EPISODE 01

The power of having a core content type

Social media platforms and marketing tactics are constantly shifting and changing. It’s exhausting right?

The key to jumping off this hamster wheel is having a core content type.

In this episode, I explain what a core content type is, and the many powerful benefits it has for your business and brand.

show transcript

Well, hello, and welcome to the very first episode of the Clarity First podcast. My business besties know that I have thought about starting a podcast for years. So I was thinking today about that old proverb which says, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. So you’re here we are now and so excited to finally get started.

It seems only right that the topic for this first episode is the power of having a core content type such as a podcast. Very meta, I know. And fun fact, podcasts were actually around 20 years ago. The first podcast was created in 2004. Yes.

I looked this up by a former MTV VJ and a software developer looking for a way to download radio broadcasts to an iPad. So that’s where the term podcast actually comes from. IPad, broadcast, podcast. Yeah. Anyway, in more recent times, in more recent marketing news, you might have seen that TikTok is facing more and more scrutiny.

The EU, US, and Canada have now banned the app within their government institutions and from all government issued devices due to security concerns. Now will these countries attempt a a broader ban extending to everyone and to personal devices? Well, that remains to be seen. You know, India did it in 2020, but seeing this news again last week, it was for me yet another reminder that relying on social media is a risky business and creating content that you own is much more reliable and something within your control. I also saw that the head guy at Instagram recently admitted that they had gone too far and too hard on pushing videos aka Reels, and now they’re making photos more of a focus again this year.

So these platforms, you know, they’re constantly shifting and the algorithms are constantly changing. It’s exhausting. Right? But if you have a core content type that you own, it doesn’t impact you. You just look at these social media channels as distribution.

It it’s like imagine you produced homemade handmade candles, and you sell those candles on your own website and at local markets and in gift shops. If one of those gift shops goes out of business and shuts down, no problem. You just distribute the candles to other stores and places. So instead of having a candle, you have a podcast, a blog, or video content that you own and distribute via whatever social media channels are working right now, in addition to storing that content on your own website. So this is what I mean when I say core content type.

A core content type is written, audio, or video. For written content, we’re talking about blog posts or articles. For audio, we’re talking about a podcast, and this is content that you make freely and publicly available as a way to help and inspire others to, of course, increase awareness and trust in you as a service provider and thought leader, and to share your message and point of view. Content that is educational or insightful and longer form, okay, versus shorter more snackable content. We’re talking about an 800 word blog post versus a 2 sentence tweet or micro post on LinkedIn.

We’re talking about a 5 minute video versus a 30 second reel. Right? Now, I hear some of you thinking, Yeah, but Beth, it’s all about the short form video right now. You know, TikToks, Reels, YouTube Shorts. Well, guess what?

You can now upload a 10 minute long video to TikTok. And TikTok is reportedly giving more views to longer videos so they can compete with YouTube, bring in more ad revenue, and keep people on the app longer. Makes sense. Right? So, yeah, again, change is the only constant.

I’ve been around long enough to see these trends and tactics and platforms rise and fall. A more sustainable content strategy is creating a longer form content type that acts as your source content from which you can create other pieces of of content tailored to the different platforms and what’s currently working right now on those platforms. For example, let’s say you write a blog post if that is your core content type, And after you write the full blog post, you pull out the key takeaways into a carousel post for LinkedIn. A carousel post, if you’re not familiar, is one of those posts with multiple images you swipe through kind of like a slideshow. So your core content type, it’s the source content that you can repurpose in a variety of ways depending on your strategy.

And you don’t have to repurpose it in a 1,000 ways, just 1 or 2 that feel easy and make sense for you. Now so often, I hear people say, I just don’t have enough time for this for content creation, for social media. But think about it like this. Would you rather create 5 distinct original amazing social media posts each week or focus on creating just one high quality, long form content piece every week or even every 2 weeks that you can repurpose in different ways and post across multiple platforms. This is actually a more simple and minimalist marking marketing approach.

And creating that deeper content, don’t think of it as marketing. Think of it as an expression of your devotion to the work that you do. Think of it as an opportunity to get your message out there and fulfill your purpose. You know, years ago when I began as a marketer, there was no blogging or social media or ability to self publish, which is why public relations was arguably even more important back then. You literally had to pitch and build relationships with reporters and media outlets in the hopes that they would mention you in an article or feature you as a guest on their TV show.

Now, we can create our own shows and put our own content and voice out there immediately. And, and what if you thought of content creating content as adding to your online body of work and a legacy you can feel proud of. This brings me to a another really important advantage of the core content type, and that is the long shelf life that it has. Now around around 6 years ago, I started drinking oat milk and soy milk instead of cow’s milk. And one of the nice things about it is oat milk can sit in my fridge for, like, a month and still be good.

In other words, it lasts longer and has a longer shelf life. It’s the same thing with a core content type. Some of you are creating amazing social media posts like on LinkedIn or Instagram. Think about the time and care you took to craft some of your best posts on there. Alright?

And then what happens? After a day or a week, it’s gone from the feed and not effectively being stored anywhere. Yes, you can recycle that post and post it again in the future, but when you have that core content type stored on your own website, it’s there forever and being indexed by Google. And the more web pages you add over time, it has this compounding effect. Right?

Like imagine you had a goal to write a book, and you wrote 1 page per day. At the end of a year, you would have a 365 page book. It’s like if you’ve ever read, James Clear’s Atomic Habits book. He compares habits to the magic of compounding interest in finance. One blog post or video or podcast episode doesn’t seem to make a big difference at first, but the compounding effect and impact of consistently adding to it over time is enormous.

Okay? So finally, there is the binge factor to consider when having a core content type. When you have a collection of articles, podcasts, or videos, people can binge it like their favorite Netflix show, and that quickly builds trust and even a feeling like they know you. And it really speeds up the nurture process, so people feel comfortable to buy sooner. A core content type can really help you gain not just followers, but true fans, you know?

Like Netflix, you can sort of hook people into the show, which is your brand and content type, and keep them engaged by continuing to publish season after season of valuable content and keeping your fans wanting more. So look at it like this. You can either sell all the time or give people valuable insights, help people solve problems, help people achieve their dreams, right, and make an impact. So I hope you can see that a core content type does take effort, but there is a ton of ROI, return on investment, for the time and effort you put in, and it really creates a rock solid foundation for your marketing. And like anything you do repeatedly, you do get faster and better at it over time.

You know? Do you have to have a core content type to create clients and have a successful business? No. This strategy certainly isn’t the only way to create clients. But if you want to decrease your reliance on social media and trendy tactics and invest your time into a more timeless and sustainable strategy, this is for you.

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