I saw a client yesterday who is ready to launch her business, and we were starting to think about a visibility strategy.
As she began to recite all the places she needs to be – Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, writing articles, YouTube, speaking at her local library… – I saw the stress building in her eyes.
All. The. Things.
The overwhelm and confusion feels paralyzing just thinking about it.
Do you feel this way too? We live in an age where there are SO many ways and places to market yourself, that it can feel daunting. Maybe, you too, feel like you need to be doing all the things.
I’ve got a secret for you: you don’t.
Stop trying to do everything, be everywhere. Instead, pick two.
Here’s my content marketing strategy:Pick two things – one social channel and one content method. Pick two that play to your strengths, and then, get to know them each deeply. Get really good at them. Invest in them. Then move on with your life.
To be clear, I’m talking to those of us who are service providers, offering a deliverable or expertise to clients, who use content marketing to bring potential clients into your business world.
If you’re a content creator, this strategy may not work for you, because your product IS the content and different rules apply depending on how you’ve decided to monetize that content.
But for those of us for whom the content isn’t the end product, the main function of creating content is to helping people get to know our brand and growing our business’ reach.
So, how do you go about picking two? Let’s dive in.
Step 0: What’s your purpose?
Ok, ok, I know – step zero is a little weird, but hear me out! Before we can pick two, we gotta take a step back and figure out what your big picture purpose is going to be. Before we decide what to make and where we’re going to share it, we need to decide what your end goal is.
Your content needs to offer a call to action – join your email list, book a call, buy your lead package or something else equally relevant to growing your business by attracting paying customers. I’m not saying they shouldn’t also educate or entertain, but don’t lose sight of the content’s ultimate purpose.
How many people do you follow on Instagram, you think they’re cool, but have NO IDEA what they actually do for a business or how you would work with them if they’re a service provider?
Yeah. You will probably never end up on their email list or sign up to work with them, even if you love their brand.
Remember: making content is NOT for the sake of content itself. Content should have a purpose: to help ideal clients find you, educate them, and keep your services top of mind when they are ready for them.
So, imagine you’ve already created that awesome content and are sharing it in a great social space, attracting your ideal audience.
What do they do next? What is the next button they click, the next product they buy? Don’t lose sight of the purpose of your content, or you’ll just find yourself creating stuff that doesn’t serve your business needs.
Okay, so do you have your call-to-action in mind? You know what you want your ideal client to do once they find your awesome article/podcast/instapost/video?
Alright, now you’re ready to move on to step 1.
Step 1: Pick a content medium.
You want to create content that helps educate people and prepares them to work with you. It also establishes you as a trusted authority and warms people up. What kind of content? That’s what you’re going to choose.
Examples:
- Writing articles
- Podcasts
- YouTube videos
- Public speaking
How do you go about deciding which of these is best for you? Here are some good questions to help you figure that out:
1. Which of these do YOU enjoy? Don’t pick based on a “should,” or it will be very difficult to be consistent. If you enjoy it, you’ll be much more likely to actually create this content.
2. Do you have a skill set that could help make one easier? Maybe you’re already a writer, or have great video editing skills. Maybe you are great at interviewing people, making a podcast a natural fit.
3. Where do YOUR people hang out? How do the people you want to reach consume information? It will do you no good to be posting on Insta and making YouTube videos if all your people hang out on LinkedIn and listen to podcasts.
If you can find the overlap between these three, you’re golden.
Step 2: Pick a social platform to share your content.
Now that you’ve decided what you want to make, pick a social platform where you can share your work – one that makes it easy and low-risk for people to find and follow you, get the flavor of who you are, what you offer. Use this platform to market yourself, as well as offering genuinely helpful information to others in your target market.
Examples:
- Sub-Reddits
If you’re not super familiar with the social platform you’ve chosen, it’s time to get to know it better – the ins and outs of how it works, how content is shared, what makes it successful. Start sharing the content you’ve created on your platform, creating community and connecting with others.
An Aside: Build an Email List
Even if email isn’t your chosen platform, start building your email list ASAP. Why? You do not own followers on any social platform, and those platforms can “poof” your account away any day on a whim. But they can’t take your email addresses! So be wise and build your list so it’s there if you need it.
Make a Content Plan: Plan Your Topics and Your Frequency
Now you’ve got two things to decide: what to talk about and how often to post.
For content areas, I learned a simple, straight forward approach from Louise Brogen of LinkedIn with Louise:
- Make a list of 6 areas/topics that you know are relevant to your audience.
- Under each of those topics, add four “sub-topics” that break down even further what you know your ideal client needs to understand in those areas to be successful.
- There’s your weekly content plan for the next six months.
Of course, if something brilliant comes to you when you sit down to create, you can always tweak this plan, but you’re not staring at a blank slate anymore when it comes to making something, and what you talk about has some cohesion.
Now: how often are you going to make content? Pick a frequency that’s actually do-able for you and make a plan on how or when you’re going to create and share this fabulous content.
My Content Marketing Plan: How I Make This Strategy Work for Me
So, let me give you some insight into how this plan looks in action.
For me, as a coach, the purpose of my content is to bring in new coaching clients. And not just anybody: I’m aimed at solo-entrepreneurs that are looking to make the business both profitable and pleasurable – i.e. – they’re making enough money doing what they love that they can take a day off when they need to and not stress.
I’m trying to reach these small business owners and allow them to get to know me as a coach by giving them approachable, helpful content that’s relevant to them.
To do that, I write two articles a month, and then I share those articles with my email list and later on my blog and LinkedIn.
To make it actually happen, I have one day a month set aside for writing, then I send the articles to my writer for editing (shout out to Megan Cotrell y’all!).
In addition to my articles, I post 1-2 times a week on LinkedIn, and then interact there regularly.
Recently I started posting on Instagram once a week on Friday because it’s fun.
When I post, I specifically share what I did on my Friday off, but if it doesn’t get done, I don’t beat myself up about it. It’s like ancillary content.
My articles and posts cover topics that my ideal client struggles with as a solopreneur managing their time and energy. I want them to be genuinely helpful, and I also want them to highlight areas where I can take clients to the next logical step. I want clients to get a sense of my personality and approach.
For example, right now you’re reading this article. Maybe you are a fan of Gary Vee’s “BE EVERYWHERE” strategy, and after reading this, you probably know I’m not the coach to work with because I vehemently disagree.
I’m about hitting a minimum ROI on everything you do so that you can maximize the impact from every hour you work in your business. SO YOU CAN TAKE FRIDAYS OFF! ????
But, but, but….
Maybe you’re feeling all the objections pile up in your head like a thought train-wreck right now. That’s okay. Take a deep breath. Next time, I’m gonna dive into all of those, but until then, I want you to start thinking about these questions:
- What’s the purpose?
- What do I want to create?
- Where do I want to be?
Remember, we’re looking to create a sustainable, focused, thoughtful content marketing plan – one that brings you the clients and work you need without stressing yourself to the max.
You can do this! I believe in you!
Cheers,
– Raina
