Build a Content Vault for a Sick Day
There's a running joke in my company. Every time I get sick I write about "content vaults."
A content vault is a set of backup articles you can draw on when life gets in the way. Today is one of those days I once again wish I had followed my own advice.
Late last week I got knocked off my feet with a cold. I could feel it coming on mid-week and I was doing everything in my power to will it away. But by Friday I lost the battle. I had to cancel my afternoon meetings and crawl into bed.
I have been chipping away at this article as I drift in and out of my marathon naps. Why? Because I am committed to my editorial calendar, and do everything in my power to fulfill it. But oh how I wish I had an article in the vault today that I could post.
Keep 3 Weeks of Articles in the Content Vault
Today I feel like the shoemaker's children. I have long advised my clients to create a content vault so they are not scrambling to make a posting deadline.
A content vault is your contingency plan. It's unrealistic to think you can show up every day for weeks on end without life getting in the way. Things happen. Plan for the unexpected. Have articles and content at the ready when you're not able to show up.
Create the equivalent of three weeks worth of articles in your content vault. In my case that is twelve articles (for the Sticky Branding blog + guest posts).
If you face a major issue you may just need the extra time to get back into creating new content.
Store Timeless Content
Not all articles are relevant for your content vault. Store timeless content:
- How-to's
- Aspirational and opinion based content
- Contrarian or counterintuitive posts
- Personal stories
This content that is not time specific and can be posted anytime. These articles are also very useful for search engine optimization, because they grow in value over time. The more people that link to and reference these posts, the higher they'll rank.
Let Your Content Vault Drive Inspiration
Beyond contingency planning, a content vault provides a creative benefit. When you write more than you need, you can be more selective about what you publish.
With the launch of Sticky Branding (the book) in January, I knew I would have a very busy schedule at the start of this year. I worked through 2014 to have at least twenty articles on hand for guest posts and backup blog posts.
Unexpectedly they provided me an added benefit. I found myself referring to these articles for creative inspiration. I used them to approach similar topics from different angles, or rewrite and polish articles I had previously written.
The extra content actually made me stronger, because it set a standard for excellence.
Make Deposits In Your Content Vault Monthly
Treat your content vault like a bank. Make deposits monthly and build up your savings.
I invested in my content vault purposefully through 2014 to prepare for my book launch, but I've got work to do now. I withdrew all my deposits and the vault is bare.
As I get back on the mend I am going to replenish my vault. My goal is to add one piece of content in the vault monthly. I feel best when I have six or more articles to draw on at any given time.
What about you? Do you maintain a content vault? If so, how much do you invest in it?
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Jeremy Miller is a brand builder, keynote speaker, and president of Sticky Branding — a brand building agency. Jeremy helps companies stand out, drive sales, and grow Sticky Brands. He is the author of Sticky Branding: 12.5 Principles to Stand Out, Attract Customers & Grow an Incredible Brand, a Globe and Mail Bestseller. For more information or to connect with Jeremy visit www.StickyBranding.com. Or connect with him @StickyBranding on Twitter.
Visual Advisor, VisCo Norway A.S.
10 年Yes, we have a content vault at visCo. But sometimes it's not articles. In the true spirit of sticky branding, i.e. "sticky brands are visual brands", simple visualizations will now have an archive ready for deposits. Google pictures is rich with free content, and sometimes our own pictures serve as connectivity to our digital intuition, and a reminder to practice what we preach as a visual brand. In the fashion business, mood boards play a central role in the evolution of collections, it follows that in creating marketing materials for any products and services we ought to be constructing mood boards as a process of refining our brand story. Facebook and Instagram and even the standby power points are essentially social mood boards, and we have something to learn from that, which can be applied to any business.
Customer Services Manager - Trade Services team at Department for International Trade
10 年Great idea.
Jeremy, you are talking my language! As a small business content production company, we ship content to customers long before their publishing date--sometimes a whole year's worth of blogs. You are right on the money about keeping your publishing date sacred no matter how sick you are, because you've invested so much time and energy to establish a routine publishing schedule. Your followers expect to hear from you as usual and when they don't - sick or not - a brand gets a little bit tarnished because you have broken a promise.