Content Sharing

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The past 3 years has seen content sharing to a degree that could never have been dreamed of 6 years ago. There is no business model in the world that could have funded the amount of content that has been produced for us all to consume for FREE online today. My kids can go to Google today and find information on almost anything in the world in less than a second. The downside to this is that information is so readily available today that it’s not worth anything. The best content in the world has no monetary value because if you look hard enough for long enough on the web you will find it for free.

As long as you have the time to look for it, you won’t necessarily need to pay. But what happens when you don’t have time? If you need some very specific content this instant, you will pay for it. It’s a basic trade equation – you have something of value (money) and someone else has something of value to offer for it (information). You can get that information instantly by asking thought leaders or other people in your social networks, who may offer it to you as a consultancy. Now imagine yourself on the other side of the equation. People from your network can come to you for information that you have.

If your content is good, other people may start promoting it for you. There is nothing better than free promotion. If someone big and popular talks about it - you’ll get the attention of their followers as well. So these are good targets to have for your content. When creating the content, don’t just put something without proper research. Find out who is already active in your niche communities. Who identifies viral videos most? Who has bigger followings? What kind of content makes it to the top?

Within the past 5,000 days, the web has evolved to a great extent and so has its penetration in to our daily life. Who would have thought a few years ago that sharing content with others would become so easy? Now we have blogging software for sharing ideas, Youtube.com for sharing video clips, Flickr.com for sharing photos, and great services like Digg and Stumbleupon that let us filter the best content from the web. We are not only using technology to stay in touch with our friends but also as a plausible tool for internet marketing; it is a drastic revolution in the marketing industry and is serving to provide endless advantages to event marketers.

Kevin Kelly’s vision of the future of web technologies is pretty much where we are heading. In his view, all data would be digital and converged: i.e. everything would be a part of the web. Every document, spreadsheet and file would be on the web, providing marketers with a haven of information. So you would be able to save and search all your files from the web, rather than on being dependent on your PC. You would not have to sign up separately on every social site to add your friends; all of this would be automatic. All your contacts would be in all your social networking profiles, as the data is going to be linked adding more personalization. We are already heading in that direction with new applications like Google’s Friend Connect and Facebook’s Connect already out.

But a common question I get asked is this - how do we manage content that is our IP, content pertinent to our event and businesses? Do we just publish it into the public domain freely? Brad Fallon stated at a recent STOMPERNET conference that in the next 12 months alone, more content will be published for public consumption than has been published in the history of time. That said, I think it’s fair to say that whatever it is you are doing has been done before. The question you need to be asking yourself with the surge in open (social) media and content sharing is this; if you keep on doing what you are doing for your events locked behind a firewall and your competitors don’t. Who is going to prosper over the next 5 years? I know who I would be betting on.

I believe sharing content is very important - at a recent conference we discussed the fact that over 60% of media content being consumed by the new generation of people is content that was discovered and shared by their friends. Sharing information that would be useful to people and to their friends is not just an important emerging way of promoting events or getting the word out about something, but to create credibility among people who would want to find you and follow you over time. The social web makes it incredibly easy to find the truth about a person - if a person wants to be perceived as an expert, that expertise will truly be tested with the strategies employed when sharing content.

Here are some of my own recommendations on content sharing:

1- Be Authentic and Consistent. This is incredibly important - the best strategy for sharing content is to genuinely want others to grow to understand and appreciate the space in which you are an expert. If you keep focused on this mindset, and on the subject matter that you want people talking about, you will find yourself sharing very relevant material about that subject consistently.

2- Share incredible content. Having content by yourself doesn’t make you the expert - your expertise comes from how you have interpreted, thought about, and applied that content over years. So it’s ok to give your content away - this is the best way to build meaningful relationships with your potential consumer base.

3- Share content meant for learning. You should think about sharing both content which represents the cutting-edge stream of thought in your subject, but also content that allows newbies to get excited about what you’re talking about. This will not only increase the community of people who follow you but also enable you to start conversations with the experts on the best paths of teaching new comers. A community of participants starts to evolve from these interactions.

4- Time your multi-media content. What you are sharing at any given time is going to be perceived as how you are thinking about the subject at that time. The content starts becoming what you are exploring or what you are excited about, and that in itself gives your audience a hint about who you are. While creating a full roadmap of how you will “unfold” content may not be a bad idea, it is very important to share similar content across all mediums. E.g. if you are sharing links on del.icio.us and also videos on Youtube, then make sure they are all touching on similar topics at any given point in time. Be sure each piece of content fits into your game plan and whatever story you are telling at the time. People like dealing with experts when it comes to business, they won’t invest in a jack of all traits like they will an authority.

How do these techniques tie back into marketing and promotion? What you are trying to aim for here is to become a reliable source of good knowledge about a subject matter - if people can begin to expect good things from you, they are likely to invite their friends to follow you as well.

You will over time become the go-to authority on your subject, and if people trust the content you share to be good, they are also likely to trust you when you talk about your events, your services and your products.

Simon U Ford (SUF.EDBD)

Today’s tip! Every marketing campaign starts with keyword research. If you’re serious about earning money online you’re first investment should be a great keyword research tool.