by Kristi L. Jackson 

What is good content?  I know that content rules, and it’s the thing that brings people back to your digital home, gets you found on search engines, etc. etc. But what is good content? To me the term, although very hot right now, it’s pretty darn relative to who’s asking and who’s answering. 

I am basically devouring podcasts and blogs right now and some of my favorite resources are Think Traffic and Smart Passive Income, and I can see the trend on what they consider to be good content. Basically, when you read one of their posts, you need a nap first, then your thinking cap, a notebook, your computer, and you will leave with a plan of action. These guys really give you uber blog posts with tons of links  ( or loops as I like to call them, and talk about them in here) to other great posts, and food for thought in addition to many tips and tools. So yeah, that is what I would call good content. 

But because the term is so dang relative, I think it’s confusing to many people. And you know what happens when we get confused, we quit or don’t start at all. Everyone is looking for the magic pill on how to get people to stay on their blog for longer than a few minutes and trust me, that’s a goal of everyone. In my opinion, considering these things constitutes good content: 

1. An opinion. Yep. To me, this is first. There are no new ideas, we’re all kind of tossing about the same info BUTTTTT, what’s unique is your take on that information. We don’t all have the same perspective, nor the same experiences with the information, so starting with your opinion, is number 1.
2. A platform that reaches your audience. It matters not if I’m talking about the best, most useful stuff in the world, if I’m sharing it on Instagram and the audience on this platform is more interested in looking at the newest video vixens or clothes to buy. Find the platform that covers 2 basic rules:
   1. Do you like it enough to be active on this platform consistently?
   2. Is your audience hanging out and getting some of their information there? If yes, then proceed.
3. What are the keywords you want to be found for? As I worked with Google and Hubspot in a training program earlier this year, they really drilled this into my head. Hey, Kristi, if I didn’t know your business name, what would I type in to find you on Google? Total blank. You hear me! Total. But since then, I developed a way to make sure I am building a trail of information that can be found on Google without having to type in Women CEO Project. Here’s what I suggest:
   1. Make a list of the 8-10 words you’d like to be found for, known as an expert in, be an industry leader in, etc. 
   2. After you make this list, put them into Google Keywords tool and find out how those words are ranking. Are people actively searching for those words monthly? Yes! Ok great. 
   3. Next, come up with say 20-25 potential blog posts or articles that include these keywords. Don’t worry if you can’t make a list of all 25 now. I come up with the BEST blog topics, titles and notes when I’m not trying, when I’m jogging or listening to music. Just jot them down in a notebook or your phone and when you are searching for a topic to write on, you will have a running list of ideas. 
4. While you are writing this article or blog post, keep this in mind…. people are smarter than we think. They have the internets 🙂 and can smell bull miles away. We can no longer get away with light on the info, piece of crap articles. Aim for useful. In Louisiana, when someone cooks something really, really, good, we say, ” Wow, mom. You really put your foot in that…” yep country, but you get the point. Make sure you put your foot into every post, research some additional resources to add, some data to throw in, something special. The two paragraph, halfway salesy, buy my crap, pay attention to me articles are getting lost in the shuffle and the really packed with content articles are rising to the top. Think like this, you want your post to be so good, so useful that people want to save it to their iPad or print it a keep it with them to refer back to. What’s the last article that you read that was so good, you HAD to keep it? What did they do? What made it special? Start right there. 
   1. What would be useful information to know for your potential client? 
   2. What do they need to know before working with a professional ( you)?
   3. What tips or tools would help them?
   4. What FAQ ( frequently asked questions) can you write about?
   5. What SAQs ( should ask questions) can you write about?  
5. Consider resource lists. What types of list could you make in your industry that would basically put a lot of resources in one place and if found by your reader, would totally make their day and forever make your blog useful in their minds……… Here’s an example of such a list.…
6. Run through your emails for the last 6 months. What types of questions are you getting asked constantly? Could these questions be the basis of an awesome post, so that when totally and completely answered, you could send people to it and again, be seen as a useful and resourceful industry expert? Think about what you are already known for.
7. Don’t make it an extended sales page about you. Honestly, people don’t really want to know about you. It isn’t until people find you really useful, helpful, knowledgeable, and your advice benefits them, that they may take a glance at who you are. Your goal is to be THE source for your client. Your writing, your thoughts, your advice will do just that. You will be bringing in people on the strength of your knowledge and that can lead to your reader becoming an evangelist of your brand, a customer, and a referral source. You chance losing out of all of that by bringing them to your page only to talk about yourself.

When creating your content all of these things combined make for an interesting and useful read that would brand a person in my mind as expert, thought leader, or someone I would send my money to, to further learn what they know about their subject. Don’t worry, you can never give too much information. You don’t need to hold anything back when creating your content plan. When you share, you give, and you do your best, you will draw out an audience dying to give you money to solve their problem.