Hands up if you find it easy to create content for your blog or website.
Not too many hands there.
But if you think about it, having original, quality content is vital critical to building long term sustainable traffic for your blog or website.
If you’re posting stale content on your site, you’ll turn off your readers.
Do it for extended periods of time, and you might as well sound the death knell.
It can however, be alleviated if you adhere to some guidelines.
- Look for inspiration
Visit Wikipedia, article directories, forums, Yahoo Answers, Google News.
Look at existing content specific to your niche, whether it’s weight loss, scrapbooking, smoking cessation, birdwatching, affiliate marketing and the like.
What’re the topics that people asking and discussing?
What’re their biggest worries/problems/concerns?
- Find an angle and get answers
Compile questions that if answered, will give some insight, or better yet, a solution to their problems.
Look for high authority sites, contact high authority contacts, get the questions answered.
- Create value
Sort out and organize your information. Arrange and present the information in a logical manner. If you’ve got differing opinions, sort them into pro and con stances. Present a balanced viewpoint.
- Presentation
A blog or website gives scope for you to present the information, using lists, bullets to arrange the information in an easy-to-understand manner. Use graphics, photos if available. Better yet, include a podcast or a video if you can.
Aim to shoot for the heart and answer your reader’s most burning questions.
If you’ve done this, you’re well on your way to building your traffic to something ferocious.
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The whole process is easy, isn’t it?
The key is really going about your “business” in a systematic manner, and reducing the tasks to an easy to understand, and easy to execute manner.
If you haven’t already, take a look at the Internet Millionaire Code system, it will open the gates of understanding and help you see Internet Marketing as a holistic and organic system.
Hey Andrew,
That is a very good tip. Magnetic content, as you have put it, is really quality content but with a purpose. It will not only draw readership, but by providing relevant & sticky content, this will be the new method of generating backlinks and community comments to a website. Thanks for sharing.
I came here after reading your email where you talk about someone who wanted to pay for content.
Quote :
I got a message from a new Internet Marketer who
claimed it was “impossible” to generate content for his
website.
He was about to blow $500 paying one of the guys …
Unquote
While your suggestions can work, there are other factors – time availability, writing style (having many different good writers posting on your forum or blog attracts more attention) – or even just having too many opportunities.
I know a few people on DP forum who subcontract out the writing because while they pay $5 to $10 for an article, they use the same time / effort to earn much more through other activities.
Hi,
I’m not sure what you mean.
Quality content will have a purpose. It’s not clear why you put “But with a purpose”?
It’s not a new method, it’s the “original” method. You’d want to access relevant information regardless of the medium.
Good suggestion.
Although for new online marketers, it’s best to be able to generate your own content, in order to understand the mechanics of what drives traffic to your site and once you have a grasp of what draws the crowds and what doesn’t THEN go outsource it if you can focus on higher value activities if you choose to.
For a newbie starting out, wholly outsourcing all your content generation to external parties could harm your business, especially if you don’t have visibility on the inner workings of your readers, and eventually customers.
I agree that new online marketers should generate their own content.
And it isn’t just about the cost.. It’s also about the experience and personally getting your hands dirty and knowing what to look for when you’re looking to outsource your content generation in future.
Once you know what you’re doing, you’ll have a better idea of the quality of the content you’re paying for.
Andrew,
My comment was meant as a compliment to you for putting up a good article. But based on your reply, I don’t think my intention came across. Regardless, let me at least address your issues and qualify my comments.
Hey Ian,
Thanks for the reply.
My intent to understand your position and you’ve provided detail to clarify your strategy.
My intent for this post was to target new marketers, some of whom have fallen into the ‘outsource everything’ school of thought. (which I feel can hurt their long term development)
Man, I appreciate your insights and the insights of others on this blog, wish I had found this two years ago when starting to do some “Alternative work” on the net. It sure would have saved me the pain and cost that I have incurred…this year is bound to be better with your help…THANKS
Yep.
I think most readers will see that I’m from the “Have one successful proof of concept then continue replicating it” school of thought.
Creating your own content is a means of understanding the process, once you’re able to have it running smoothly, by all means choose to outsource it if you like.
Hey Scott,
I don’t think “pain and cost” are necessarily to be avoided.
I learned some things the “hard way” which will be with me and which I can tap on for the projects I do.
Doing things the “hard way” helps you understand something better than reading about it would do.
Then again, I wouldn’t recommend always doing everything the hard way…
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Have a brother-in-law that I remember him saying he would always do things the hard way–wonder if he still does…thanks for this read!!
You do learn something when you do it the hard way though.
But if we’re going to do everything in life the hard way…well…life could be really ‘hard’…
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