You want to create content that stands out, but you feel overwhelmed by the endless options and demands of your audience. How can you streamline your creative workflow and produce quality content faster and easier? In this article, you'll learn some tips and tools to help you plan, execute, and optimize your content creation process.
Before you start creating content, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you'll measure your success. Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, you might want to increase your website traffic by 10% in the next month by creating engaging blog posts that rank well on search engines. Having SMART goals will help you focus your efforts and evaluate your results.
What impact do you want? Inform, entertain, inspire? Who are you trying to reach? Their needs, and interests. Set measurable targets: Views, engagement, conversions.
If your content isn't sticking out, it's not your content strategy that's the problem: it's your brand voice. Always go back to the brand. Remind yourself what it's about, why it exists and what it wants to achieve e.g. Nike, KFC, Apple etc. You know their voice, you know their story. Branded content that works best is branded content that's consistently aligned to the narrative, personality and character of the brand. If you haven't figured that out yet, now's the time to really get into it. Define those things first. Then you'll stand out better. And remain true to the vision.
Every piece of content can stand out if you know how to present it in front of your audience. To do that, one technique that helps is writing the topic and content without an editors mindset. Understand how you can change the tone, messaging, and position it in a way that catches the readers eye instantly. Secondly, one content won't work on all platforms. What works on Instagram, won't always work on LinkedIn. So it is necessary to tweak it accordingly to ride the wave of their algorithm. And lastly, write like you mean it :) It always helps in having a free flow.
When facing difficulties in creating standout content, streamlining the creative workflow involves setting clear objectives, gathering diverse inspiration, creating templates, using collaboration tools, batching tasks, and seeking feedback iteratively to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of content creation processes. To streamline the creative workflow for creating standout content, it's crucial to establish a clear vision and objectives, conduct thorough research for inspiration, implement efficient tools and templates for consistency, collaborate effectively with team members, prioritize tasks, and iterate based on feedback to ensure continuous improvement and relevance to the audience.
Always know what your content is trying to achieve, and don’t try to be too ambitious. Content is nothing more than an ongoing conversation with your audience.
To create content that stands out, you need to know who you're creating it for. You need to understand your audience's needs, preferences, challenges, and motivations. You can use various methods to research your audience, such as surveys, interviews, analytics, social media, and online communities. You can also create buyer personas, which are fictional representations of your ideal customers, to guide your content creation. By researching your audience, you can create content that resonates with them and solves their problems.
Who are they? Demographics, behaviors, motivations. What are their challenges? Pain points, and desires. What content resonates with them? Existing trends, and preferences.
Make sure the research you do is actionable to creating content. Understand the daily lives of your customers, their challenges and pain points. And your research should be emotionally resonate, not a series of data points.
Avoid myopia by seeking other people's opinions that aren't carbon copies of yourself, whether colleagues, customers (private networks a very good way to do this) or your friends. All too often we gravitate towards making content for ourselves despite the time we've put into research.
When you're simplifying your creative process to produce exceptional content that not only stands out but converts, understanding your audience is key. Begin by identifying their needs, interests, and pain points to tailor your content effectively. How to start streamlining it? - Plan your content schedule in advance. - Save time and maintain consistency by repurposing existing content. - Use automation tools to schedule posts and track performance, making your workflow smoother. Ultimately, focusing on delivering value and addressing your audience's concerns will help your content stand out.
Truly understanding your audience's interests, challenges, and values will make your content more relatable and engaging. Regularly analyze customer data and feedback to refine your audience knowledge. Advice: "The consumer isn't a moron; she is your wife." - David Ogilvy Tips: Conduct surveys, analyze web traffic and sales data, monitor social media conversations
Once you have your goals and audience in mind, you can start generating ideas for your content. You can use different techniques to brainstorm ideas, such as mind mapping, freewriting, brainstorming questions, or using online tools like AnswerThePublic or BuzzSumo. You can also look for inspiration from your competitors, industry trends, or customer feedback. The key is to generate as many ideas as possible without judging them at this stage.
Mind map, free-write, and ask questions. Explore different angles. Look for inspiration: Industry trends and competitor analysis. Focus on quality, not quantity. Choose your strongest ideas.
Think laterally. There are no original ideas, but tweaks, mashups and juxtapositions take what's already there and make something new. As a cartoonist, I often come up with ideas this way -- take a character plus an object plus a setting or season and see what story you get: for example a dog playing chess, or a bunch of naked people on a Zoom call in Hell (both of which ran in The New Yorker). You can also waterski behind hot topics in the news or use the calendar as inspiration, alongside more evergreen ideas. So don't worry about inventing from scratch when you brainstorm; that's a recipe for writer's block. Instead, shake the box and see what interesting combinations you get!
My go-to way to brainstorm ideas is to sketch a visual map - be it a Venn diagram, or a mindmap, or a flywheel. This sparks more ideas than just lists.
Start by immersing yourself in your audience's world. Understand their needs, preferences, and pain points. Encourage collaboration by involving team members or seeking inspiration from diverse sources. Prioritize ideas based on relevance, novelty, and feasibility, and refine them into actionable concepts. Lastly, experiment with different formats, styles, and angles to create content that resonates with your audience and sets you apart from the competition.
One brainstorming technique you can do with a team or by yourself is the post-it note brainstorm. Set a timer for a certain amount of time (anywhere from 2-5 minutes) and provide a prompt. From there, write down every content idea that comes to mind, no matter how outrageous or dull. This works best when you do this a handful of times with your audience journey in mind. Select different points on the journey and answer a question your audience may be asking. For example, your audience is at the point of newsletter subscription and they're wondering if they have room in their inbox for another newsletter. You would then ideate off of that prompt/scenario.
After you have a list of ideas, you need to prioritize and organize them according to your goals, audience, and resources. You can use a content calendar to plan your content creation and distribution schedule. A content calendar can help you visualize your content strategy, assign tasks and deadlines, and ensure consistency and quality. You can use tools like Trello, Asana, or CoSchedule to create and manage your content calendar.
Rank ideas based on impact and feasibility. Create a content calendar. Schedule creation and promotion. Break down tasks into manageable steps. Stay focused.
Eu utilizo o trello para organizar meu conteúdo no sentido de pensar que storytelling estou criando e como posso contar essa história, como será o inicio, o meio e o fim dessa jornada. Lá eu escolho que narrativa será, como será construída, que voz possuíra, e isso vai determinando a escala e ordem que tudo isso ocorrerá.
Having a content calendar and editorial workflow keeps your team aligned on priorities and progress. Maintain focus on top performing content and most important initiatives. Advice: "Details matter, it's worth waiting to get it right." - Steve Jobs Tips: Trello boards, Asana, content matrix, statuses and tagging
Now that you have your content plan, you can start creating your content. Depending on the type and format of your content, you might need different tools and skills to create it. For example, you might need a writing tool like Google Docs or WordPress, a design tool like Canva or Photoshop, or a video tool like Lumen5 or Premiere Pro. Whatever tool you use, make sure you follow the best practices for your content type and format, such as using headlines, subheadings, images, keywords, and calls to action. After you create your content, you need to edit it for clarity, accuracy, and readability. You can use tools like Grammarly, Hemingway, or ProWritingAid to check and improve your writing.
Set deadlines and work in focused bursts. Avoid distractions. Use relevant tools and resources. Streamline design, and writing. Get feedback early and iterate before finalizing content.
In my opinion, getting started with writing is often best done by jotting down your initial thoughts and ideas, whether on paper or digitally using your favorite writing tool. While digital tools offer better version control and accessibility, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. Once you have a sense of what you want to convey and where your key points lie, shaping your content becomes a smoother process. Think of it as wearing two hats: first, write freely like a romantic author, letting your thoughts flow. Then, switch to the hat of a ruthless editor in the second phase, checking for format, content length, and overall suitability. This two-phase approach helps bring out well-rounded and polished content.
Dependendo da plataforma onde o conteúdo será veiculado, eu escolho o aprouch que farei. Se for para redes sociais, como o Instagram: Primeiramente vejo que linguagem visual vamos usar e tento no canva montar uma prévia de feed, com a prévia do feed montada, retorno para o trello e nos cards montados por dia e tema, come?o a criar os elementos de cada postagem, como imagem ou vídeo e a legenda. Assim vou montando meu conteúdo e a minha narrativa, de acordo com o que foi planejado e as hierarquias criadas.
Craft compelling content through great writing, impactful design, and optimization for your channel and audience. Refine through an iterative process of feedback and testing. Advice: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci Tips: Brand style guides, design templates, workflow checklists
In my view as a communications consultant, creating content is not about the tools, it is about listening to client needs and having the depth of experience to write informed, creative content that meets their goals. In B2B tech industries, the value of hiring a writer with experience pays off in spades.
The final step of your creative workflow is to publish and promote your content. You need to choose the right platforms and channels to reach your audience and achieve your goals. You can use tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Mailchimp to schedule and automate your content distribution and promotion. You also need to monitor and analyze your content performance, using tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or HubSpot. By tracking and measuring your content metrics, such as traffic, engagement, conversions, and revenue, you can evaluate your content effectiveness and optimize your creative workflow.
Choose the right channels for your audience. Be strategic. Optimize your content for each platform. SEO, hashtags. Engage with your audience. Respond to comments, and questions.
Distribution and promotion are key to content success. Leverage owned, earned, and paid channels to maximize reach and engagement. Track performance to optimize. Advice: "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." - John Wanamaker Tips: Social scheduling tools, email marketing, paid promotions
O momento de postar, é o fechamento dessa jornada que veio desde o desenvolvimento da ideia, passando pela constru??o da narrativa, depois a estratégia de apresenta??o, o planejamento dela em si, para ent?o vir a execu??o. Se seguirmos nosso exemplo, e o conteúdo for postado no instagram, além de impulsionado pela ferramenta da própria plataforma, pode ser divulgado através de automa??es que gerar?o impulsionamentos, utilizando o Whatsapp, se preocupando em usar a mesma linguagem.
Collaboration: Leverage others' expertise and fresh perspectives. Data analysis: Track results and adapt your strategy based on insights. Experimentation: Test new formats, platforms, and approaches. Be patient and persistent: Building a successful creative workflow takes time and effort.
Your work is not complete when you hit publish. "Posting and ghosting" will not help you accomplish your content goals. To leverage social media properly, you should focus on building community through your content. That means creating posts that spur conversation, build trust, and foster loyalty. Take the time engage with the comments on your posts, engage with your audiences' posts, engage with other creator's posts, and respond to DMs.
brainstorm ideas. Then, outline your main points. Next, gather relevant information. After that, start writing, focusing on one section at a time. Remember to keep your language clear and engaging. Once you've finished writing, take a break, and then revise your content for clarity and style. Finally, add visuals if needed.
Fa?a trasnmidia dos conteúdos. Aproveite ao máximo o conteúdo existente, reformatando-o para diferentes canais. Transforme um blog post em um vídeo, por exemplo, para alcan?ar audiências variadas. Criei varia??es para outros formatos, como: transformar um blog post em diferentes formatos, como vídeos, infográficos, podcasts ou até mesmo uma série de postagens em redes sociais. Diversificar os formatos permite atingir públicos com preferências diversas.
Always define what you want your stakeholders to sign off. Dor example don't allow technical sign off to have an opinion and brand and visuals.