Could Building a "Content Network" Take Your Content to the Next Level?

The Secret of Redwood Trees

Redwood trees are amazing. They are the largest living things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are 300 feet high and more than 2,500 years old.

You would think that trees that large would have a tremendous root system, reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. But you know what? They don’t.

Redwoods actually have a very shallow root system. So how can they grow so tall?

The secret is that the roots of these trees are intertwined. They are tied in with each other; interlocked. So when the storms come and the winds blow, the redwoods still stand tall.

Redwood trees are a physical example of the power of together.

Listen to how Harvey McKay describes the power of together. He says, “You need a network. You need your network. Every day. A network will help you deal with some of life’s minor annoyances as well as your most challenging problems. Your network can provide role models, advise you, comfort you, provide you with financial assistance, intellectual and social resources, entertainment, and a ride to work in the morning.”

I've always known that networking is important, but it's only been in the last few years that I've thought about the need of having a network to really help your content to have maximum impact.

Tony Robbins Used "Content Networking" to Make His Latest Book a Best Seller

Tony Robbins has always been known as a motivational speaker and peak performance expert. And then suddenly this year, he put out a book in the personal finance arena.

And, in case you haven't heard, it has become a best seller. How did he do it? He didn't just create content on his own platform. He used the power of together in a way that I would call "content networking".

He reached out to the network that he has built over the years and he used that network to create content for their audience and to have them create content for him. (If you want to learn more about how he did this, check out my post called
4 Content Marketing Hacks Tony Robbins Used to Make His Latest Book a Best Seller.)

What I want you to see is that it wasn't just his content that brought the results. It was his network that brought his content to a larger audience and enabled him to partner with others to create mutually beneficial content (i.e. interviews).

In a book called Grouped, Paul Adams says something important about Web 2.0 that we need to keep in mind. Paul says, “The web is being rebuilt around people, rather than being built around content. Social behavior is becoming the key feature of the web."

That means that the same way that people succeed offline is the same way that people succeed online: you build connections with others. Don't get me wrong. It's not about gaining the most followers. It's about making the most real connections.

I've written before about the importance of creating a content channel, but now I want you to realize the importance of building a content network.

A content channel allows you to build your own audience.
A content network enables you to tap into the audience of others.

One is about gathering and one is about expanding. Both are needed. And when you combine the two, the result is powerful.

4 Tips for Building Your Content Network

Let me give you four simple, but important tips I've learned about building a content network:

1. Connect with people that you like and respect. Never connect in order to use someone. Connect because they are someone you'd like to be connected with.
2. Don't try to force things. Look for natural connections. Look for people you seem to naturally "click" with (both online and off).
3. Give first. Don't go around looking to get something from someone. Look for people that you genuinely like and respect and then begin giving and helping them. If you've done the first two things then this will be easy, because it's easy to help people you naturally like and respect.
4. Take it slow. In the offline world, anyone who tries to go from acquaintance to best friend in a few days usually gets a restraining order. In the online world, you will get "blocked". Don't expect to build a network in a day, a week, or even a month. Even Tony Robbins had to build his content network over years and years.

My Recent Experience

On January 7th, I released my first Kindle book called 51 Content Marketing Hacks. I decided from the very beginning that I wouldn't just try to promote it on my own. I decided I'd reach out to people that I like, respect, and have connected with over the last few years and enlist their help.

And their response? They were gladly willing to help me. It is because of their help that my book was ranked #34 in Kindle Store under "Marketing" by January 9th.

Am I best friends with all of them? No. Most I've never met offline. Some I am more loosely connected to than others. But we have a mutual respect for each other. I've tried to follow the four tips I gave you above. And I never connected with them in order to get anything. I just connected with people I naturally liked and respected.

If you want your content to go to a new level this year, then I want to encourage you to build and harness a content network. It's the only way your content can grow strong and tall like a redwood tree.

51 Content Marketing Hacks

If you would like to know more about my book, see what experts have said about it and read three chapters, then go here to learn more.

By the way, today (1/12/15) is the last day to get my 21 Types of Content We Crave webinar recording ($97) as a free bonus when you buy my book.

Can You Do Me a Favor?

If you liked this post, can you do me a favor and scroll back to the top and "like" it?

Why? Liking a post on LinkedIn has a high correlation with higher overall views. When you like this post, it will cause it to be viewed by more of my 2 level connections. (*If you want to share it with your friends or followers, that'd be great too.)

Photo by Josep Ma. Rosell

P.S. If you haven't seen my previous LinkedIn posts, then you can see them at the links below:

• A 213 Year Old Business Reveals Two Content Marketing Secrets of Today's Publishing Empires
• A Branding Revelation From The Movie Braveheart
• The Only Way To See New Results In Your Life
• The Overlooked Similarity Between Content Marketing & Successful Sales Letters
• How Compound Content Marketing Has Kept Star Wars Popular
• Christmas Songs and the Surprise Content Marketing Lessons

Scott Aughtmon is the person behind the popular infographic "21 Types of Content We Crave". He is a regular contributor to ContentMarketingInstitute.com and he has also written for other sites such as 12Most.com and Problogger.net.

He is available to speak at your event or for consulting, to a limited amount of qualified clients.

You can read more of his unique insights at his site RecessionSolution.com or follow him at TWITTER at: @rampbusinesses