Getting started in optimizing your business content is not without its roadblocks, many of them internal blocks.  Breaking through these blocks will require an honest self-evaluation of where you are right now in regards to your content.

Are you stuck in a context comfort zone?

You’re a programmer at heart, and all you know is websites.  Or live teaching is a snap for you, but you freeze at the thought of putting words on paper.  It’s inevitable that we would want to stick with the context that we know inside-out, but content optimization won’t happen if you don’t diversify your contexts.  Albert Einstein once said doing the same thing, while expecting different results, is a definition of insanity.  It’s just not going to happen.

Consider your market.  If all you do is books, those who don’t like to read as their primary learning modality in your market are shut out from benefiting from the information you have to offer.  If you only blog, those who aren’t primarily kinesthetic in their learning style will never get your message.  For their sake (and your own), try new and different context formats.

To un-stick yourself from your comfort zone, remember that each new reworking of your content into a new context is likely to bring new insights and improvements you might not have considered before.  Your content will be stronger than ever, and gain a wider market, which will bring more profit your way.  It’s well worth the struggle to move beyond your comfort zone.  Never invent – always improve.

Do you suffer from context confusion?

It’s so easy to become overwhelmed.  Where do I start?  Which context do I choose?  Some decisions will have to be made.  Begin asking yourself the 6 questions for content optimization:

Who in my market is this going to reach?
What context will the content be in?
Where does my market want this content?
When is my market going to consume this content?
Why is it important for my market to get this content?
How do I get my content into this context?

It’s a good way to slow down and focus on the first steps you’ll need to take to start optimizing your content.

Do you have a multiple context personality?

Maybe, instead of getting blocked, you go hog-wild with newfound enthusiasm.  You start a book on Monday, then a teleseminar on Tuesday, and after that a new website on Wednesday.  The only result is that your efforts are spread too thin, often spending all your time on tasks you’re not really good at or suited for, while you don’t have time to build on your strengths.

If this is the block you have to get past, then it’s time to consider outsourcing.  Seek out experts and solicit their assistance.  It’s not efficient to try and master all the skills that need to be mastered in context transference of your content, when others can do it for you.  Focus on and build your strengths, and outsource your weaknesses to others who would play at what you would have to work at.

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

It’s easy enough to understand the need for content optimization, but how to do it?  There are so many choices of context that it’s very easy to become overwhelmed, and either end up doing too much and spreading yourself thin, or never getting started in the first place.

There are some organization questions you can ask yourself when getting started in the process of content optimization.  These questions can focus your efforts and help you make the most of your time and investment in content optimization.

Here are what we call the six easy questions to content optimization:

1)    Who in my market is this going to reach?

It’s important to consider the demographics of your market and how they’re going to receive your content.  If you have information published in a book, who is likely to read a book?  Who might not?  Books reach a certain kind of consumer, while television commercials reach yet another, and podcasts and websites reach another.  Where are you most likely to achieve success with your content, considering your market?

2)    What context will the content be in?

Where will your content be most effective?  Not all kinds of content successfully translate to all contexts.  A mime show won’t make much of an impact on the radio, but in a live seminar, it could be very effective as a visual illustration of a spoken point.  Are you aware of the different kinds of contexts that are available?  You may need to educate yourself on your options, so as to be able to reach as much of your market as possible.

3)    Where does my market want this content?

Everything done in business has to respond to the needs and wants of the market if you want to have any hope of being effective in your efforts.  Would your book work better as a series of shorter articles?  Perhaps you would wish to consider such a method if you’re marketing content to a demographic of people who are known to be very busy and not likely to take time to sit and study a book.  Maybe you could do a series of autoresponder messages instead, or make your information available online in a way that could be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

4)    When is my market going to consume this content?

Time of day can be a factor.  If you’re running television or radio ads, and your market is mostly at work when those ads are being aired, they’re not going to be as effective as you may want.  Would evenings be better?  Lunchtime?  Weekends?  Should it be available in a format that could be found anytime, or would a specific, targeted time be more effective?

5)    Why is it important for my market to get this content?

What are the reasons?  Where is the need that you’re ready to fill for your market?  Why are you interrupting their day at work or at home to share this information with them?  What will be the benefit to them?

6)    How do I optimize my content into this context?

Here’s where you get down to the technical details…how to move your content into the context you’ve chosen.  There are techniques and tools for each kind of context, and you’ll have to understand the workings of each and get comfortable in that format in order to succeed.

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

We have simplified content optimization into four distinct types. Here are what we call the four R’s of Content Optimization:

Re-use – using the same content in different places

Just because content is already in one context doesn’t mean it can’t move to another.  Let’s suppose for this illustration that we’re dealing with a person who’s written an article on weight loss, and wants to optimize their content.  The easiest change to make might be to simply take the same information and put it in different places.  The information from the article could be updated slightly and moved over (or re-purposed) into a blog, or an ezine article.  If the article was posted online, the same article could be posted to different directories, which would then get referenced on different blog posts.

Re-purpose – moving the same content to a different context

Suppose that this same  author wanted to expand on the weight loss article that had been written, and transfer this information to a completely different context.  A teleseminar on weight loss might be considered, which would incorporate more audio, bringing in a completely different audience.  An interactive video could incorporate the written word and audio recordings, and perhaps also a fill-in-the-blank worksheet, which would incorporate visual, audio and kinesthetic stimulation for a more well-rounded learning experience for the market.

Re-package – revising the same content for a different market

The same weight loss article could appeal to a wider audience if the content were refashioned towards a different angle or demographic group.  Perhaps the article on weight loss could be pointed towards beginners or those who had already lost weight and were trying to keep it off.  Maybe the article could be slanted towards weight loss professionals, on how to be more effective with their clients.

Remember that content is only as valuable as the relationship it has to the market.  In the final analysis of your content’s effectiveness, the market is the key.  The most important thing is that the market “gets it”.  Coming to the market is your responsibility, not the other way around.

Re-cycle – using the same content on a regular cycle

This same weight loss article might be set on some sort of cycle.  It could be repurposed into a series of emails, setting a year’s worth of weight loss tips on a 52-week autoresponder system.  The material could be conceived into a course (online or offline) that repeats itself every few months.  Making regular blog posts on weight loss at regular periods of time would also be a way of recycling your content at regular intervals.

Bonus way to use content – Re-peat all of the above

Everything old is new again.  Content can be repurposed and repeated for maximum impact.  Make it better, and bring it out again.  Lather, rinse and repeat.  Continue to expose your content to the market again and again, finding new customers on each exposure.  The only limit to repurposing your content for maximum optimization is your own imagination.

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

The following questions can help you in avoiding too much duplicate content:

Can I add something different to the conversation?
You always have your own expertise and perspective to add that is unique. What questions have you noticed that aren’t being addressed about your topic? What questions aren’t being sufficiently answered?

Does my content answer questions or provide information my market needs?
The way to success in any business is still the same, whether on or off the computer… see a need, and fill that need. When your business is information marketing, what information does the market require to fill a need? Do you have that information, and can you provide it in a way the market can understand and assimilate it?

Can you make connections between old and new information?
The basic mode of learning in any field is to take new information and connect it to older information. This provides a basis of understanding that builds on the past and prepares for the future. Does your content provide that for your customers? Is your content presented in a way that its importance is comprehended by the potential market?

Can you present a viable alternative to the way something’s been done in the past?
Improvements in systems fill a great need for better ways of doing things. Differentiation of your online pages will help you to be found more easily when those in your market use the different search engines. Make your presence as uniquely yours as possible, so that you will be remembered and more easily distinguished from other information marketing businesses similar to yours.

Can you present reasons why this content is important?
Sometimes you may have to present the reasons why your market needs your information, since they may know of the problem but have not properly defined it yet. Provide that definition for them and they’ll rush to find your answers.

Have you balanced information with persuasion?
In the information marketing business, content marketing is often more effective than interruption marketing (i.e. commercials). That doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t tell your customers about what you have to offer them, and guide them gently to the “Buy” button. Remember what, where, when, how, and why when you’re providing your content. Give them the reasons to go there. Provide answers to questions they may have, so any possible objections can be overcome. Don’t make what you have to offer a mystery, or make it difficult in any way to be obtained.

Sales and the bottom line are your barometers to determine whether or not your content is truly effective within your market. Avoiding too much duplication will increase your effectiveness with customers.

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

What Will Hook Your Audience?

If you can find that rare perspective that hasn’t been explored beyond the boundaries of usefulness, you will be able to captivate your audience and accomplish the goals you are working toward. This can be a daunting and unnerving task. It requires one to look for information outside of the box.

Where Is Outside the Box?

• Blogs - Along with putting blogs on your website, you can also research for content on other people’s blogs. By visiting a number of blogs related to the topic you are writing about, you can find people’s opinions, references to other sites containing information that may interest you, as well as many interesting facts. You may be able to post to a blog and ask for opinions about a particular subject and obtain your own survey results from that.

• Social Sites – Another unexpected place that you may find excellent content are sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, and the like. Use caution in this area. Although you can find fresh information, you must verify its validity before you end up providing incorrect data to your reader.

• Off-Internet Documents– Because the internet is so easy to use and convenient, most people limit their research to internet options only. Therefore, if you leave the web to find your content, there’s a good chance that you may have a fresher view. Don’t be afraid to use newspapers, magazines, reference books, pamphlets and brochures that you may pick up anywhere out in the public domain. Depending upon the topic you are researching, government offices and supporting offices may have useful material that they are willing to give you.

• In Person – There is still no substitute for human contact. If you have the opportunity to discuss your topic with an expert either via telephone or in person, don’t pass it up. Taking information from a personal interview with a guru is always fresh. Since no one else will have the exact conversation that you will, you have an edge.

There are roads less traveled on the content creation journey. If you take the extra effort and seek them out, you will find opportunities to produce top quality, reusable content that will enthrall your reader and draw them back time and time again. When you produce return visitors on a regular basis, you know you’ve created content that is among the best.

Are you up for the challenge? Do you have enough desire for top notch content to go the extra mile to search it out? The results can be very fulfilling and benefit you in multiple ways. Dig in and create some content that you can be proud of!

Creating quality content requires a human touch and can be a costly expense. It’s hard to financially justify spending your time and energy on writing every-day content as profit-gain from content is only measurable over time. However, it is a worthwhile endeavor that will pay off in the long-run.

It is best if you create your own content in establishing yourself as an expert in your niche. It is important to consistently compose current and accurate content that will draw in today's online consumer. As well… to be successful you must build an atmosphere of enjoyment.

One way to get the basis for your content is to research other online sources.

One method of gathering information for your content is to research sites online. It is easy to find a handful of sites where you can research facts, figures and information that relate to your topic, and then collect, organize and expand on it to create an informative and pleasing conglomeration of all of the collected information.

Steps to Creating Content using Online Sources:

1. Choose a topic and keywords - Decide on a topic and keywords for your content. This is very important to attract the readers that you are looking for. Make a careful selection by researching which of the key words that you are considering rank high in the search engines. Be sure to use your keywords in your title.

2. Choose the sites to research - The next step is to visit a handful of sites that focus on the keywords you have chosen. The most popular sites can easily be found through any of the major search engines. After reviewing some of the sites matching your criteria, select three to six sites that have information that is appealing to you as a reader. If the information is appealing to you, it will most likely be appealing to others.

3. Take notes - Take brief notes from each of the sites you’ve chosen, calling attention to the points of interest that you wish to expand upon.

4. Organize – Put your notes into categories and group facts that apply to the same point of interest. This will help you to make paragraphs that flow fluidly and help your readers to understand the point.

5. Prepare Your Content For Presentation – Now that you have all of your information collected and categorized, it is time to present it. Be sure to integrate your keywords into any subtitles and throughout your text in a natural conversational manner. Do not over-use the keywords or phrases as this will put off your reader.

Creating content should be your job. However, researching for content information can be delegated or outsourced to others. If you actually enjoy the research and going through the steps to create the final product, then go for it! If you're enthusiastic about going through the whole process of content creation, you will produce an informative and entertaining final product that will attract and retain your reader. After all, this is the ultimate goal of your masterpiece isn’t it? Have fun.

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

Websites are usually built to resemble company brochures. Websites are a core ingredient to nearly any type of business. They are easily the number one resource people use to learn about you, your products and services. They allow people to do research and review products before they make a decision. Websites that are popular and profitable are useful.

New and unique content…

You really have to find and magnify the unique value that your company provides and do something innovative. The quality of a page and the uniqueness and value of its content is the sole responsibility of each Webmaster.

Often sites are designed with idea that the ideal content can be created and maintained past initial launch without making any major changes. This is rare. For your website to not only attract initial traffic, but to also retain its visitors, the content of its pages as well as outside articles that direct traffic to it must be kept current. This is a tremendous and continuous task.

What type of content should I provide?

When you build a website, you want to create content that will help your reader in some way, shape or form. However, you have to be cautious that you are not so helpful that you turn an otherwise would-be client into a do-it-yourselfer. It is up to you to decide when your content provides too much information and much of that will depend upon the type of business that you are in.

For example, if you run a roofing company and have a website that is designed to secure clientele, you would choose your content accordingly. You may want to create articles that will help your potential customers decide on the best type of roofing material for their particular roof. The business owner may even decide that it would be acceptable to provide articles that give step by step instructions for doing a certain type of minor repair, knowing that if you help a would-be client to save money by doing their own repair, they may well turn to you when it’s time to replace the entire roof.

Where can I obtain content?

While you may be able to find information on the internet to create content, you want the content to line up with your business’s advice to your clients.

To determine what content to use for your site, start by asking yourself lots of questions. Each time you see content of interest; ask yourself if that topic or idea could apply well to your own business. Take notes for each and every article that you want to include in your site. Put the information into a useable and educational form that will benefit the reader and create trust in the company.

Content creation is your responsibility.

The responsibility for the content of your site and any outside sources that you create to direct traffic to your site is yours. Do your best to be certain that the information provided is current, accurate, helpful, and interesting to the readers. When that is accomplished, your website will begin to fulfill its purpose.

About the Authors

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

To learn more about the Social Marketing Blueprint and to get the free videos now, go to ToSocialMarketing.com

On the call they discussed 6 main social media sites: Twitter.com, Facebook.com, YouTube.com, EzineArticles.com, MeetUp.com, and of course your own blog.

We want to demonstrate that they know what they are talking about, so we created a dynamic mind map showing a portion of their Social Marketing Blueprint; some of the Social Networks that Alex, Jeff and Maritza use. As a bonus, we have also included a glossary of terms.

Go ahead and discover (it's interactive) the blueprint below:

For a larger version of the Blueprint: Click Here
(You'll need to go to the larger version to display the web page and to see the glossary of terms)

Again to learn more about the Social Marketing Blueprint go to ToSocialMarketing.com

About the Authors

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

People learn and take in information in different ways, and the more of those you reach, the more of a market reach you’ll have.

Basically, people operate in a variety of learning modalities. Let’s take a look at the types of learning modalities:

• Visual Learners – Visual learners actually learn and better retain information by seeing and reading. This accounts for about 55 to 75 percent of people according to scientific studies. This is obviously a large portion of the people and therefore visual presentation is one of the most effective modes to communicate information.
• Auditory Learners – As suggested by the name, auditory learners tend to learn most competently by hearing or speaking. This includes about 20 to 30 percent of people.
• Kinesthetic Learners – Kinesthetic learners absorb information best through doing and touching. This would include tasks such as filling in the blanks, key strokes, and mouse clicks. Approximately 5 to 15 percent of people fall into this category according to scientific studies.
• Smell and Taste – These two categories are self-explanatory. We won’t spend much time here as they have very little application to the types of contexts that we are dealing with.
• Digital Auditory – Digital auditory is an internal learning modality that we will refer to as self talk. These thoughts in your mind that we’ll refer to as voices ultimately are what guide your decisions. Everyone makes use of digital auditory and you need to be aware as to what your content is getting your audience to think and feel.

Make use of the various learning modalities in how you present your content and you will reach a much larger percentage of your potential market. As well, you will have much more impact on their lives as they will be more likely to understand and put to practice what you have presented.

About the Authors

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

That is why optimizing content is a brilliant way to make the most out of the content you already have. Not only that, it enables you to reach more people within your market. How does that work? Let us explain…

In order to define content optimization, let’s start out by defining exactly what content is. Content is information and experiences created for an audience that is presented in a way that entertains, educates, and informs to derive emotions. Optimizing is to improve or make better. Therefore, content optimization would be to convert information and experiences from its original form into a format or product that will better convey its purpose to its audience.

In other words, taking the original content from a teleconference for example and converting it into another format such as a study guide that will improve the comprehension of the audience. Because people have different learning styles, it becomes necessary to present information in multiple contexts. Some people understand more readily through their sense of vision, others by hearing, and still some by touch or doing. If the information is received through multiple senses, it is much more likely to be understood and retained. This is summed up in a Chinese Proverb – “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me I will understand.”

Why is Content Optimization Important to Business Growth?

• If you do it once, you benefit from it forever. By creating the content one time, you are able to convert it into as many different contexts as possible.
• Content applies to learning methods. By understanding how your audience takes in information, you will be able to more effectively deliver it.
• Maximum content productivity is achieved with minimum effort. It is much easier to convert content into a new context than to create new content. This saves you time and energy. It also allows you to relate with a broader audience because, as mentioned before, each person absorbs information differently. Therefore, a single context will not reach every available audience.

How do I determine how to optimize my content?

By answering the following six questions you will be on your way to content optimization. This will help you understand your market and how they think and receive information most effectively. When you understand their thinking processes, you will be more readily capable of reaching them where they are.

The six questions are:

1. Who – Who in my market is this going to reach?
2. What – What format will the content be in?
3. Where – Where does my target market want this information?
4. When – When is the audience going to take this in?
5. Why – Why is it important for my market to get this information?
6. How – How do I get my current content into this format or context?

By focusing on content optimization instead of content creation, you will benefit in a multitude of ways. Not only will it take less time and effort on your part, but your audience will be able to more completely comprehend and understand the message that you are trying to convey to them. They will have the ability to consume the same information through multiple sources, and repetition is key to comprehension.

About the Authors

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.

Let us explain…

Learning modalities or the physical senses used to consume information are only half the picture when it comes to figuring out how people consume the content that you provide. People also operate in different learning styles; and there are ways to present your content so that it reaches people in all four of the learning styles.

These learning styles, which are outlined below, are based on David Kolb’s research.

• Why – Why people are categorized as salespeople and promoters. They are about 33 percent of the people. They want to know why the information is important and why it applies to them.
• What – What people are the scholar and teacher types and account for 22 percent of the population. These people want the facts without the fluff. They want to see documentation and they want to know the bottom line.
• How – Technicians and roll-up-your-sleeve people are around 18 percent of people. These people want to see what they learn in conjunction with how it works. The want to compare the new information that they are taking in to the information they already know.
• What If – The marketers and big picture people make up about 27 percent of the population. These people want to know all the alternatives. They want to know if there is a better way. What If people need all of the boundaries defined.

Using the learning modalities and learning styles will dramatically affect your content optimization techniques. When you take into consideration what is going on inside the minds of the audience, it becomes much easier to meet them where they’re at and tailor your content to their needs. When your market doesn’t have to adapt to your content, but your content caters to the needs of your market, you will have successfully optimized your content.

About the Authors

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Pat and Lorna Shanks are "SPECTACULARIZERS" of great audio content. They teach entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small business owners how to attract more clients and make more money using Spectacular Presentations and Robotic Internet Marketing. For more "Spectacularizer Tips", go to www.PatAndLorna.com or follow us on Twitter.