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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.
Your comments matter: Everything you do publicly is a representation of your brand, so be intentional!
How you show up online is a direct extension of your brand. This goes beyond what you’re posting on your business social media accounts, or on your company website and blog, and also encompasses any comments you decide to share online.
When you show up authentically and positively, engaging with other brands and content in appropriate ways, it can do wonders for your company's growth.
On the other hand, if you find yourself regularly commenting on posts without taking pause first to consider how those comments might be perceived by your audience, you might end up regretting those moments of keyboard courage.
The problem with techniques and templates that oversimplify your business
There are endless resources online for those looking to ‘up’ their marketing game: templates to hone in on your target audience, specific formulas you can follow to grow your social media account or increase your email list, and techniques for getting clear on where and how you should be showing up online, to name a few.
And, while there’s nothing wrong with the intention behind these resources, there are a few issues that tend to come up when business owners rely too heavily on them.
A few of my favourite productivity and creativity tools for small business owners
To build a successful business you need to focus on sustainability.
To support you in your pursuit to accomplish more in your business, without running yourself into the ground, I’ve compiled a few of my favourite productivity and creativity helpers.
I use these frequently in my business and with my clients for increased efficiency, and to help ensure I have a more manageable workload!
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.
Case study: Don’t write "how-to" articles that aren't helpful
There are probably hundreds of millions of marketing-related articles out on the internet. A big portion of those articles are "how-to" guides for various activities us marketing types like to encourage business owners like you to implement.
The problem is that way too many of these articles have little to no real value in them.
Let's break down the points of one of these articles and instead review what real value looks like.
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.
5 prompts to inspire your content marketing (to engage your audience and make more sales)
Creating content for your marketing strategy is a never-ending process. That’s essentially the name of the game! Continue to show up, continue to serve, continue to add value to your audience, and you’ll see tangible results over time in the form of sales and community growth.
Knowing that content curation is beneficial and showing up across platforms, though, are two very different things.
If you’re struggling to know what to post, content prompts can help to fuel new ideas and inspiration around telling your story, providing value, and sharing your offers to better engage your audience.
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