Having been a content creator now for many years, both as a blogger and most recently as a Periscope broadcaster, I thought I’d share a few of my tips for creating content…consistently. Whether you’re thinking about blog content, video content or even Periscope content, these tips should help get your wheels (and keyboard) turning.
Before I jump into my tips, however, let’s chat about content strategy. As a social media strategist I work with companies large and small to build their online presences. But you can’t talk about social media strategy without talking about content strategy.
It’s one thing to curate content (sharing interesting links, photos, etc. with your audience) but it’s a whole other thing to create content. Regardless of what industry you’re in, if you’re in social media for the long haul, creating content is vital to a successful strategy. It’s what will help you build relationships with others and showcase to potential clients what it is like to work with you.
Worried you’re in an oversaturated marketplace? Remember, there may be many in your field but there is no one like you. So even though you might be sharing the same type of content, no one can share it the way you can – with your own unique perspective and thoughts to offer. Okay, on to the tips…
- Life is content. If you’re first starting in blogging or content creation, or even if you’ve been at it for awhile, try to look at your life as content. For example, if I’m out speaking somewhere I’ll snap a photo and put it on Facebook. I’ll also share things about coffee or wine, or things that I see when I’m out and about and find beautiful or interesting. The key here is to instill a mindset where you are looking for those moments of inspiration. Whether it’s something beautiful or touching or moving or funny…that’s really powerful stuff.
- Plan ahead but be flexible. So, I’ve tried probably every single content strategy known to man and found that typically what works best for me and my team is two things: a Google doc and Google calendar. This helps us have an idea of the type of content we’re going to put out for the next 3-6 months so it’s structured, but also flexible.
Google calendar is a great tool for planning content…but remaining flexible.
- You have to do it every day. This is the hard one. When I take a step back and look at my content strategy, I’m doing some form of content creation every day. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m blogging every day. But I’m either doing a Periscope, putting out something on my Facebook or posting to my Instagram. Personally, Periscope has been a huge tool for me in this area. It has not only helped me to be more in the moment when it comes to content creation, but it’s really pushed me to not ‘overthink’ my content and to just get out there and do it!
- Ask yourself who are you trying to attract. What type of customer or client are you trying to attract? A lot of times we make the mistake of thinking we can be all things to all people. I believe narrowing down your ideal client and then creating content specifically for them is huge for content strategy success. The type of content you create is the type of client you are going to attract. So be intentional with your efforts.
- Write for one person. A lot of times when we’re creating content it might feel like we’re sort of shouting to the masses. What I’ve found is that if you can focus in on your ideal client and write for that one person, it’s going to make your content much more personable and compelling.
Writing for your ideal customer will make your content more personable and compelling.
- Sometimes, it’s okay to scratch the plan. I did this recently with my team. I looked at our blogging calendar and just wasn’t feeling it. Some of the content we had laid out for the next few months just wasn’t jiving with where I’m currently at with my business. So, if it’s not working, it’s okay to throw it out.
- Edit ruthlessly. For those of you who are bloggers, this is so important. For me, when I blog I will write, write, write and then go back and edit ruthlessly. There’s different schools of thought when it comes to blog post length. I personally think people have a short attention span so I try to keep my posts short and sweet – usually between 500-600 words.
- Don’t forget the basics. In whatever industry you’re in, there is always people looking for the basic information. So as much as I love the advanced stuff, I also understand that a lot of my audience is looking for more basic tips.
- Be short and concise. Like I mentioned earlier, people have short attention spans – short and concise is what we have the time for. This is the type of information that will get shared more and is just generally more consumable.
- Consider the medium. Which source is the best source for your content? This is something I take into consideration when I’m blogging or creating videos or Periscoping. Think about what type of content makes the most sense for you and your brand. Now, you and your brand are going to be many things, but think about what aspects might be better suited for different platforms.
Check out my Periscope on this subject:
Looking for even more content marketing tips? Check out my insights on Creating a Social Media Content Strategy, 5 Steps to Crushing Your Content Strategy and be sure to jump on over to our #GetSocialSmart with Katie Lance Consulting Facebook Group for daily tips, inspiration and great conversation!
