Content is one of those words which seems to be used to replace marketing these days and marketing seems synonymous with posting on socials – we seem to have got things mixed up in the small business world.
With so many channels of communication and different content we can create for each of them – how do we know what’s going to work and which one to try and it not become a full time job!
We are so busy – I mean, who has the time?
So it all gets a bit generic and desperate – doesn’t it?
I totally get it – we are all really busy with client work – that’s what we spend most of our time doing.
And then things slow down and…’F*%&! Where is my next client coming from?’
So you panic and do a load of emails, social posts and networking.
You get really busy with client work again and stop creating content.
And then… things slow down…
It’s a never-ending cycle – and when you get time off, you are so exhausted you don’t feel inspired to create anything other than a cocktail.
To be honest – I can relate as I have been there many times. The crazy thing is, I love creating content. I love writing and creating and coming up with ideas – I just never seem to have the time to do it for my own business and often when I do, I don’t feel inspired.
Yet if we just stop for a moment and stopped chasing the money and the clients and had faith and trust in ourselves and our business, we will find that we do have enough time and we can be creative with it.
Creativity is a valuable part of our work – in fact, it’s probably one of the most important bits. Because out of that creative space comes inspiration, solutions, plans and new offers.
When we get to connect with our passion, our vision, our values and purpose, we are reminded why we are doing what we are doing.
All of this lifts and inspired us – and guess what happens when we are in that place? We get creative and playful; we create content others love and we attract our clients to us.
So why should we create content, and what’s good content?
What it is not
Content marketing is not all about you or your offers, services, or brand. It’s about your audience and what they care about.
What it is
Content marketing is marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience. The intention of which is to stimulate interest in your products or services.
It’s pretty simple – offer good content and information and give value and people will become loyal to your brand. You become the go to resource for your audience.
It can include many things:
• articles
• blogs
• e-books
• videos
• entertainment
• reels
• interviews
• podcasts
• keynotes
• webinars
Only you can create like you, so it’s a fab way to turn your product or service, no matter how common, into something that is not like everyone else’s.
If you want to become the go-to person, a reliable, authoritative resource on topics in your industry that matter to your potential customers, then creating good content is one way to do it.
When you build an audience that trusts you and wants to hear from you, they are more likely to purchase your products.
The secret is – most people don’t want to work that hard. We have so much choice that we want the work done for us, and we want to go to a person or brand that we trust.
That’s why being consistent and showing up is so important. You may be working really hard with a few clients, but stop showing up, whether in person or online, and people quickly forget about you.
Now shit happens and sometimes we have to step back, whether for health reasons, personal or because we want a holiday or a break. But the beauty of creating lots of great content is you always have something to fall back on. So much of it can be repurposed or re-shared. Maybe a blog you wrote a year ago is still relevant and you can link to it with a new social post or in a newsletter with a new angle. Or you can turn that keynote you delivered into social posts.
This means you can create a lot of content with ease and still be connecting with your clients or audience whilst relaxing on a beach.
Need Some Help with This?
To help you understand this process, myself and Karen Goodbrand have created an immersive day of visualisation, values, purpose and content creation so you can enjoy your summer, work on other parts of your business, do the minimal amount of work, take the whole summer off – whatever it is you choose to do, your content is ready and done.
Come along, connect with other business women, enjoy a day in a beautiful location in Bristol. Eat your lunch on Brandon Hill, and potter around Park Street.
And connect with yourself, your business, your purpose and creativity – you can find out all about it by clicking on the link below.
