It’s no secret that the Internet is overloaded with information. Because of that, it’s harder than ever to create content that stands out. That’s the struggle I, as a managing partner at SCUBE Marketing, face almost daily. To help me stay motivated to create the best content possible, I am constantly drawing ideas and inspiration wherever I go and from whomever I speak with. This month, however, I treated myself to an extra dose of inspiration by attending the Content Jam Conference that was organized by Orbit Media on August 4th.

It was my first time attending their event. What I wanted to get from this conference was to learn as much as I could about content in one day: how to stand out, how to write valuable content, and to hear success stories from other professionals. Yes, I could find a lot of this content by searching the Internet. But I will tell you, it’s more impactful when you hear it and see it in person–when you talk to real people who do it every day and who are successful in doing it.

So, let me share with you 3 takeaways everyone in marketing (writers, editors, analysts, account managers, and even business owners) can use on a daily basis.

“More success with less content.” – Andrew Davis

It’s so true. It’s almost the same as “Work smarter not harder”.

As Andrew explained at Content Jam, the “smart work” is hidden under the value. Valuable information inspires other people; it creates demand for whatever product you’re selling.

So how do we create valuable content? Here are the steps to success Andrew shared with us:

• Target a niche. Choose the audience your product would be most relevant to. Stop trying to be everything to everyone.
• Attach talent your audience trusts. Involve the superstar on your team. Choose one who really understands your audience and is passionate about the products/services you offer to contribute content your audience will find engaging.
• Make an appointment with your audience. Whether it’s every week on Thursday at 1 pm or every third Friday at noon, you need to set the time in your audience’s life when they can expect to hear from you. Own that valuable moment.
• Commit to a format. Use a repeatable formula that is applied all the time to the way you communicate with your audience: whether it’s a video, presentation, or podcast.

Personal experience shows that being specific and consistent really helps to get what you want and whom you want. You just need to be persistent and patient.

“Include other people in your content.” – Andy Crestodina

Some great advice from Andy’s personal experience with which I totally agree. You can’t be alone in this game. If you want to be a strong player, you need to have an army that will support you and promote you when you need it.

So how do you do it? Interview other people. If you write a blog post, mention someone who is good, who is an example for you.

Relationship is a key. It will help not only to promote your content but also increase the quality of it.

“Good marketers follow best practices, great marketers craft their own.” – Jay Acunzo

This is the best of the best. It’s simple and straight to the point.

Best practices are great when you start doing something. But if you want to become noticeable, if you want attention, you need to think outside the box: create solutions to the problems, ask “what will happen if”.

What I embrace in my team is the leverage of the created workflows and openness to try new things that can become a new best practice.  As Jay Acunzo says, “Trust your intuition. Do the unthinkable.”

Even though the event was organized for content marketing professionals, I thought the information covered was applicable for everyone in marketing. Yes, it covers all the aspects of content; however, marketing without content is not marketing.

To take it even further, I accept Andrew’s, Andy’s, and Jay’s challenge. The challenge is: find the time and make it real, use these takeaways in practice and show results. Let’s stop talking about it and do something with it. The game is on. Stay tuned for the updates on our road of implementation!

‍