When it comes to content marketing, most online entrepreneurs think in terms of social media content. I see this as a huge problem in the online marketing space.

If you’re spending more time creating your social media content than your long-form content, you’re doing it wrong. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be using social media, but skipping long-form content, such as blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos, is one of the biggest mistakes that online entrepreneurs make.

Why Focus On Long-form Content

Lifespan is what makes long-form content more valuable social media content. The fundamental problem with social media is that the content you create there is fleeting.

For instance, your Instagram stories largely disappear, although you can create highlights. In addition, only a small percentage of your audience will see your Instagram post. If they don’t see it in the first 48 to 72 hours, chances are that they won’t see it on their newsfeed anymore.

The same is true with Facebook. There aren’t a lot of people who go to your page and just start scrolling through stuff. Because of how the algorithm works, newer content generally gets shown.

On the other hand, a podcast, a blog, or a YouTube video is a form of content that can actually give value over time. Even the content that you created over a year ago will still be giving value to people today. For example, people can still find and listen to podcast episodes you created last year.

The same applies with blog posts. The more you blog, the better your SEO is, and you build a reputation. If you’re doing it right and linking between your long-form content, people who come across any of your pieces will be able to easily access the other content you’ve created.

Creating long-form content is an investment that will give you value over time.

5 Questions To Think About To Create Long-form Content

When it comes to long-form content, the problem that most people struggle with is they don’t know what to create. So I’m going to give you some prompts that will help you start thinking about content ideas.

How do you approach things differently than other people in your niche?

Think about how your approach is different from the other people who are competing for the same potential customers. You can talk about what other people are teaching and why that’s wrong. How do you think differently and what sets you apart from the competition?

What mistakes is your audience making?

It’s an important thing you can look at. What are the mistakes your audience is making and what are the beliefs that are keeping them stuck?

What is it that your audience needs to know how to do?

Think about the skills and information that your audience needs to know and create content about that. For example, you could teach about how to build an email marketing strategy, how to write emails better, or something that’s relevant to your niche.

What are the common stumbling blocks?

Think about the things that get in their way and how your approach will help them overcome these challenges. You can create content that can help them deal with the things that hold them back.

What are the questions that you hear all the time from your audience?

Once you’ve built your audience, you’ll start receiving questions from them. If you don’t have an audience yet, one of the things you can do is to go into other communities that have your target audience and do market research. Go there and listen. Each question your audience asks is a prompt for a piece of content you can create.

Pay More Attention To Your Long-Form Content

You should be spending more time creating long-form content than creating fleeting social media content. If you’re struggling with what to create, go through the five prompts I outlined above to help you come up with topics.

If you want to learn more about the process of growing your online business, be sure to join BADA$$ Online Marketing University. It’s my 100% free training program that will help you start building a business the right way.

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