If you have been creating and sharing valuable content and knowledge, you are rich.

You have a portfolio of value, waiting to be effectively leveraged for greater returns, for yourself… and more importantly, for the world.

Many of the clients we serve have been creating content for years, decades even. Their content portfolios include multiple books, articles, blog posts, interviews, videos, white papers, newsletters, and more. In fact, some of our clients have been creating content so long that some of it has never appeared online, but was instead sent through print mailings (!), via fax newsletter, or in some other pre-internet form.

The first step to effectively leveraging your content portfolio is to create a content library.

What content have you created? In what forms? Where is it located? What are the key themes? Capture a list of all the content you’ve created in the past into a content library. Gathering this list could require an extreme amount of time and effort. If you feel overwhelmed by the task, consider breaking the task into manageable, short time bursts or consider delegating to a trusted member of your team who is familiar with your body of work.

Your list is likely pages long and represents years of effort. (Note: I have only been creating content online for 5 1/2 years and my list is long!) No matter the current balance in your bank account, no matter your net worth… you are rich with content and the value you can bring to the world.

Once you have cataloged your content, the next step is to consider how you can repurpose, reuse, and amplify your content to make the biggest difference in the world. 

What new content can you create by reviving parts of the work you’ve done in the past? Into what new forms can you reshape your previous work? Which thoughts and themes represent the most value for your current audience? What are the most important thoughts you’d like to contribute to others? What is the most effectively platform you have for sharing them? What will you share first? Next?

The key to optimized influence and impact is to effectively leverage the wealth of your content portfolio.

You will never realize the return on an investment you don’t make. In order to effectively leverage the content you’ve previously created, you need a plan to consistently share content online in a way that reinforces your differentiating value while adding extreme benefit to others. How often, where, and in what formats will you contribute your valuable content to the world? Write a plan and stick to it. Once you have created the plan and are consistently sharing your content, you must create and follow an effective marketing strategy to make sure your content reaches the largest audience possible.

When you bring the best of what you know to the world, you are rich — and you enrich others.

Tell me something! What content do you have in your portfolio? How will you leverage it to make a bigger difference in the world?