In marketing, it’s our job to attract our target customers. The best way to do this is by creating meaningful content with a subject matter expert, someone who provides value.
Expert content is valuable, it’s not just a repeat of what everyone else does. It’s thoughts, opinions, positions, answers to questions–anything that provides value to its reader.
Think about experts in your life who have spoken words that envoke trust and value:
- An electrician at 8pm at night, answering my call, “This is easily fixable, something we’ve faced countless times. I can get you up and running tonight and we’ll come back tomorrow for a long-term fix.”
- My child’s teacher saying, “I’ve been doing this for 30-years and if she can’t learn to read this way, we have four other ways we can try.”
- My new CPA who says, “I have a proven process to help. We can clean up your QuickBooks and make it a lot easier to manage your business.”
Experts have thoughts, opinions, and positions that show that they are an expert.
They provide value because they know what they are talking about and are willing to share it with the world.
The problem is our SMEs are often busy being an expert, not content creators. This makes time with doctors, food scientists, or industry veterans hard to come by.
As you content plan this year, here are some tips we’ve found that work well for engaging these hard-to-get SMEs:
1. Make it short
Text or email them a very specific question, such as, “What is the best way for a patient with a history of cardiac arrest to improve their health?” They’ll give you a sound bite back.
You can turn this into a quote for social media or a list of tips for a blog post. If you get a good response, show them the data, tell them they rock, and then ask them for a podcast interview or video with the same content.
2. Utilize the simplicity of voice memos
Experts are experts because they *know so much* about their field. Instead of expecting them to write out a blog post (which is so time-consuming), have them record a voice memo on their phone and text it to you. In five minutes they’ll drop some amazing truth bombs, which you can transcribe and turn into lots of content. They’ll realize how easy it was and be much more willing to say *yes* in the future.
3. Batch produce video
Video is awkward for almost everyone, so make it easy.
Set aside one to two hours for your SME to record videos. Imagine having 20 physicians, each recording a dozen or so 2-5 minute videos. You now have one physician video to use per day for the entire year. 🤯 And, I bet that you’ll have more physicians reaching out, wanting to get in on the action.
Content creation doesn’t have to be hard. With a basic content strategy that maps up to your marketing goals, meeting the needs of your target audience is easier than you think.
