By Jill Kurtz, Owner Kurtz Digital StrategyYou want to create connections to key audiences with your online content and there is no better way than to get those very people to help create it.This is sometimes called "participation marketing" and the concept is simple and brilliant. People prefer experts over brands. They relate to and connect better with people than impersonal sources.You can tap into this preference by changing the way you approach content development.Here’s how:

• Define the goal or topic you want to present
• Develop questions related to what you want to cover
• Pose the questions to specific people by phone, email, face-to-face and other means.
• You can also post the questions on social channels, but specifically asking people for input is generally more effective.

Compose your content by aggregating the input of the people who provide answers. Attribute the content to your sources.Now you have content that is backed by a community of experts who are the very people that you want to engage. They are invested because they have contributed and are more likely to read and share the results.Win-win, no?[author]About the Author: Jill Kurtz founded Kurtz Digital Strategy to help clients see the communication potential of the newest trends and technologies. She is an expert at website strategy and redesign, social media planning, and developing exceptional content.[/author]