Understanding Content Creation in Marine

In the digital landscape, content is an essential element of effective marketing. Content operates on a one-to-many basis, often referred to as earned media. This means that the visibility and engagement a business gains are directly proportional to the effort put into content creation.

Reach out to me at [email protected] if you want any support, looking for some work, girlfriend wants a ring.

Here's a breakdown of my monthly content output:

I manage 5 LinkedIn groups. At the start of each month, I write an article every day for each group. This results in 5 articles of content daily. Over a 30-day span, this is 150 articles. I host a weekly podcast, totaling 4 episodes per month. I also produce a weekly newsletter, 4 issues per month. I engage in general posts across 10 groups weekly, leading to 40 additional posts. Then I take all the articles and repurpose them on blog pages.

To summarize, my monthly content output includes:

• 150 article posts
• 4 podcasts
• 4 newsletters
• 40 group posts
• 150 article posts on blog pages

This brings the total to 348 pieces of content each month.?

This substantial effort is indeed the cornerstone of my professional engagements; it's a primary reason I secure work. ?

The idea of not consistently posting content triggers a significant level of anxiety for me. Given the volume of work I commit to, I'm aware that visibility hinges on the consistent output of content; without it, you simply fade into the background.

Observing others, I notice a trend where many only post once a week or even once a month, and then they're puzzled as to why their business growth is stagnant. My approach is starkly different, and it's this difference that sets me apart and drives my success.

Creating a Buyer Persona for Targeted Content Creation

Understanding your audience is pivotal in crafting content that makes a genuine impact. However, grasping what resonates with your audience is often more complex than it appears. Initially, you might have a clear sense of your own preferences, but discerning the interests and needs of your audience can be elusive. In my experience, I began with a diverse array of content, ranging from sailing narratives and written podcast interviews to business insights. Monitoring engagement across these varied topics, I gradually honed in on the areas that garnered the most interest from my audience, which, in my case, turned out to be business insights.

This refinement process requires a dedicated effort spanning several months, coupled with a keen observation of content analytics. It's about more than just creating; it's about listening and adapting based on the feedback embedded in the data.

Equally crucial is the understanding of who your customers are. My clientele comprises marine businesses, making any content outside this realm, such as sailing destinations or boat repair tips, irrelevant to my audience. This misalignment not only dilutes the potential impact of my content but also fails to convert interest into business. It's a common pitfall where content creators, despite attracting views, miss the mark on engaging their actual customer base, leading to missed opportunities. The lesson here is: align your content with the interests and needs of your potential customers to drive meaningful engagement and business results.

Multiple Touch Points

The concept of multiple touchpoints in marketing is based on the understanding that it typically takes several exposures to an advertisement or content piece before a potential customer engages with it. The traditional rule of thumb suggests this magic number is seven, but in practice, it often requires more. Frequent visibility lends credibility to your brand.

Consider, for example, our postcard mailing service. Receiving a single postcard might pique interest momentarily, but it's the consistent, monthly delivery that truly makes an impression, signaling that we are a committed and serious business. This regularity can eventually lead to engagement and conversion. Therefore, if your content strategy involves posting only once a month, it might take at least seven months to even begin making an impact on potential customers, assuming you're reaching the same individuals each time.

SEO??

In this industry, there's a tendency to toss around terms like "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)" without fully understanding their implications. For a little more info, I've elaborated on this topic in another article [link placeholder]. A common misunderstanding about SEO that often surprises people is the necessity of indexing. Simply put, after publishing content on your blog, you must inform Google of its existence. This process involves going to your website's Google Search Console, submitting the URL of the new page, and then requesting Google to crawl and index the page. Without this crucial step, your content remains invisible to search engine results, rendering all your effort into creating blog content potentially fruitless. It appears that many in the industry overlook this step, which is essential for making their hard work visible and effective.

Most of the time when people are hired for SEO they generally just take pages and index them which isn't a very difficult task.

The Power of Storytelling in Content

Storytelling holds a pivotal role in content marketing, offering businesses the chance to forge deeper connections with their audience by engaging their emotions and fostering loyalty. By weaving compelling narratives, brands not only convey their core values but also set themselves apart from competitors, crafting a distinctive and memorable identity.

In a world increasingly dominated by automation and impersonal content, the human touch in storytelling is ever more cherished. Just as the most revered movies are those with stories that touch the heart rather than action-packed spectacles like the Transformers series, which may entertain but lack depth for repeat engagement, content that feels genuinely human resonates more deeply. It's this authentic engagement that readers seek, preferring narratives that feel personal and relatable over generic, digital noise.

Content Distribution??

My approach to content distribution has become more focused over time. Initially, I experimented with various formats and platforms, such as uploading my podcast episodes to YouTube.

However, I've since learned that concentrating my efforts on a few key channels yields much better results than spreading myself too thin across multiple platforms with diminishing returns.

Given that I don't have a production team and prioritize audio quality, I record my podcasts using Zoom. The visual component, primarily talking heads, doesn't translate well to video, leading me to favor podcast platforms over video-based ones. Consequently, I've steered away from creating video content or engaging with platforms like Instagram and Facebook, as my target audience is predominantly active on LinkedIn.

Despite the common advice to maintain a presence on every possible platform, I've found that such an approach isn't necessary or the most efficient use of time. It's more important to understand where your customers are and focus your efforts there.

Content Analytics and Measuring Success

Refining and enhancing your content strategy requires diligent tracking of performance and thorough analysis of data. Content analytics are crucial as they shed light on the effectiveness of your efforts, highlighting what resonates with your audience and what doesn't. This information is vital for making data-driven decisions that can significantly improve your content's impact.

It's a common misconception that content creation is a set-it-and-forget-it task. In reality, it involves intensive periods of work—such as dedicating two days from early morning to late night to brainstorm, create, and schedule content for automated posting. The subsequent month is spent closely monitoring analytics to identify successful elements worth replicating.

This cycle of creation, observation, and adaptation is ongoing, with each month dedicated to refining strategies based on past successes. This iterative process is key to continually enhancing your content strategy for optimal results.

Integrating Visual Content into Your Strategy

Visual content plays a crucial role in capturing attention and boosting engagement. My experience has shown that images featuring original photography with added text tend to perform better than those created by AI.

However, due to my personal preference for not frequently capturing photos myself, I often lean towards using AI-generated images. This decision represents a compromise between creating the most engaging content possible and aligning with my own content creation practices.

Overcoming Content Saturation in the Boating Industry

In my view, content saturation hardly poses an issue in the marine industry. It appears to me that the field is wide open for quality content creation. Hell even AI doesn't have a clue on boating. There's a noticeable lack of substantial content output, and much of what exists could be considered suboptimal. This scenario presents a golden opportunity for those who are ready to commit to consistent, high-quality content production. Such an approach can give you a significant edge over the competition.

My interactions with numerous companies have revealed a common trend: many aren't engaged in content creation at all. Often, when I inquire about their content efforts or the presence of a blog on their website, the predictable response is that they have none, underscoring the potential for those willing to invest in content marketing within this space.

Building a Content Calendar

I create 150 articles monthly, crafting the copy for each post along with relevant hashtags, and numerically label them from 1 to 150. Additionally, I produce around 20 podcasts, which I designate with letters A through T.

To efficiently organize this content, I utilize AI, specifying I tell chatgpt using a excel plugin:

"that I manage 5 groups and aim to share one article per day and two podcasts per week in each group, they are labeled 1-150 articles and podcasts are labeled A-T, ensure no repeats."

The AI then generates a comprehensive content calendar for me. Following this tailored posting schedule streamlines my content distribution, exemplifying a practical application of AI in content management.

Content Collaboration??

In my collaborations, I prioritize working with individuals who have established followings, as it tends to amplify the reach and impact of the content significantly more than partnering with those less invested in content creation. This approach is particularly evident in my podcasting experience, where I've encountered the challenges of interviewing guests with smaller or indifferent audiences. Despite the effort invested in organizing and producing these episodes, their lack of promotion on their end can lead to missed opportunities for growth. Essentially, leveraging the followings of others is a strategic way to expand your own audience.

Repurposing and Recycling Content

Extending the life of your content through repurposing and recycling is an efficient way to maximize your content investment. By updating existing content and adapting it into new formats, you can continue to engage audiences without constantly creating new content from scratch.

Conclusion

Content is a versatile and powerful tool in the arsenal of digital marketing. By understanding and strategically leveraging different aspects of content marketing, businesses can achieve their goals, connect with their audience, and build a strong, enduring brand presence.

On linkedin I've earned through my content -

Reach out to me at [email protected] if you want any support, looking for some work, girlfriend wants a ring.