Question: Have you actually sat down to create a content strategy for your business? If you’re like most hustlers trying to build a business, maybe work another job, and still have a LIFE, the answer is probably no. One of the biggest mistakes I see small business owners making is creating content with no real strategy behind it. They are either creating just for the sake of creating OR creating to keep up with whatever trends are poppin’. As a professional copywriter and content strategist, I’ve figured out a failproof method for not only creating content but creating content with a strategy that actually moves the needle forward on your business. 

If you don’t already know for 100% why you NEED a content strategy, read this:

6 Steps to Create Your Content Strategy

1. Figure out what offers you are leading to

• If you’re just creating to create (and expecting to be paid) you’ll get real burnt out real quick
• For every piece of content ask: how does this fit into your bigger goals?
• What paid offers or freebies does this piece of content lead to?

2. Establish your content pillars to direct your entire content strategy

• Though it’s tempting to either only talk about what you sell OR talk about everything under the sun that suits your fancy, don’t. Establish solid content pillars for your brand messaging that speaks to the value your product or service provides, your core values as a company, fringe topics that will help your client, and a little behind the scenes.
• If a content idea doesn’t fit within your content pillars, do a double-check and really think things through before posting it. 

Not 100% sure what your content pillars should be? I’ve gotcha covered in this post

3. Create your content strategy for your client, not for yourself

• As a business owner and as a content creator, you need to always be asking: “How does this serve my customer?”
• Too many small business owners create the content that they want to create simply because they want to create it. Then it falls flat when they try to market their content because it does nothing for the customer.
• Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think, “What will their hangups be? What will their questions be?”
• Not only is this essential for launching products or writing website copy (bonus tip), but it’s also essential to consider questions and hangups with your overall content strategy and individual pieces of long-form content.
• Sometimes we are so close to our own work that it’s hard for us to understand why someone wouldn’t “get” the value of our products when in reality they are 3 steps behind us and need the information that got us three steps ahead. 

4. What value can you provide for free that will prove that your product/method gets results?

• Again, because we are creating content with the end in mind (using what you’re great at to help someone else and generate income) it’s essential that you think with the mind of a customer/ consumer.
• News flash- gone are the days of “if you build it they will come and buy”. Nowadays, there is SO much free information out there that if your FREE content doesn’t HELP someone, they will never purchase your paid content.

5. What is your unique spin?

• I know that it’s really easy to think “well, it’s already been said” or “so-and-so has already created content on this subject, so why should I.” And I am NOT saying that you should copy, plagiarize, or mimic someone else’s content strategy. But what I AM saying is that YOU have a unique spin, a little different perspective or method than anyone else in your market and you should create content from that.
• Truly, the more people I get to know, the more I realize that we truly are all unique. Even if you have all the same degrees and have taken all the same courses as someone, you will still have a slightly different take, different approach to nearly everything. 
• When you learn to appreciate what makes YOU unique and EMBRACE your God-given strengths, it’s much easier to boldly offer your knowledge and perspective on a topic.

6. Repurpose your content multiple times across multiple platforms

• Depending on the content and the length of the content, I’ve figured out how to repurpose one piece of long-form content 10-15 times. No joke.
• If you are re-inventing content every time that you sit down to post on social media or Pinterest, then you are working too hard and wasting precious time.
• If you’re ready to work smarter and not just harder with your content, read this post and learn a few of the ways I teach to re-purpose content.

But if you’re ready to go gangbusters and REALLY uplevel your content game, schedule a coaching session now!

Content creation is undoubtedly a huge factor in the success of your business. As digital content marketing becomes increasingly more and more important, having an intentional content strategy is crucial for your business. But I truly believe that if you’ll follow these steps and create an intentional content strategy for YOUR business, not only will creating content be easier (heyyyy), but it will drive more results into your bank account! If you find yourself still struggling to come up with the best content strategy for YOU after these tips, let’s get you a Content Strategy Call where I’ll help you map out your content pillars and plan MONTHS of SEO friendly, customer-centric content for you.

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