Being a resource to your online customers is essential in this age of consumer engagement. Providing them a reason to come back to you time and time again, while even sharing what you have to say through their connections is marketing gold, but of course, this means that content creation is essential.

Content creation, as you may or may not know, is quite a bit of work, but proving yourself as a resource that provides some source of fulfillment to customers is key because they’re going online looking for information related to you or your product category.

You’re Already a Creator.

Your brand is already a content creator. Your Web site exemplifies this, but you should be asking yourself how your Web site, Facebook Page, Twitter account, etc. is a resource for your customers. If they are, great! Stop reading. However, if they aren’t, a solid strategy that addresses the kind of content, how it can be created and what platforms you will use to share it needs to be addressed.

Start Creating…More.

Where do you start?

Know your audience. Every brand, product and service has a different kind of clientele with different motivations, mindsets and reasons for purchasing. Find out who this is for you. How does your brand intersect with their lives? Obviously, if they buy what you have to sell, some intersection exists. Identify it. Keep in mind that each platform may have a different kind of audience, which you need to tailor content to accordingly.
Look at what you have now. It’s often a surprise to discover the wealth of content your company has already produced. Take a look at it and organize everything, identifying how it intersects with your content consumer’s life.
Tell your story, and don’t stop. Figure out where you should start in terms of what content to start with and where you should start communicating first. It doesn’t have to be all at once! Start to tweak the resources you identified to tell your story and develop new content. Keep in mind that your content should come from your brand intersecting with your customers’ lives, not just focus on your brand. How can your brand be a resource for them? If you become a resource they keep coming back to, the residual effects will grow.
Update and expand. Don’t stop at one platform if your customers are also somewhere else. Expand as resources allow to others, and don’t stop producing fresh, compelling content.

Do What You Can.

Content creation is a big job, but it’s also an important one. If your customers aren’t getting information related to you from you, they’re getting it from someone else, making for a missed opportunity.

It’s still important to know your limits from a time, money, legal and people perspective. Know what you can invest, and don’t bite off more than you can chew. Video might be too big of a challenge, so look at writing instead. There are always solutions to these challenges.