For those of us who live online, literally spending most of our day clicking and reading and typing and chatting, we see a LOT of information. And yes, some of it is crappy. Some days, most of it is crappy.

But crappy does not equal short and crappy does not equal simple. A short, simple post that introduces a topic at a basic level can be the most crucial core piece of content you'll write. It brings people into your community exactly where you want them – at the beginning.

Your short, simple post is like putting the first pin on the map of your business. You've now started someone on a long, deep pathway of learning, relationship and the opportunity for service.

Remember that your readers and prospective ideal clients are entering your world at all different levels of knowledge, experience and understanding of your topic. So please don't throw away (or misjudge) a short, simple post that just might be the very first step of someone's transformational journey.

P.S. Even the most helpful information can come across as info crap if it's not written well. So please read your post aloud, run it through an editing checklist or hire me to look it over for you.

At the Wealthy Thought Leader conference in March 2010, I got chills listening to all the talk about "info crap." Was I creating info crap? Worse, have I been helping other people create info crap? I can't do anything about what's out there, but I can say that the crap stops here (I feel like I'm channeling Karri Flatla).

As a Content Starter, having something great to say comes from asking a lot of questions about who your ideal clients are and what they're looking for, and then listening intently to the answers.

As a Content Marketer, having something great to say has to do with continuing to ask and answer the questions your ideal clients care about, and providing them with solutions that are narrower and more specific.  

As a Content Master, having something great to say means opening up yourself to a broader audience, and asking yourself questions about whether your message is special enough, meaningful enough and great enough (Charlie Gilkey would call it epic) to launch on a bigger platform.

Content marketing is an incredible tool for connecting more deeply with the people you already know, and for making new connections with the people you were meant to know. Just don't forget the "content" part of the equation. Have something great to say.

I've made no secret of my opinion that while not everyone needs to be a Content Master, to achieve success with content marketing you need to evolve beyond publishing one new piece of content per month (i.e., a monthly newsletter).

You'll still write that monthly article and send your newsletter, but in between you'll share additional content and communicate more frequently with those people who have joined your mailing list. 

Here are three steps you'll want to take as you're planning the transition from a monthly newsletter to more frequent content via blog and email:

1. Prime your readers – Let your readers know about the upcoming change and what benefits they can expect (for example, more valuable content and more ways to access that content).

2. Prime your schedule – You'll need to spend more time on your content creation. Plan for where you will find that time, whether it's watching less television, batching your tasks or saying no to activities you really don't want or need to be doing anyway.

3. Prime your content – What are you going to be writing about? Use a blog post planner to build out your strategy.

Remember, you don't have to come up with original, earth-shattering content every time you publish a post on your blog. You can also comment on, revise or build on existing content from your own blog or elsewhere. I call that connective content.