Approximate read time: 5 minutes
That’s right, you read correctly. What is it? Well, it’s content. Content that customers want, but content that’s presented in a way that suits your personality type.
Content Defined
Content can be defined as creating and distributing anything that is expressed through a medium. Taking the concept further, content in the context of sales and marketing is creating and distributing content that is useful to your prospects and customers.
Informational and educational content is arguably one of the most powerful marketing tools ever invented, but most people get it completely wrong! For example, they choose to do webinars, when blogging is more suited to them. Who could blame them? There is so much misinformation and bad advice out there.
Why Content Is Important
Effective content is priceless for any business as it:
- Is the definitive differentiator, positioning tool and competitive advantage for selling almost all types of products and services (you should be seen as a premium offering);
- Starts a conversation, establishes a relationship, builds trust and likeability, encourages reciprocity and adds value all before your prospect takes out their wallet (marriage proposals rarely happen on the first date);
- Demonstrates expertise, authority, proof, credentials and credibility, without having to self-aggrandize (for example writing a book is now the contemporary business card);
- Gives you a non-self-promoting excuse to follow-up with prospects (research shows they need several interactions on average before they buy); and
- Helps establish the true value of what you sell, making prospects more likely to buy, buy more often and refer friends (humans tend understand financial value by comparing it to non-financial currencies such as time and labour).
How To Present Valuable Content
Each of us has strengths and weakness in the way we communicate information. In addition, the recipient of that communication has their own preferences for how they receive, interpret and retain information. We can increase the chances of reception, interpretation and retention happening through being deliberate in the way we communicate information to them. So how do you determine the type of content to present your prospects and customers?
After spending numerous of hours creating sales and marketing material, I wanted to know if there was a easier and more effective way. So I looked into different learning styles and I decided to work out the combination of the types of content I should be creating that are suited to my temperament and that easily understood by others from the smorgasbord of content options. I realised that there are types of content that far easier and less stressful for me to create.
In other words, there are certain types of content you should be creating that are best suited to your personality. Listed below are the various types of content you should think about creating. This list is also ranked in perceived value order from highest-to-lowest, based on the point-of-view of consumers of that content:
- For spontaneous extroverts, live or in-person presentations and talks, webinars (talking head), workshops, tutorials, lectures, seminars, conferences, events or symposiums are a great choice;
- For extroverts who like to be prepared (and for more gregarious introverts), pre-recorded presentations, videos or webinars (talking head) are a great choice;
- Again, for spontaneous extroverts, live teleseminars or radio interviews are another great choice;
- Again for extroverts who like to be prepared and the gregarious introverts, pre-recorded podcast interviews and audio, webinars (screen cast), or teleseminars are a great choice; and
- Finally for most introverts, publishing (print or digital) books, articles, newsletters, or reports are a great choice.
It’s worth noting that, generally speaking any live or off-the-cuff presenting takes less creation time than anything prepared.
Take Action
Use this practical list to quickly find the right balance between what types of marketing content your personality finds naturally simple to create and what the consumers of that content find valuable. From here, content creation should become a whole lot easier for you and appreciated by consumers.
Want to know how create sales and marketing content best suited to your personality?
Take this simple 5 question test to reveals your ideal content creation combination.