UNIT 5
E-CONTENT CREATION
UNIT 5
CONTENT BUSINESS
The crazy thing about starting a content business is that it’s not like launching a more traditional
business.
You don’t make a plan and a few months later open a storefront, stock it with products, and
market it to bring in customers.
Nope, you have to plan your strategy, construct your base, bring in audiences, and then start the
revenue-earning opportunities.
And that takes an average of 18 months, according to Joe Pulizzi, founder of The Tilt and author
of the recently released Content Inc., which details a model that works for content businesses.
The Tilt Advice
Let’s explore the seven stages of a content business start-up. And then, we’ll touch on the
similarities a content business has with any new business.
For regular readers of The Tilt, some of this should sound familiar. The success differentiator,
though, happens when you put them all together.
1. Identify your content sweet spot. I like to think of this as a Venn diagram with your knowledge
and skillset in one circle and your audience’s interests in the other. The overlap is the sweet spot
for your content business.
Let me emphasize your circle. It is not about your interests and passion; it is filled with your
knowledge and skills. Now, if your expertise intersects with your passion, that’s great. But too
often, content entrepreneur wannabes put passion over knowledge, and that usually doesn’t
work.
2. Make your spot sweeter with a tilt. Many content creators fall off the content business path
here. They never progress to find a tilt. But a tilt is essential – it’s the differentiator that makes
your content business stand out from the rest.
Amy Wilson and Margaret Ables didn’t just launch another parenting podcast. They gave it a tilt
– the sticky bits of parenting. And their business name reflects that: What Fresh Hell: Laughing
in the Face of Motherhood.
Yes, we talk about having a content tilt every chance we get and even named this content brand
because it’s that important for a successful content business.
3. Build your base. You need to pick a single content format and a single distribution platform to
start your content business. It takes a while and sometimes can feel like a drudge, especially with
all the other attractive formats and sites you see. But grind it out. Put all your efforts into
constructing this building before even considering expanding to other “locations.”
Maria Popova did that with Brain Pickings. She focused on her weekly newsletter and points all
her social to that. She didn’t even launch a mid-week newsletter until recently.
Joe says most content creators fail because to become content entrepreneurs they want to be
everywhere to encounter as many people as possible. Be far more deliberate.
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4. Grow an audience. Now that you carved out land and begun building, you need people to
further the construction of your content business. You need an audience.
Traditional businesses often operate as transactional businesses. Without customers, the
business’ asset value is in its inventory.
In a content business, the audience is the most valuable company asset. Without an audience, the
business has little or no value. Ali Carr knew this. She cultivated a Facebook community
(Basecamp Outdoor Jobs & More) of people interested in outdoor-related work before she
brought in brands to post job listings.
5. Earn revenue. Yep, you’re at step five – and your content business is probably about 18 months
in. Now that you have something of value to monetize, you can bring in some revenue because
you’ve got something of value to monetize. Some content entrepreneurs start by partnering with
brands eager to connect with their audiences through affiliate links or sponsored posts. But the
opportunities are limitless. You could sell subscriptions to a premium version of your content,
develop a membership program, etc.
Ryan Brainard’s Rybonator brand started earning revenue on YouTube, then added Amazon
affiliate links, Patreon, and some brand deals.
6. Diversify. Money is coming in the door because your audience is strong (and growing) and your
single content format and platform are working well. Now, you can look at those other shiny
formats and platforms you’ve been ignoring. As you expand your content business, don’t forget
your content tilt – that shouldn’t change. You should only grow the avenues to communicate it.
7. Sell or go big. It may seem like odd advice to think about your exit strategy now, but you always
should be thinking about the future of your content business. Your end goal should influence
how you operate the business from day one. For example, if you plan to sell the business, you
may not want to tie your personal identity to the business name. But using your own name might
be OK if you plan to grow a big business with you always as the face of it.
While the “content” part of your business is different from a traditional business, that doesn’t
mean you can ignore all aspects of traditional businesses. In the early days, you should create a
legal structure and open up a business checking account.
Also, establish a simple accounting system. Even though you aren’t earning revenue in the first
phase, you are spending some money (computer, website hosting, etc.) and that will affect your
taxes from day one. As your content business grows, you’ll add in other traditional business
aspects, such as owner compensation vs. salary, outsourcing vs. hiring, expansion of marketing
and promotion, etc.
CONTENT MARKETING
Useful content should be at the core of your marketing
Traditional marketing is becoming less and less effective by the minute; as a forward-thinking
marketer, you know there has to be a better way.
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Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing
valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and,
ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing truly relevant and useful content
to your prospects and customers to help them solve their issues.
Content marketing is used by leading brands
Our annual research shows the vast majority of marketers are using content marketing. In fact, it
is used by many prominent organizations in the world, including P&G, Microsoft, Cisco
Systems, and John Deere. It’s also developed and executed by small businesses and one-person
shops around the globe. Why? Because it works.
Here is just one example of content marketing in action:
Looking for definitions of the key terms used in content marketing? You’ll find them in
our Essential Content Marketing Glossary.
Content marketing is good for your bottom line — and your customers
Specifically, there are four key reasons – and benefits – for enterprises to use content marketing:
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Increased sales
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Cost savings
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Better customers who have more loyalty
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Content as a profit center
Content is the present – and future – of marketing
Go back and read the content marketing definition one more time, but this time remove the
relevant and valuable. That’s the difference between content marketing and the other
informational garbage you get from companies trying to sell you “stuff.” Companies send us
information all the time – it’s just that most of the time it’s not very relevant or valuable (can you
say spam?). That’s what makes content marketing so intriguing in today’s environment of
thousands of marketing messages per person per day.
Marketing is impossible without great content
Regardless of what type of marketing tactics you use, content marketing should be part of your
process, not something separate. Quality content is part of all forms of marketing:
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Social media marketing: Content marketing strategy comes before your social
media strategy.
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SEO: Search engines reward businesses that publish quality, consistent content.
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PR: Successful PR strategies should address issues readers care about, not their business.
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PPC: For PPC to work, you need great content behind it.
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Inbound marketing: Content is key to driving inbound traffic and leads.
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Content strategy: Content strategy is part of most content marketing strategies.
To be effective at content marketing, it is essential to have a documented content marketing
strategy.
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