheduling, the call itself and delivery of assets, like sharing materials, and information about when the episode will air. Any of these can be chances for you to deepen the relationship and propose additional work to do together.
Conversions:
Low. Podcasts don’t convert hugely. That’s just the reality. People listen to podcasts on their time, and usually on their phones, while they’re doing something else. This is wonderful from the standpoint of being a part of your audience’s life, but not so great in terms of people being able to follow calls to action. If you’re listening to a show on your commute, taking advantage of even a great call to action at that exact moment is illegal in many jurisdictions, and likely to cause multiple vehicular fatalities. For a podcast conversion to happen someone either needs to be in a place and time where they CAN take a next action, or they REMEMBER to take it later. That just doesn’t happen terribly often because of math. Keep in mind, though, that people tend to remember what they hear on podcasts, and you’re building a relationship with your listeners week after week.
Sharability:
High. People love talking about their favorite podcasts. But there’s a big IF there. People may listen to a low-quality podcast if it’s created by someone they already know and like. But they tend not to share it. There is a minimum threshold of audio and content quality that is getting higher every year. Many podcasters see great success sharing and engaging their audience around their content on social media, and many other see more sharing happening on an individual level, calling, messaging or emailing people who will be interested in a particular episode and requesting they listen, share and comment.
Reusability:
Low. A podcast is a podcast, and it doesn’t translate easily into other formats. Writing and scripting for audio is different than writing or scripting for video and blogs, because you only have your voice to create a dynamic ‘theater of the mind’ for your listeners. They can’t see you or your guest’s expressions, and are often not in a place where they can easily click a link or take a next step.
Repurposability:
High. Podcasts are an absolute treasure trove of repurposable content for the same reason that they don’t convert very well. Any topic you cover on your podcast could be addressed in a blog post, video, email or livestream. You can make opt-in, or highly sharable content like checklists, guides, infographics, audiograms, quotation graphics, and resource lists based on what is discussed. You can use transcripts as material for your next book or online course. Because most of the people who heard the podcast won’t have been able to take the next step in your content path when they listened, they WILL be able to in another format without being bored at the repetition, meaning you get many times the value out of your initial work.
Direct Monetization Methods:
Sponsorship / Advertising: Sometimes it feels like sponsorship is the holy grail for podcasters, and sponsorship can be a good way to defray costs and even generate income from your podcast. It’s not a quick or easy process, however, because the industry standard for podcast sponsorship is on a CPM or Cost Per Thousand downloads. The average payment for that thousand downloads is about $30. If you have a popular show with tens of thousands of subscribers, that can be a pretty good deal! But getting there takes a lot of time, money or both. (Unless you’re the one in a million breakaway hit that happens from time to time!) The alternative to the long and slow slog is what we call a sweetheart sponsor. This is a type of sponsorship that can happen a lot earlier in the lifetime of a show. It will usually be an individual or organization you already have a relationship with, who wants to support you and get in on the ground floor of what they believe will be a popular show. In the early stages, podcast sponsorship should include placement in places other than just the audio – like in emails you send about the show, a certain level of promotional mentions on social media and mentions in blog posts, landing pages or show notes.
Crowdfunding: Like with YouTube channels, you can give people the option to support your podcast through a service like Patreon. Many podcasts that have sponsors, offer the option of ad-free episodes, as well as bonus content, early access and membership communities. Also like video, a certain critical mass of audience engagement will be needed, and finding the right mix of bonus content and the effort involved in creating it can take some time to arrive at.
Sales: If you or your organization have products for sale, or put on events, then promoting them on your podcast can be a way to generate sales. Remember the difficulties of conversions from podcasts, however, and set your expectations accordingly!
Charging your guests to appear. This is widely considered to be what the kids call “a dick move” but if you have really good name recognition a very popular show, demonstrable conversion rates and a grossly inflated sense of your own importance, it’s on the table. (This is different than including a feature interview as part of a sponsorship, which is a perfectly acceptable practice!)
Indirect Monetization Methods:
Relationship Marketing. This is the highest value monetization method for podcasting, because you’ll have so much access to individuals – ideally decision- making individuals – that you can leverage into additional opportunities. You will get out of this what you put in, so make sure you have a strategy, and keep track of what works and what doesn’t! You also want to make sure not to come on too strong. A guest on your podcast is usually doing you as much of a solid (often more!) than you are doing them by having them on a newer show, so make sure you’re creating a pleasant, friendly experience for them.
Thought Leadership Positioning. Being THE podcaster in your space is quite the plum, and the more highly niched your topic area is, the more likely that becomes. In crowded markets, which have their own value in the form of huge listenership, you can still carve out a solid place for yourself by being interesting, having great quality audio, and promoting aggressively. If you can’t be THE wellness podcaster, you might be able to be THE self-care for adult children of alcoholics podcaster, which could do wonders for your coaching or counseling practice.
Blogging for Flexibility and Experimentation
Financial Cost:
Very Low. If you’ve got a website (or even just a medium account!), then you can blog. Doing it yourself is, of course, the least financially expensive way to go about it, but that will cost you in time. Great bloggers charge well for their services, and are worth every penny of their rates, and you can also defray your own time-cost by bringing in guest posters for your site – although you will need to manage and edit them!
Time Investment:
Varies so widely I can’t begin to estimate. People write at very different rates, and the planning and strategizing that goes into creating an editorial calendar can vary widely as well. The only way to really find out how much time consistent blogging will take you is to DO it for a while and time yourself – making allowances for those days we all have where we can’t seem to string a sentence together. S
Technical Level Required:
Low. Once you figure out your chosen platform, you’re good to go! Many people like to write in a word processor and hand the draft over to a team for editing, uploading, and promotion, and if you’ve got the staff and support for that – do it!
Superpower:
Flexibility. There is a lot of argument about the ideal length of a blog post and a lot of derision about the attention span of a reader. You know what – some people like short, snappy blog posts that discuss one idea. Other people like long, detailed posts covering many topics, angles, and viewpoints. What is right for your business depends on your own interest in writing, the purpose of a particular post, and what your audience appreciates. The ease and low cost of written content mean that you can experiment and create different pieces to fill different roles in your business. Maybe a series of short Q and A posts is going to be a resource that your clients can refer back to again and again. Maybe a novella length discussion of the history of your industry will become the most linked to post on your site. Both will help establish your business as being a source of quality information and serve your audience.
Conversions:
High. When people are reading, they are directly engaging with their phone or computer, and so are in a position to click a link, watch a video, opt-in to an offer, or buy something. When a content path is well-designed, there is a flow for new, returning and regular readers to follow, getting them into marketing funnels, helping them achieve their own goals, and supporting them once they’ve become a client. A blog can very much become a hub of all your other content, pulling people in, and sending them off in other directions that will serve their needs best, all within your own environment.
Sharability:
Moderate. There are a lot of tools available to make it easier to share written content, and using them can mean that people spread your content to the four corners. While blog posts don’t have quite as much of a likelihood of ‘going viral’ as a video might – they can be and are shared heavily among interested readers – especially when the content is controversial! If you want highly shared blog content, take stands, be bold and make people angry. If you are in an industry where emotions run high, make sure that you have your comments set for manual moderation, and be ready to disable them if the trolls, misogynists or racists show up. They’re not worth your valuable time.
Reusability:
Low – Moderate. A blog post isn’t quite as easy to re-use as it is to repurpose, but there are some strong options. Blog posts, with a little editing, can be turned into parts of your online courses, email sequences and larger projects like books and courses. They can also be syndicated to other platforms like Medium and Linked in to expand your reach.
Repurposability:
High. Blogs, like podcasts, are rich sources of content to repurpose. A particularly good section of a blog post could be the first draft of an amazing video script, or contain the material for an infographic. Because writing is so flexible, and modifying different parts of it for other uses is so easy (compared to a video you recorded, for example.)
Direct Monetization Methods:
Sales. Making offers in, or at the end of your blog posts is the most direct way to generate revenue. Make sure that your offer is related to the content, and provide a link to more information, as well as an option for people who aren’t interested in buying, like another post to read, or a chance to opt-in for something.
Advertising. This is less common on professional blogs than on hobby or personal ones, but if your niche is highly targeted and desirable, companies or organizations may want to purchase space on your site. You can also sign up with google or other search engine advertising programs and let them run ads on your site. You will have to decide whether the money you make from advertising is worth a reader leaving your site and going to do something else. For some situations, it may make good sense, but often it won’t.
Affiliate Marketing. Many companies and conglomerates like Amazon allow you to register as an affiliate and promote products, services and content for a share of any eventual sales. This can be a good way to earn a little additional income – and for some bloggers, it’s their main revenue stream. Make sure to only recommend products and people you trust and like and be mindful of how often you’re doing it – you don’t want to burn your audience on other people’s offerings if you have some of your own.
Indirect Monetization Methods:
Livestream for Your Audience
Financial Cost:
Very Low. The social media platforms are free at the point of use, and the software for livestreaming is free or very inexpensive.
Time Investment:
Low. You can spend as much time as you want preparing for a livestream, but as long as you have your talking points, and let people know when it was happening in advance, you can pretty much just turn on your software and go! Really effective livestreaming tends to be consistent, so you can decide how long and how often you want to be doing it.
Technical Level Required:
Low. Depending on which livestream software you use, it is as simple as clicking “go live” and starting to speak. Of course, you’ll want to do your technology checks in advance, making sure the correct camera and microphone are selected, and do a little research to find out which livestreaming option is right for you. (It is only fair to say that ss a guest on livestreams, I have managed to bungle almost everyone that wasn’t run through skype or zoom. I suspect I was born under a cursed livestream star – your mileage may vary.)
Superpower:
Audience Engagement. There’s really nothing like live interaction to connect with your audience. People being able to see you talk, engage with you and get a response in real time lets them get to know you, feel seen and valued by you, and can even result in amazing real-time market research. It’s almost like a tiny-webinar! Livestreams are also wonderful for testing and validating new content that you might want to use in a book or your next course.
Conversions:
High. You’ve essentially got your livestream viewers in a digital room with you. Granted, it’s a room with many, many distractions – but if you can get some good back and forth engagement going, then you’re in a spot to make an offer people get excited about, and be on hand to answer questions about it.
Sharability:
High. When someone joins a livestream, they are usually given a one-click option to invite other people to join them. If your content is great, then they very likely will – especially if you ask them to.
Reusability:
Low. Don’t reuse livestreams. Please. Please don’t do it. As I mentioned earlier, it’s the live bi-directional communication that makes livestream great at what they are. They should NOT be reused as is. This isn’t to say that no one will watch or enjoy a livestream recording – they will – on the social platform you initially did it on. Having a lot of content on your professional YouTube channel or Facebook group is great, and they can be good resources for your followers, but keep your livestreams where they belong – on social media.
Repurposability:
High. Livestreaming makes a great testing ground for new content ideas – you can get them out quickly, gauge response, and then elaborate on the popular ones in other formats. You can also take longer-form content from podcast and blog posts, and break them into short, effective livestreams for a different section of your audience, or as part of a launch, or another campaign.
Direct Monetization Methods:
Sales. When you use livestreaming as part of a sales campaign, you can generate immediate sales as a result of your streams. You can also use livestreaming in connection with a more traditional launching process by making them open Q and A sessions.
Indirect Monetization Methods: