Why you need a clear content strategy

Creating Your Content Monster!

I can talk about this topic for daysssss but I’ll restrain myself from writing a ‘State of the Union’ on why me loves me some content!

Ever heard of the phrase, “content is king”? Of course you have, because it really is! When you take a look at most successful “influencers” on any social media platform, there’s one thing they always do – produce an endless supply of quality content, daily (Athlean X, Gary Vee, Sadhguru, to name a few!)

I’m going to give you some tips and tricks so that you can create your very own content monster!

But First, A Quick Story!

If you’ve read my other blogs, you know that I love my stories!

There’s a prominent “celebrity trainer” I know (who shall remain unnamed) and he has a videographer that follows him virtually everywhere. In doing so, everything this “trainer” does (motivational speeches, training celebrities, his own workouts, interviews etc) is professionally recorded and posted on social media. Now, I can’t say definitively that he only trains celebrities but his content certainly makes it seem that way. He’ll even post “happy birthday” messages on his Instagram to celebrities that include a picture of him with the birthday boy/gal.

It’s a brilliant marketing strategy because he’s honed into this “celebrity trainer life”, and inevitably celebrities know other celebrities so his word-of-mouth circle is strong. I personally have witnessed him start with D-list celebs and advance to A* list celebs, and one of the reasons for his success is undoubtedly due the content monster he’s created.

P.S. I’m not suggesting you hire your own videographer but I am insisting that you prioritize creating quality content in line with your target audience.

It’s All in the PACKAGING

When I say, “Packaging”, I ain’t referring to cardboard boxes but rather the optics of your brand for your consumers.

Let me explain….

Scenario:

• You’re the CEO of a start-up and hiring for a “content creator”
• You have two strong candidates but can only afford one
• Let’s assume they both “present” well with a professional appearance

P.S. You may wonder what the scenario below has to do with content, but stay with me and you’ll find out!

Candidate #1 (Amir)

• Amir is Harvard Grad with a 4.00 GPA (first class degree for my Brits)
• Amir has  consistently been in the top 5% of his class for all his electives
• He has done a couple of internships but no ‘real’ work experience
• Amir doesn’t like social media

Candidate #2 (Alexis)

• Alexis is a college drop-out and has been unemployed for a while due to her lack of education
• While searching for employment, Leah created a website and a YouTube channel where she publishes weekly content  
• Leah also isn’t fond of social media for her personal life but uses it actively to promote her content and remain updated on the latest trends

Who you picking for your squad? Alexis or Jamal?!

Inevitably, there will be some “old schoolers” who will pick Jamal due to his shiny Ivy League school badge

But me – I’m picking Alexis allll day because, again, “it’s all in the packaging” (and just to be clear, I have an MBA so I’ve got nothing against grads).

Alexis ‘packaging’ tells me that she’s spent time and effort applying what she reads to create a continuous stream of content – therefore I can validate her knowledge.  I already know that she’s going to be a valuable asset to my team without even hiring her.

Similarly, the customers you attract will depend on how you package your content and to whom you gear it towards.

PRO-TIP: If you’re a new business owner and not sure where to begin, focus on where you want to go (aka your “dream” clients) and shape your content accordingly.

Assembling the ‘Limbs’ for your Monster

My mind is always in “content creation” mode and I achieve this by doing 3 easy things:

#1: Listen More, Talk Less

I listen to clients and prospective clients intently – not only their situation and goals, but also questions they ask during the intake, discovery and/or during the engagement. You’d be surprised with how much content potential is literally being served to you on a golden platter if you just perk up those ears.

Every time someone asks: “How do you…..”or “Why do you….” – BAM, CONTENT CREATION OPP!

#2: Create Content from Your Own Process

Why do you do – what you do – the way you do it? (say that three times as fast as possible)

Everyone has a reason for doing something “this” way vs “that” way. You may want to think about how you’ve setup your business operations for success or perhaps heard a recent horror story of what NOT to do – BAM,  CONTENT CREATION OPP!

For instance, this entire blog post literally outlines my own process for creating content.

Some may not want to share their own process because, you know, “it’s proprietary and I don’t want my competitors stealing it”. Foolishness.

If your reason for not sharing content is because people will imitate what you’re doing, close up shop now because your destiny is written and it’s not hopeful. Let me be the first to tell you, what you think is “proprietary”, likely is not. Instead, it’s probably a common process which you’ve refined for your own benefit so why not educate others so they can benefit too.  

There’s enough room at the table for everyone to eat.

#3:  Reflect On your Own Learning Process

While we’d all like to think that we’re Masters of our craft, we all started somewhere. And even if we are truly a “Master”, knowledge development should never cease to exist. If it does, that’s not mastery but rather arrogance.

Some items to think about:

• What you struggled to learn originally about your craft and how you bridged that gap?
• What content have you searched for that is non-existent?
• What recurring questions do you read about on forums such as Reddit, Quora, or even YouTube video comments?

For me, I’ve been copywriting for decades but I have never had to do the static wireframe since that was normally outsourced to a web designer. When I Co-Founded this agency, I decided to learn how to wireframe as someone with ZERO coding experience. In doing so, I created my own process and put my own “twang” on it after reading and watching others (In all honesty, I still don’t know if it’s the ‘right’ way but it works for me!)

This is a perfect example of a learning process which I encountered that I can create content out of (which I will, very soon so be on the lookout!)

#4:  Creating Content Out of Existing Content

Ahh I saved the best for last!

Once you’re through with this blog, skim over it one more time and specifically take note of the “hyperlinks” sprinkled generously throughout. This, my pedigree chums, is how you create content out of existing content.

When you’re writing about a topic, there will undoubtedly be underlying themes of other topics that you may touch upon but not elaborate. Take advantage and create new pieces of content stemming from these “themes”.

Here are 4 ways to create content out of 1 post!

1. Create a blog on your site (in this day and age, ALL companies should have a blog, regardless of industry)
2. Create a snippet of that blog on your Instagram with a link to read more in your bio
3. Pull out a sound bite from that blog and post on Twitter
4. You then create a “long-form” video on YouTube essentially repurposing the written blog, but in video form

PRO-TIP: Once you’ve created enough blogs on the same topic, you can then combine them all, enhance and then repurpose into an e-book for your audience! (Work smarter, not harder!)

Boom. It’s that effortless.

Rinse and Repeat.

Structure is Everything!

When you’re doing a bazillion things at once (like most business owners), creating content can shoot your anxiety through the roof especially if you’re not a writer. Couple that with your burning hate for social media, and you’ll find yourself finding every reason under the sun NOT to write content!

However, you can make life easy on yourself by creating a content calendar which not only adds structure, but also adds accountability.

PRO-TIP: Here’s a bonus ‘trick’ which I do, and also encourage all of my clients to do:

Open up your “Notes” app on your phone and have a note titled, “Content Ideas”. Every time you think of a good topic, punch it into your app and keep a rolling record of various content ideas. This relates to the point earlier in this blog when I said, “my mind is always in content creation mode”.

Once you pay attention to your surroundings, it’s inevitable that by the end of the month, you’ll have at least a dozen content options to pick from.

Key Takeaways

• Content creation is essential for all businesses, regardless of what you’re offering/selling
• Remember, customers will make their decision based on your “packaging” – so package accordingly!
• Apply the four limbs mentioned here to create your very own content monster
• Structure (or lackof) will either make or break your contention strategy. Remove the guesswork and create a content calendar