August 13: Storytelling & Content is KING… er um QUEEN

On August 13, 2019, Kasie and Shennice welcomed their friend Roshanda Pratt into the studio. Here are the show notes:

Theme for day:

All That Doggone Content

Agenda review:

• Get to know Roshanda Pratt
• Content is KING (or queen anyway)
• What you should be doing RIGHT NOW to up your content game

Segment 1:

So we’ve been in the same circles for years, Roshanda and Shennice and me. We’ve all had a bend toward teaching and content creation and sharing.

Tell us, Roshanda, how you become the Creator and Storyteller you are. Give us your six-minute run-down. Where you started and where you are now.

Nine years with the REP Network. What’s that evolution been like? Since you first “went out” on your own, what’s changed? What’s worked and what hasn’t?

What are the strongest networks you’ve built in Columbia? On line? Regional?

What are the technologies that have changes what you do and how you do it? What kind of learning curve was there for these technologies? What worked and what didn’t?

Segment 2

We usually think of content in the sphere of “Content Marketing” which, according to the Content Marketing Institute is how you educate your potential customers, establish yourself as a thought leader, demonstrate your expertise, and contribute to the ongoing conversation in your industry. It sets you apart as an expert. That’s the philosophy.

The tactics are recognizable:

• Blogging — short (less than 500 words) articles that demonstrate a take, knowledge, or expertise on a specific topic
• Articles — longer (500-1200 words) articles that explore statistics, demonstrate original research, and exist in industry publications
• White papers — longer (1200-5000 words) pieces that explain complex topics, processes, or outcomes; intended for distribution to decision makers.
• Promo videos — short (3 mins or less) visual stories that show expertise and professionalism and have a call to action — like an advertisement
• Insight videos — medium-length (3-7 minutes) visual lessons that teach a specific lesson or skill, used to establish expertise and share “free” or “easy” skills to entice bigger buys
• Webinars — longer, scheduled and videoed (20-60 minutes) online meetings to establish a specific lesson or thought leadership principle; need “takeaways” or things the attendee learns and can apply; should preview or promote a bigger workshop or event.
• Workshop — on-site, longish (45-90 mins) delivered sometimes as part of a bigger event or a solo-training; typically includes partnerships and sponsors, should have takeaways and promote some bigger investment like an online course or a book
• Seminar — on-site (or online), long (all day) delivered in conjunction with a curriculum and collaborators; should provide some kind of advanced skills for the learners.

All of these things are meant to provide the prospect a deeper look at what you have to offer.

Segment 3

Social Media Content — the channels here are diverse: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat

The tools here are also robust: hootsuite, canva, sparkpost, etc.

How much does Social Media content need to have contentto it?

The How, Wow, Now strategy at Monster.com:

Content teaches people things, it amazes them or amuses them, it’s relevant to what’s happening now in the news.

What is the right mix for consultants?

How does a company know its content strategy is on point?

Do you need to hold/host your own events to get the chance to keynotes/speak?

What criteria do we use to evaluate an event?

What’s your dream keynote? Speaking engagement?

Segment 4

How do you know your content is working? Check out this article.

First, you need Key Performance Indicators or KPIs. The good news? Totally up to you what you decide to track and measure. Bad news? You might be tracking or measuring the wrong thing. (ouch)

Are clicks and likes and shares true performance indicators? Do they translate to sales?

We think of moving people down a path like this:

1. Brand awareness — does the prospect even know you exist?
2. Engagement — does the prospect seem interested in what you’re offering?
3. Lead generation — does the prospect want to learn more about what you know? What you can do?
4. Sales — will the prospect purchase something from you? What is it? What problem does it solve for him/her?
5. Customer retention/loyalty — will the (prospect) customer continue to use your services and products? Why? How? What new things do you have for them?
6. Upsell / Cross sell — what complementary work can you do to expand your prospect reach? To add followers and clients? Partners and collaborators?

So where does the content you’re creating fit in?

What do you need to measure to indicate whether the content is doing what you need/want it to do?

What data do you have access to and what are you doing with it?

Ready to support Start Something, Columbia! Call 803-569-8200 to talk about becoming a patron.

Start Something, Columbia! is lovingly supported by: