Today's Mission: Come up with some epic content ideas.
When you think about the term 'epic', what comes to mind? I tend to think of a work of art; a heroic journey. A stroke of genius that impacts the world in a meaningful way.
That may seem dramatic; after all, we're marketing here. Perhaps I'm getting a bit... grandiose.
But I don't think so.
Why not?
Because epic content is content that makes people think; it has an impact on their lives. It's the kind of content that inspires people and has the potential to change the way they live for the better.
For instance, good health is one of life's greatest gifts.
And pharmacy is one of those industries that has the power to make a huge positive impact on people's health. Which means that creating epic content for your patients can be a great gift to them.
Epic content tends to be a bit longer; more in-depth. Most important though, is the value it brings to your patients lives. But I'm not talking about value added to get them in the door, or to get them to buy something from the front shop.
Creating epic content takes a whole new perspective; it's the epitome of service. And for that reason, epic content inspires strong and rewarding relationships.
Epic Content & the Power to Create Change
Epic content tends to inspire people to think in different ways. It tells a story that allows them to believe in new possibilities. For example, say you have some patients who struggle with their weight.
I know there are a lot of people out there like that.
There can be so many underlying factors; side effects to medications, hormonal factors. And for many people who face this issue, depression often sneaks in, making things so much worse.
What if you made a simple resource to help these patients feel better about their health? You could outline a few steps they can take every day to improve just a little, day by day.
Walking for 30 minutes a daily; filling half their plates with veggies at every meal. And maybe a tip or two on something they can do to minimize certain side effects that contribute to weight gain.
By helping switch their focus to overall health and laying out actionable steps, you help them see results. It may be slow but it's progress, and eventually it becomes a nurturing lifestyle rather than a miserable quest to shed pounds.
If done right, you can change the lives of some of these patients for the better, and that's epic.
Don't have the nutritional expertise? Contact a local nutritionist to contribute. Want to include some exercise advice? Get in touch with a personal trainer. Don't be afraid to pull people in. Not only will it increase the value of the project, it'll help you get more done in less time.
As a pharmacist there are so many helpful tips you can put out there to improve patient health. Help them find ways to conquer their health challenges, to feel just a bit better every day by making real progress on their health goals. After all, people look to you as an authority on their health; which makes this a great fit.
And by inspiring your patients to think about small steps they can take to reach their goals, you have the power to put anything within reach.
So what are some of the other hallmarks of epic content? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
It helps people think differently, it takes the mind down a new path.
It inspires and excites them, it invites change.
It offers incredible value, simple & actionable steps toward amazing results.
It connects them to a different reality, it moves them with depth and emotion.
I'm sure you get the idea; sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But it also sounds time-consuming, so how can you create epic content on your busy schedule? Here are a few hints.
Epic Content on a Tight Schedule
I'm sure it's clear by this point that epic content is not the type of content you just whip off in 5 minutes. And I want to make one thing clear; that shorter, more concise content holds massive value as well.
We've talked a lot about this; taking snippets from your blog posts and such and posting them as standalone tidbits. Those simple infographics, short blog articles and special reports are still needed.
But epic content is something you can work on over time. It's about creating inspiring content that you can use as pillar pieces to tie different topic clusters together. It's also about refining your content so you can have the biggest possible impact on the lives of your readers.
By now you know my three favorite rules for creating any content: keep it simple, schedule it in manageable chunks and have a good time doing it. These rules are even more important for epic content.
Types of Epic Content
Your epic content can be in almost any format; audio, video, whichever inspires you the most, as long as it's something your audience will be willing to consume. But if you're just getting started with epic content, here are a few suggestions:
Blog Post Series
At the outset, a series of blog articles is a great way to go. You can make it a series of one article per week that takes people through a challenge or helps them implement one small change per week, for example.
It all depends on what you want to deliver, but at the start a blog series is a simple yet efficient way to go.
How-To & Blueprint Content
People love this stuff! Showing your patients step-by-step how to get a specific result is a great way to start with epic content. And while this can be done in any format, it's also good to include downloadable checklists and other printable resources to help them stay on track.
Informational Content
If you're looking to post about a specific health issue or product, well-organized informational content is a good start, especially if someone is new to the subject. Definitions, explanations, popular terms and connections are important. As are any statistics presented in clearly understandable ways.
When you're working with informational content, remember to keep your presentation clear and break things up into easily digestible chunks.
Resource Content
Sometimes epic content comes in the form of resource lists; simple lists of people and places patients can connect with to improve their situation. No matter what the condition, there are often a wealth of resources out there to help people cope better, and offering these resources can help change lives for the better.
Your mission for today is to take a moment to consider epic content. Is there an issue that's particularly close to your heart? Mistakes you see your patients make over and over that you wish you could help with? Information you find yourself needing to share on an ongoing basis that you could create a valuable project out of?
Take a few minutes to brainstorm, and don't forget to ask your staff. Don't worry about any overlapping areas where you may doubt your expertise; remember, connecting with others on epic content has lots of advantages.
Once you've come up with a couple of topics, think about how you'd like to go about it. Would you like to release one piece of epic content every month? Every three months? How will you fit it into your schedule so that it's simple, manageable and fun?
Make some plans and write them down in your content management plan, and we'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 26!