Content is seemingly everything today in marketing and everyone is producing, promoting and praying that their content becomes the golden ticket. With everyone creating content you have to find a way to stand out. This can come in the form of finding your niche or using the latest technology to stand out. However, if you don’t have thousands to spare it can be tough to create content on your current budget. So, here are 5 ways you can improve your content without resorting to smashing open your piggy bank.
1. Make the Most out of What You’ve Got
Quality ideas and technique can promote your work more than any high-end camera. If you don’t know how to properly use your equipment, it may as well be anything. A trained chef can make a gourmet meal with little ingredients. But, some of us could barely scratch together a meal with a supermarket at our disposal. The same could be said with studio equipment. Everyone has a smartphone today and each new upgrade comes with a new camera, microphone and editing software. You don’t need the latest Macbook to shoot a short vlog, take a picture or create a podcast. All you need is a way to capture your content and you’re already on your way.
2. Don’t follow trends
There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other creators. But, everyone can smell a company trying to cash-in on a current trend. These videos have a short shelf life and if you put out your version too late you will be doing more harm than good. Don’t underestimate your audience, they will understand when your message isn’t sincere and you are just trying to cash in on the current trend. That doesn’t mean you can’t participate however, just factor in the timing. Most importantly make sure you understand the trend. There is nothing worse than going in blind and missing the point of the trend entirely. This has harmed countless creators in the past.
3. Take Your Time
Even before sincerity, audiences will know if you’ve rushed something. Content for content sake is just filling up everyone’s newsfeeds and homepages with nuisance images. It is important to keep posting, that’s how you build an audience. But, quickly recording a video and uploading it before reviewing it could lead to some embarrassment. Maybe you forgot to put your washing away whilst vlogging in the garden and now everyone on LinkedIn has seen your choice of underwear? Or maybe your at-home podcast now features sibling fight-night in the background. You should always check your content before posting, especially if you’re trying to convert this content into generating sales. Spelling, accurate web-links and contact information are all essentials to check before giving the green light.
4. Market yourself correctly
If you post and there is no-one around to see it, have you even posted at all? It will take time to generate an audience, but you have to make sure you are posting the right content on the right platforms. Instagram prefers image-based content, whereas Youtube is predominantly a video streaming platform. An image would work best on Instagram. I know it doesn’t seem like rocket science, but many different marketers will tell you to post everywhere and all the time. The truth is you should post at the peak times for your chosen audience and not post the same content everywhere. Instead, tailor your content to each platform. This could mean creating a video which is 10 minutes long and upload it to Youtube. Then snipping that video down to quick 2-3 minute videos to use for your daily posts on LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram feed. Make sure there is still value in these clips and they make sense. But, make sure the video editor thinks carefully about the platform you are using.
5. Understand your Audience
If you understand who you are talking to, it becomes a lot easier to convey a message to them. It doesn’t matter what equipment you use when you are speaking their language people will forgive quite a bit of production quality. Relatability can be a huge factor in creating viral content. If you can get inside the head of your audience you will be able to create content that engages them. Which will leave them excited to see your next post. Most of the time when a creator finds their feet and creates a successful running series of work, their audience will be the ones to give them ideas on what to do next.
A key take away from this article is removing the dependence on equipment and instead, think more about the quality of the content. There are tools which make creation simpler and easier, but that can come later. If you are looking to improve your content today, you just have to take more with it. Learn to use what you have today in order to prepare yourself for the future.
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