Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

How different types of online content can help you build a relationship with your ideal client

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For more information about these three different types of online content, please see the Content Marketing à la Carte series.

While I commented briefly at the end of the series that one type of content isn't better than the other (it's a matter of personal preference and the suitability of your message), I wanted to talk more about how your choice of content will help you build relationships online.

The thought piece

A thought piece naturally positions you as a leader in your industry, particularly if it challenges or innovates a commonly-held practice or opinion. This creates a level of comfort for your ideal client that you are a credible expert. It can also set up a structure for your work together (such as my self-assessment for content marketers). 

How you can help it along: Surround yourself with a community of fellow innovators who support you to express your original ideas. Let thought pieces happen naturally in their own time, and then highlight them in your blog or newsletter. Invite some of your most influential industry colleagues to read and comment – sometimes they're the ones you'll most connect to with a thought piece.

Remember to balance: Some potential clients won't spend the time to read a longer or deeper piece, and others simply are not interested in your musings or theories – they don't want to watch you figure it out, they just want you to tell them what to do or show them how others are doing it!

The connective piece

A connective piece naturally positions you as a trusted resource for your ideal clients – both a connector who knows a lot of people and a maven who has a lot of good information to share. The connective piece also does a wonderful job of nurturing your relationships with your peers, encouraging reciprocal links and referrals when they happen to run into your ideal clients.

How you can help it along: Be on the lookout for information and resources that will benefit your ideal client, whether that's from a colleague or a "competitor." Trust that there is enough work for everyone and that the right clients will be attracted to you if you express yourself authentically.

Remember to balance: Potential clients want to see some original content from you, both theory and practice – it reassures them that you have something to offer.

The core piece

A core piece naturally strengthens your ideal client's trust that you will be able to help them with their problem. By delivering bite-sized pieces of your unique solutions, you give them a taste of what the experience of working with you will be like.

How you can help it along: Listen to what your clients and readers are telling you and asking you. Give them the solutions they're looking for, not just the ones you think they should have (Alicia Forest and I discussed this in an interview).

Remember to balance: There's not much of a downside to publishing a high volume of well-written core pieces, other than the fact that your ideal client would likely enjoy seeing different types of content from you. And mixing it up can also keep your creativity stoked!

Each type of online content has a role in your relationship-building efforts, and balancing between them can help maintain your rapport with your reader. If you usually stick with one kind of article, challenge yourself to write a different one this week. Want to go further with the challenge? Aim to write at least one of each type over the next month.

Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Three: The core piece

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Other posts in this series:
Content Marketing à la Carte: Mix and match these three types of online content (Part One: The thought piece)
Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Two: The connective piece

The third and final type of online content we'll be discussing is the core piece. Core pieces are articles or blog posts where you present your concrete and systematic methods for solving the unique needs of your audience. Eventually you can combine these to create a larger "flagship product" that encompasses all of your products and services and reinforces your brand.

Unlike thought pieces, core pieces will always contain actionable, practical suggestions that your reader can apply to their situation. Of course there can also be coaching opportunities for reflection and learning.

Examples of core pieces are:

  • "How to" articles that take the reader through a specific set of actions (including lists)
  • Question and answer posts (a different format for "how to" material)
  • "How NOT to" articles that point out common mistakes or warning signs
  • Articles that illustrate a theory or model that your reader will learn to apply
  • Assessments that help your reader self-identify as a member of a tribe (YOUR tribe)

Continuing with the tribe metaphor, with a core piece you're taking the role of a tour guide versus an expedition leader, as Cath Duncan differentiates in her thought piece. You're guiding your audience along a path you've carved out of your own experience of using these methods yourself and/or with other clients.

The format is relatively short (500 words or so) and structured, with sub-headings and lists for better readability. There is one main topic that answers the question, "What's the point?" about a targeted topic that your ideal client cares about.

So what's better to write, a thought piece, a connective piece or a core piece? That depends on your stage of business (whether you are a Content Starter, a Content Marketer or a Content Master) and what you've got to say at this point. Your choice will also depend on your writing style and preferences. Some people write a lot of thought pieces.

Until I wrote this series and really sat down to think about these three different types of content, I was usually picturing a core piece when I wrote about article marketing or content marketing. Even though I used and recommended the other types, I wasn't clear about how or when.

Personally, I loved writing this series of thought pieces because I feel like I stepped fully into a realm I haven't always given myself permission to visit.

On the other hand, I also feel newly empowered to NOT write thought pieces if I don't want to, or feel any pressure to always produce mind-blowing or stunningly innovative work. The truth is that much of what we write will combine elements from thought pieces, connective pieces and core pieces.

Since any one of these content types can help you build a relationship with your ideal client, the only important thing is to keep publishing quality content consistently.

Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Two: The connective piece

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Other posts in this series:
Content Marketing à la Carte: Mix and match these three types of online content (Part One: The thought piece)
Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Three: The core piece

Connective pieces are articles, blog posts or social media updates that are based on external content – where you're re-printing, commenting on or building from something someone else said or wrote.

I call these connective pieces because they help us connect in three important ways:

  1. They help us connect the dots for our readers. As Andrea J. Lee writes in her perennial thought piece, Multiple Streams of Coaching Income, we're fulfilling the request, "Excuse me, will you be my Google?" as we filter the most relevant and accurate information in that unique way that our readers have come to enjoy.
  2. They help us connect our own ideas with what else is out there (new thought pieces will naturally flow out of your connective pieces and vice versa).
  3. They help us connect with our community of colleagues and the experts in our industry. These connections can lead to cross-referrals and future collaborate projects.

Connective pieces include:

  • Pre-written articles that you choose from an article bank website or a specialized article service
  • Articles that you commission from a guest author
  • Transcriptions or summaries of expert interviews
  • Case stories about clients you've worked with
  • Reviews of tools, resources or services that might be useful to your readers
  • Tweets or other social media updates where you share links, quotes or recommendations

As you can see, connective pieces can range in length from a 140-character tweet to a full-length article, and everything in between. While there's certainly more room and permission on social media sites to blur the line between your personal interests and those of your readers, generally your connective pieces are targeted specifically to address the needs and concerns of your ideal client.

Writing prompt: Are you stuck coming up with your own original content? How about compiling some content that's already been written? How about interviewing a client or colleague? Or add another head to the job and see what the two of you can come up with!

For more about how to use the connective piece in your content marketing strategy, see my follow-up post, "How different types of online content can help you build a relationship with your ideal client". Watch also for my next post about the third type of online content, the core piece.

Content Marketing à la Carte: Mix and match these three types of online content

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Other posts in this series:
Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Two: The connective piece
Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Three: The core piece

For someone who is just starting to produce content online, it might be confusing looking at the different blogs and articles that are out there. Some pieces are 3,000 words or more, while others are 300 words or less. What's the "right" template to follow when you're new to all of this?

In a series of three posts, I'm going to put together some of my thoughts about three different types of online content. I hope to give you a better sense of where you might fit in, depending on what stage you're at with your business and your content.

As always, I also hope to give you some concrete ideas you can use in your next piece of writing, along with the inspiration to get started with it now!

Content Marketing à la Carte, Part One: The thought piece

Today's post is about the thought piece. A thought piece is a longer, essay-type article that delves into a topic that interests you and/or (but hopefully and) your audience and ideal clients. It's a critical exploration, analysis or theoretical treatment of the topic, usually aiming to achieve one or more of these four goals:

  1. Define (what is it?)
  2. Deconstruct (what's it made of?)
  3. Differentiate (how is it different from other things? Or how are its elements different from each other?)
  4. Dispute (why another point of view is inaccurate or ineffective)

A thought piece will often come out of your own curiosity, or from a need that you've observed in the people around you. For example, the series I’ve written here is clearing up the confusion about which type of article is best for which situation, and it's also helping me better understand how I can help and when.

Sometimes a thought piece can be both highly personal and incredibly effective. This post from Glenda Watson Hyatt was clearly something she was writing as a personal reflection, AND it fully brands her as a thought leader whose courageous exploration is empowering other people to redefine themselves.

A thought piece may be formatted more like an essay, though headings and lists are still strongly recommended for better readability and to avoid that "big bad WALL of text." Thought pieces will often be longer than a typical 500-word informational marketing article, simply because it takes that long to investigate the topic. (Hint: If your readers aren't used to that length from you, divide it up as I've done here.) Thought pieces can easily be pieced together to create a larger work like a book.

A thought piece should still be able to answer that most important writing question, "What's the point?" It should stick to one main idea and support it with sub-points, though it won't necessarily provide a linear set of action steps or solutions.

In fact, sometimes the intended audience of a thought piece isn't even your ideal client or regular readers. It may be addressed more to your colleagues in the industry, or be a comment about something you've seen in the blogosphere.

Writing prompt: What are you curious about? How would you like to delve into the topic? Will you define, deconstruct, differentiate or dispute?

For more about how to use the thought piece in your content marketing strategy, see my follow-up post, "How different types of online content can help you build a relationship with your ideal client". Watch also for my next post about the second type of online content, the connective piece.

Content Creation Manifesto #7 – Automation is personal

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If you’re only publishing your content in one place, it may be just as pointless as not writing at all. Some people rarely open email newsletters, but they’ll click on a link in Twitter or Facebook. Other people have social network accounts but never log in.

By sharing your content across different forums, you’re giving your readers the choice of where and how to enjoy your work. Now that’s a personal touch.

START NOW by integrating your online services and applications, or have someone do it for you. For example, with AWeber (my affiliate link), you can automatically tweet a link to view your newsletter online. You can also populate a newsletter automatically with links to your newest blog posts, with the Blog Broadcast feature. If you publish a blog on Typepad or WordPress, you can automatically share a link to each new post on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

[Update October 10, 2016: I’ve since come to understand that just because you can automatically generate links on social media, doesn’t mean that you should. Instead, craft unique messages that respect the culture of each platform, and preschedule them at staggered times through the week so you don’t appear like a robot.]

That brings us to the end of this 7-part Content Creation Manifesto. If it resonated with you, please keep in touch by signing up to receive weekly email updates from the Content Mastery Guide blog and leave a comment below.

Head back to the Content Creation Manifesto Summary for links to #1-7.