These days, publishing is a lot easier.

By Dan Pecchia

If your company excels at what it does and has compelling information for your customers and/or employees, then you ought to be publishing content on a regular basis.

Gone are the days when publishing meant mass advertising and other expensive forms of communication. Today, a good blog, mini-magazine, digital newsletter or video series can be created – and distributed – at a fraction of yesterday’s cost.

Here are seven reasons you should consider publishing content.

1. Today’s publishing is smarter than yesterday’s advertising. It’s not directed at massive, costly-to-reach audiences, but rather to targeted individuals you already know are (or should be) interested in your information. It doesn’t have to be “creative” in order to “break through the clutter” of other advertising because you’re not looking to interrupt a football game, but rather to address questions/issues in which your closest audiences are already interested.

2. Publishing can move customers and prospects. Every week, your company shares valuable information and insight when it answers questions from customers, prepares proposals for new business or organizes sales meetings. Much of that information can be wisely leveraged to reach targeted groups of customers and prospects on a regular basis to convey expertise and sustain identity.

3. Publishing can move employees.  People who are more informed are more effective. Other than money, few things can inspire and motivate a team like well-crafted information, pictures and/or video.

4. Today’s marketplace is expecting information. Because publishing content is so much easier and less expensive than it used to be, more companies and organizations are doing it. Some of your competitors may be doing so. As more young people accustomed to life in the information age take leadership positions in companies, more decisions will shaped by the bias that sharing information is a standard.

5. You already have the information. Consider the compelling information you have and occasionally share privately but are not publishing broadly. Many of your customers and prospects value that information. If you’re not regularly sharing part of it to make connections and build relationships, you’re effectively burying a key asset in the ground.

6. You already have the distribution list. You know your customers and you know (or should know) who your top prospects are and who your primary referral sources and influences are. Most of them are used to being asked for their email addresses in return for opportunities to receive valuable information.

7. What you don’t have – the vehicle – is easier than ever to develop and distribute. Basic publishing tools like blogs and digital newsletters can be built at very low cost. Even video and printed publications can be executed economically and practically, and now distributed efficiently through email and social media.

Clearing Hurdles to Effective Publishing

The hardest parts to publishing are finding a champion who can get it done and finding the time to contribute to content development.

But companies are figuring out ways to clear those hurdles and here’s why: Publishing is effective. A Hubspot survey report (page 18 of this document) says companies that blog only one or two times a month generate 70 percent more leads than companies who don’t blog at all.

One effective route to a successful publishing program is getting outside support. Some 73 percent of companies outsourced their published content creation last year, compared to 65 percent the previous year, the Content Marketing Institute reports (read more here).

If you’d like more information about leveraging the power of cost-effective publishing, feel free to follow up by email. You might be surprised at how practical and valuable it can be.

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Dan Pecchia is a public relations consultant and president of Pecchia Communications.