How to Create a Content Strategy that Works for You

As a service-based business owner, you know that content is key to connecting with your ideal audience and prospective clients.

And yet, it seems like there’s a never-ending list of content you could or “should” be creating. How do you know what content will work best for your business?

The good news is that there isn’t one magical formula when it comes to content strategy.

The truth is that the strategy that will work best for your business will be unique to you, because there’s no one else exactly like you.

That being said, there are a few key elements that you can bring together in order to design a content strategy that works for you.

If you’re ready to free yourself from overwhelm and create consistent content that serves your audience and builds your business, here’s what you need to do:

Choose your strategy

If you take away only one thing from this article, remember that consistency is key. In order to build a real relationship with your audience and convert followers into clients, you need to show up consistently.

Now this doesn’t mean you have to be everywhere. Begin with a simplified strategy. 

Choose one main piece of content you’ll commit to sharing each week. This could be a blog post, podcast or video. Choose the format you’re most excited to create and one you know your audience will also enjoy. For example, if your clients are mums with young children, it’s unlikely that they’ll have hours to watch videos each week. However, they might be able to listen to a podcast or watch a short video.

Once you’ve chosen the format for your main content each week, commit to sharing this with your audience every week for at least 90 days. You’ll build a habit and will also build the know, like, trust factor with your audience, as they know you’re showing up each week with valuable content.

Be deliberate

When it comes to content, one of the questions I hear most frequently is, “What do I write about? What do I share?”

Though it’s important to be consistent with your content, it’s also important to be intentional. You don’t want to create content just for the sake of sharing content. Rather, you want to share content that is going to serve and support your audience, while also helping to lead your ideal people to become your customers or clients.

If you’re feeling stuck and aren’t sure about what to write or talk about, here are some ideas to help you brainstorm:

• Think of the offer you’re leading your audience to buy. What problem does this solve? What support does this offer? What are topics related to this offer?
• Think of your ideal client’s life right now. What is she struggling with? What does she want to learn? What change does she want to create in her life? What does she need to hear right now?
• Think of your favourite clients. Where were they when you first started working together? Why did they choose to work with you? What did you work on together? How were you able to support them? What changed in their lives as a result of this work?

Allow yourself time to brainstorm. As you begin writing down ideas, it’s likely that more ideas will come to you. Whether it’s online or in a notebook, start a running list of content ideas that you can come back to whenever you’re feeling stuck around what to write or talk about.

Before you create or share any piece of content, make sure you can answer these questions:

• What is the intention of this piece of content?
• What do I want the reader, viewer, or listener to take away from this piece of content?

Set up systems

To simplify your content strategy and make sure it’s working for you, you’ll want to set up some content systems. Here are a couple I recommend starting with:

• Create your content library. 

A content library, or content bank, is simply a way to save all of the content you create. This can be done in many ways such as Trello or Google folders, the important part is to save everything. Saving your content will allow you to reuse and repurpose content in the future, making it easier to show up consistently while freeing up some of your time and energy for other tasks.

• Repurpose your main piece of content. 

Although your focus will be on creating one main piece of content each week, the fact is that not everyone is going to take the time to read, watch, or listen to that longer piece of content. If you set up systems for repurposing your content, you can make content creation easier, while making a greater impact.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas for how you might repurpose your content:

• Take excerpts from blog posts or transcripts from your podcast and create social media posts for Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
• Have a series of related blog posts or videos? Look for how they might be put together to create a new lead magnet or freebie.
• If you write notes before recording your podcast or video, you can repurpose those notes into social media posts. If you find you have ideas you didn’t cover in your episode, these could be used to create a new content upgrade that can help to build your list.

Content is a key element in building your business, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’re not sure where to begin with creating your content strategy, reach out and let’s talk. Even better, if creating, sharing and repurposing your content feels overwhelming, my team can take care of these tasks for you. Book your free Business Lifeline Call today and let’s figure out a way to make your content work for you.