If Content is King, Consistency is Queen

Do you know the origins of the quip, “content is king?” Apparently it was mouthed by none other that Bill Gates, way back in 1996 in an essay he wrote for Microsoft. The closing line of his paper stated, “Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products-a marketplace of content.” Amazing that fifteen years later these same words are still being touted over and over again. A mantra of sorts for social media managers and marketing strategists. Kind of like the old adage in Real Estate, “location, location, location.”

As I prepare to launch a new website, Facebook business page, and newsletter, I am reminded over and over again about “content is king.” Sharing with my readers relevant information about what I do, in a creative manner. Because, let’s face it, if one Google’s common keywords for their industry, they will most likely find a myriad of different articles and posts already written about it. So, as I think about my content, I started thinking about another important aspect of content. And that is, consistency in delivery. Or, in my words ” consistency is Queen.”

If one is not consistently putting new content out there, who really cares? One great article may drive traffic to your website or blog, but forward thinking about the next one is the challenge. One ingenious tweet may be retweeted several times, but people want more valuable nuggets of information. One great video may be watched several hundred times, but when will the next one pop up? Having a strategy or schedule for posting on whichever social media venues you prefer will benefit your business or cause (and keep you on task and organized.)

What I do is keep a calendar of where I want to be on the top six social media venues, divide it by topic and spend a few hours each week writing and inputting into the various social media automated platforms I use. It is worth the time and keeps my brain thinking about what I want to say. I also carry a notebook around with me and jot down things that happen in my daily life that are worthy of a tweet, blog post of video; not everything is thought out ahead of time.

Bottom line is, do you want to be a one-hit wonder or be a consistent force on social media? I agree, content is of paramount importance, but consistent dialogue with your audience makes that content worthy. How do you formulate your content and what do you do to be sure you are constantly updating it and being visible in the social stream?