Recently I wrote about the importance of a consistent file naming protocol to keep track of digital documents and manage work flow. That advice applies to internal files; you should consider a different approach to naming the content files your customers and prospects are going to receive.
If your content marketing strategy includes distributing information in digital format, the names of those files can be as much of a marketing tool as the information itself.
When you’re creating ebooks, infographics, white papers, special reports and so on to use as content marketing tools, use whatever internal file naming system works while the work is in progress. Once the piece is final and you’re ready to distribute it, rename the file with your audience in mind.
A good file name will clearly identify the content and creator, and won’t include any work progress indicators.
For example, you may be offering an ebook, research paper or infographic as an incentive for people to subscribe to your mailing list. They sign up and are taken to a page to download the file, which they save somewhere on their computer. Then later (hours, days or longer), they want to take a look at your information again. Will they be able to find it by the file name? Or suppose they open the folder your file is in looking for something else – will they be reminded of you when they see your file?
Let’s take a look at some files I’ve downloaded.
101-awesome-marketing-quotes – tells me exactly what the file contains, but doesn’t remind me where I got it. I would recommend adding the source name.
2014_May – I have no idea what that is by looking at the file; if I open it, I can see that it’s the May newsletter from the city where I live, and that someone put a lot of work into producing an attractive, informative document. I would add the name of the city and “newsletter” to the month and year.
ChipCooper7LegalWebsiteGotchasBook – this includes the author and book title, which tells me what the book is about. The only thing I would do differently is add some hyphens to break up the words and make them easier to read.
ResetYourBiologicalClock_Ebook_v8FINAL – tells me what the file contains, but I already know it’s an ebook and I don’t need to know that this is the eighth and final version. My recommendation is to remove the work process information and add the source.
You work hard to create great content, so take the final step of renaming your content marketing files in a way that lets the user know what those files contain and where they came from.
If you have some examples of file name successes or fails, please share them below.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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