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Content creator vs. content creation: How to find the right balance for your business
As consumers continue to demand more from the brands they support, business owners tend to feel an even greater pressure to be omnipresent online. But, how far should you go?
While creating content is often necessary to grow your business, that doesn’t mean you have to fully embrace the role of a content creator. Here are some ways to strike a balance in your business and marketing efforts.
Content writing prompts: 5 ideas to ignite your imagination
Constantly trying to come up with content ideas day in and day out can seem like a daunting task, and after a while it’s inevitable that you’ll experience moments where you find yourself staring at an empty page and a blinking cursor, trying to figure out what to write about.
On those days, I like to turn to the world of content prompts. For both myself and my clients, using creative writing prompts as a starting point for a blog or social media post can help to ignite the imagination.
Here are 5 to get you started.
How to create effective calls to action (CTAs) in your content
Your call to action directs your audience as to what you want them to do in each piece of content. It provides consumers with clear next steps and direction, which can reduce friction for customers, prevent decision fatigue or overwhelm, and generate more conversions.
Unfortunately, these calls to action are also often misunderstood, which can make them frustrating.
Here are some examples of the common issues I see with CTAs and how to fix them.
How to test the credibility of the experts you highlight
Though most of the time random quotes and mentions of an author or creator won't have an impact on your brand or reputation, doing a little extra work to vet the people you highlight in your content is a good way to reinforce what you stand for.
It’s almost inevitable that consumers will draw parallels between you, your business, and the content you’re sharing. Whether those associations are positive or negative is largely up to you.
Don’t risk losing the trust of your audience because of something that could be avoided with some upfront time and energy on your end.
Prioritizing diversity of sourcing in your content
With recent news and emphasis in the media on diversity (and the sad lack thereof), systematic and systemic discrimination, and the need for companies to prioritize inclusivity in their business, you’ve likely been rethinking how your company is currently running, and what changes you need to make.
An area that’s often unfortunately overlooked, as business owners make their way through revisions to their hiring practices and procedures, putting guidelines in place to ensure the marketing media and copywriting they use are more inclusive and representative, and surveying current and past employees for feedback, is prioritizing the diversity of sourcing in your content.
Your marketing needs more than one perspective: the importance of diversification in marketing
It’s no surprise that consumers expect more from the brands they’re supporting.
Recent years have shone a light on the broken and unethical systems that are in place in our society and the general public, particularly younger generations, want to support brands who are instead demonstrating values like diversity, accessibility and inclusion.
As business owners, it’s our job to respond to this public demand, and ensure we’re making authentic diversity and accessibility a priority in our marketing. (Not just because it’s being demanded, but because it’s the right thing to do).
Here are a few common issues that I see far too often in marketing.
Your marketing isn't annoying to your people
One of the more common issues clients raise about creating and sharing content (especially repurposing content or repeating ideas) is the fear that their audience will be annoyed.
Let me put your fears to rest: if people in your audience are annoyed, they aren't your people.
If anyone shares that they are unhappy or annoyed with your content, they aren't the right fit for you!
How long should your blog posts be?
If you've ever wondered whether there's an ideal length for a blog post, this is for you. You can read a hundred different answers and none of them will give you a definitive answer that works for you because they aren't you!
For the most part, there's no need to get caught up in these kinds of questions. What's more important is to confirm that you're helping your audience with an actual problem, or giving them a perspective with information that's useful.
3 important questions your content needs to answer
You need to approach all of your content, particularly your sales pages, thinking about how what you’re writing is going to serve the reader, and plant the seed that working with you or purchasing your product is potentially their next step.
Good content is about more than simply being well-written. It’s about providing your readers with the answers to the questions they’re searching for.
Here are 3 critical questions your content needs to answer.
Why you still need a blog on your website
If you’ve heard that blogs are outdated and there’s no point in starting one, or that you should abandon your blogging efforts in pursuit of a social media strategy, I’m sorry to say that unfortunately you’ve likely been given bad advice.
Now granted, blogging practices have changed. And, yes, social media can be a great way to grow your business. But blogging is far from dead. In fact, blogging can be an integral element of a larger content marketing plan if executed properly.
Here are some of the top reasons you still need a blog on your website if you’re looking to grow your business.
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