They say “repetition is the mother of education.” In the pursuit of educating an audience and creating brand awareness and loyalty, your story must be told. Due to declining media outlets and staff, the best way to get your story told–the way you want to tell it, on a regular basis–is to tell it yourself. Become your own publisher via newsletters, blogs and social media platforms to relay a brand message, voice, personality and customer focus to loyal and potential clients on a regular basis.

Newsletters

Before you shudder and skip to the next section, consider sending a newsletter packed with relevant, valuable content to potential and existing clients. Newsletters are a direct reminder that you consider recipients valuable enough to communicate with and remind them that they may need a solution you can provide. They do not have to be laborious or printed, which keeps the budget in check. They remind audiences of your product, experience, and expertise and how it may help them. Yes, you can place this information on your website. However, unless your contacts regularly visit the site, they won’t realize it is there.

Blogs

More often, consumers are getting information, referrals, and news from blogs rather than traditional outlets. If done well, blog information tends to be fresher and less formal. The beauty of blogs is that they are easy to set up and maintain and are an ideal tool to regularly share information, photos and videos. A blog design can be as simple or complex as the user is capable of producing. Though we recommend that bloggers post regularly to keep interested readers returning for new content, there is no penalty for not contributing on a regular basis. Like websites, the information in blog posts can be tagged and search engine optimized. Blogs are an ideal place to tell a story and tout recent successes or experiences that highlight your product. Blogs also create an opportunity to offer clients or strategic partners a platform from which to tell their stories in guest posts. This can be a very useful way of offering readers a different perspective that still supports your overall message.

Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are microblogs which are excellent tools to share short bursts of information, start conversations, monitor feedback, and give up to the minute information to followers and likers. There are currently 200 million Twitter users and 700 million active Facebook users; that number grows by the minute. If the Facebook community were a country, it would be the third largest in the world! Almost every social media user is looking to interact with friends, family, and favorite brands. Depending on your goals, you can spend as much or as little time telling your story and interacting with customers using these media. We suggest you dip your toe in that water immediately and start telling your story.

Start small and grow as you become experienced with using these tools. Note that all of these media can be used to promote the others. In order to motivate people to read posts or join the conversation, you must create awareness of their existence. Include your website URL and all social media links in your e-newsletter. Include your Twitter handle, and a link to your blog or Facebook page in your email signature. Most importantly, keep the content interesting and valuable to your readers to keep them coming back for more.

If you’d like more information, instruction or assistance with becoming your own publisher, please don’t hesitate to call or email us with questions or requests!

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