Brand Content (+ Apple-Syrup-Leftover-Shavings ’n’ Spices-Bread Recipe)
what is this? You shall soon find out…
Its Autumn in Washington state, so you know what that means…
LOTS of yummy apples!!!
In fact… the apples are TOO good… they’ve spoiled us and made us apple snobs.
It is now clear to my why, as a kid, I got sick of out of season Fuji apples in my lunch box every single day of the week… there is so much MORE to apples than Fuji apples.
And when you are in the apple Mecca of America, you capitalize on the apples.
(If I sound snobbish, just wait until you hear me talk about Hawaiian bananas, Greek kiwis, or California strawberries…).
So anyways, a few weeks ago we went and picked about 25 lbs of apples, and then spent a couple days making:
3 jars of apple butter
A “bucket” of apple sauce”
And 4 apple pies
‘Twas a busy weekend.
But at the end of it, I got to make my FAVORITE apple-product: apple syrup.
I take a couple handfuls of apple peels, throw in a cinnamon stick and some allspice berries, a couple cups of sugar, and double that of water.
Let it get to a rollin’ boil, thicken, drain, and BOOM: you now have the greatest Fall cocktail or pancake syrup you can imagine!
You’re welcome btw.
….
Oh right this isn’t a food blog…
You want some sort of marketing advice, or at least for me to prove that I am worth talking to about healthcare copywriting or board game marketing.
So what on earth does this apple-related rambling have to do with your predicament?
Here is how… CONTENT MARKETING.
Quick definition… content marketing is “a type of marketing that involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.” (source).
Basically, people search and find the stuff they are interested in, and then you either A) direct them to your products or B) build so much trust with them (by continuously providing value) that they seek out your products.
Some tabletop games businesses are 75% content marketing. Other heathcare businesses do it just to get some SEO bump and educate their patients on some essential self care.
But regardless… if you pursue content marekting, you will inevitibly face the big question:
“What on earth do I write about?”
Now of course… I can write for you!
And I am more than happy to, and I’m a little bit of a necessity if you want SEO optimized content.
But if its email content, or content you just want your regular site visitors/patients to view, then it is absolutely something you can do!
In fact, I ENCOURAGE IT.
Because there is stuff only YOU can write about.
What stuff is that?
The scraps and lessons of your business.
Yes… the leftover “junk” is some of your best content for emails and blog posts for committed customers.
People love you “peeling behind the curtain” and showing them that the makers of the stuff they love are lovable people they can relate to.
Let me simplify that real quick:
People like buying from relatable people.
I know… you… a person… is preferable to a faceles corporation.
Shocker.
Also, if you are developing a game or building a new location, then literally ANY update is going to interest them.
Which brings me back to the apple syrup… because guess what?
I had all sorts of spicy-syrupy-scraps of apple and I COULD have thrown it away.
But instead I waited a few weeks, and took a banana bread recipe, and swapped out bananas for my yummy apple scraps.
And I literally mixed it together, put it in the oven, and then sat down to write this blog post.
I pulled it out of the oven about 10 min ago, and I’m going to pause writing to take a bite.
…
Honestly, 7/10. And for a baked loaf I made in less than 5 min… that is pretty good!
And if your customers say “pretty good” to your random content, then I promise you will start to see AMAZING results.
