Posted by Annie Niehoff in Uncategorized
I am currently reading “Steal Like An Artist,” by Austin Kleon where he identifies the 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative.
One chapter, Write the Book You Want to Read, has particularity inspired me to focus my daily work and writing into a space of creativity. Kleon says that we should do more than just writing down what we know…we should write about what we like!
The same goes for your content strategy. Don’t let producing informative content become just another check on your to-do list. Breathe new life into your content strategy by using these 5 tips to write the stuff YOU want to read.
1. Write what you LIKE
Kleon’s first piece of advice is simple and effective; write what you LIKE.
Make your content strategy colorful by bringing in your other interests into your business. If you like golf, include some golf analogies in your next piece of content. Are you one with The Force? Create a Star Wars themed blog post and apply those ideas to your business. Have you been unable to get over your childhood love of Snoopy and all things Charlie Brown? Try creating a Charles Schulz-esque infographic.
The point is, writing about stuff that you find enjoyable will go over a lot better with your prospects than if you were to just write about something you only find mildly interesting. Your prospects can tell when you are drumming up content simply for getting clicks and when you are truly spreading the nerdy love of your interest in Game of Thrones.
2. Keep it Authentic
Respect your prospects by honoring a topic with an honest portrayal to the best of your ability.
Since you are trying to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field, there are probably many topics that you DO consider yourself an expert on. Feel free to show-off that expertise with some engaging and thought-provoking content that your prospects will find useful.
However, this doesn't mean that you should avoid topics that interest you simply because you don’t consider yourself an expert.
For example, I love learning about Greek mythology, but I am by no means an expert. But instead of dropping my interest in Zeus and his affinity for turning former lovers into a cows, I can engage my prospects by sharing with them what I learned after watching the latest episode of The History Channel's Gods and Goddesses.
Now if I can just figure out how to relate that to the B2B space, I will be good to go for my next blog post…
3. Be Specific
Specificity is an amazing tool that helps readers engage quickly and without much effort.
People who read an article will immediately warm up to references about things they know. Even if you are blogging about technical aspects of process engineering, there are plenty of places to drop specifics.
If your ideal prospects tend to be local, you can mention you recent trip to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. A national-reaching company can relate to their prospects by talking about popular hobbies, current events, or nostalgic references to get to the specifics.
By talking about these specific references, your prospects can easily be drawn into your story.
4. Have a voice
Don’t be coy, tell us what you think! The meaty, fun, interesting stuff comes when you get past the politics of being polite. Be funny, be brave, be insecure. You are human and your content should be written by a human.
Prospects are going to read content that tickles their interest, but they will come back to your blog if there is a human behind it all. An audience will be drawn into the life behind the words on the screen.
This can easily be done by adding personalized pieces of information; retell that story from your last family dinner when grandma decided to hide under the table, or feel free to mention a current dilemma your are experiencing in your own business.
By incorporating that human element in your content, your prospects will be able to relate with your relationships and experiences and may start to feel like they already know you. So when it is time to get them on the phone, they are willing and eager to talk with that person they already “know.”
5. Have fun
At the end of the book, Kleon encourages us to “do the work you want to see done.” Whether your content strategy is just a small part of your business strategy or not, it is an opportunity to plug into your interests and share with the world.
So stop stressing yourself out, relax and have fun with it! Don’t judge yourself too hard, that’s what editing is for.
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Creating content for your business can be a creative outlet, so make sure to keep the focus on writing engaging content for both you and your target audience.
What is your approach to creating content? Did you find your content strategy to be blah or BAM! Tell me about it in the comments!
