Myopically, many view business content only as a form of marketing, or “content marketing.” But your content, and more importantly your users’ content, can serve other business needs.
With the introduction of an editorial brand you can now activate an entire stack of business operations, such as product development, marketing research, and recruiting.
Here are a few suggested content techniques you can use to activate other business services besides marketing:
- Recruiting: Instead of guessing who would be the best candidate through resumes and interviews, flip the hiring process and hold a “win a dream job” contest. Those entrants who complete the assignment show that they really want the job and those who do the best job on the assignment demonstrate they’ll be the best at the job.
- Product development: Don’t know if you should invest in developing a certain product or not? Engage an audience in a dialogue about the problem the potential product could solve. Those most passionate about the need will give you the greatest insights and they’ll be your most eager and useful beta testers.
- Client relations: Trying to deepen an existing relationship with a customer, or are you trying to land a prospect? Invite them to be interviewed on your video series, podcast, or blog. The fastest way we’ve found to initiate or deepen a relationship with an influencer or customer, current or potential, is to show you care about them first by publishing their wisdom and their amazing work.
Creative Commons photo attributions to Thomas Hawk and Bright Vibes.
