When I first started my business, using content marketing was an easy decision. I produce content for other people so it was the obvious way for me to showcase my skills. That said, deciding exactly what I was going to write proved slightly more challenging.
I knew that I had the ability to talk to people and translate what they told me into something other people would enjoy reading. However, I’d spent my writing life up to that point either working on fiction or writing reports and advice letters to clients when I was still working in the law. I had hundreds of ideas but still didn’t know where to start!
You might already be sold on the benefits of content marketing but still have very little idea of what that content is going to be. If you’re wondering exactly what content marketing is, start here.
What are you comfortable with?
Don’t feel as if you have to launch yourself with a massive amount of content. It’s usually better to try a few things out and see what works. Pick two or three types of content and focus on those.
It was a complete no brainer for me to start blogging as it gives me a platform to talk about my business, what lead me to this point and also to talk about subjects that my audience will (hopefully) find interesting. I realised that if I sat and pondered my options I’d never do anything.
The best thing you can do is to get something out there. It will take time for you to build your profile and each new piece of content will allow you to gather more information about what your audience likes.
If your business lends itself well to something visual, start with photos with a few words of description. Video can be great too. I’ve seen other businesses use video to show products, behind the scenes or as case studies.
If you’re comfortable with writing, try starting a blog. It lets you tell your story, talk about the things that inspire you in your work and the techniques that you use.
Make sure you have a strong headline too – around 80% of your potential readers won’t get past the headline! If you’d like some guidance on this you can get my free headline writing guide [here].
Think about your customer
When I’m coming up with new topics I always have my potential customers in mind. That way I can think of what challenges they face and ways that my services will benefit them. I work for small businesses a fair bit so there’s often a lot of overlap between their struggles and mine.
We all have busy lives and juggling those demands can be a struggle. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed sometimes or feel as if we don’t know what our next steps should be. Sometimes being honest about your life and what’s going on can help you to forge a really powerful connection with your customers.
How can you make it easy for people to do business with you? What’s unique about your products? If they use your service, how does it all work?
Further reading
If you’d like to learn more about profiling your ideal customer, take a look at this fabulous blog from Claire Mitchell of The Girls Mean Business
Laura Dunn has some great advice on dealing with marketing overwhelm here – she has an amazing Facebook group too.
If you want to try a new approach to your content marketing, I’m for hire! Get in touch or register here to receive regular updates, special offers and a free copy of my guide, ‘Marketing magic: your indispensable guide to creating amazing headlines’.