Learn from the Pig

When I was growing up, "pig" meant the source of bacon, sausage, a good ham for the holidays, and even a derogatory name for the police during protests. Who knew "pig" would end up meaning big profits?

People find lots of different uses for pigs, and even Business Week has taken notice of the the pork rind battle going on for dominant market share. It sounds silly that those companies are taking pork rinds so seriously because to some people, that part of the pig doesn't seem as important as the meat, but they're obviously making good money from that business because a lot of people like to eat the skins of pigs. 

When put that way, it doesn't sound appetizing, but anything we do can sound different as long as we present it in a way that people will take interest. 

Which brings me to our own publicity efforts. Like the pig industry, we can get a lot of different uses with our own content. For instance, if you write an article for a trade publication, it can also go on your blog, become a pitch for the media, be the basis of a video, and can even become an outline for a speech at a professional association. There are many ways you can use your content; just figure out which part of it people are interested in, and modify it to appeal to them the most. And it's important to remember that in addition to creating appealing content, you should offer information that can benefit people so that you're not just tooting your own horn. That way, you'll profit in various ways.