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5 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before You Publish Content
Creating content is a time-consuming task; I know because of all the pushback I get from some of my clients. However, "content is king" now more than ever. You're competing for some really popular digital real estate. So, you better make it worth someone's effort to click on what you're putting out there.
Something that every business owner needs to be aware of is whether or not what they're publishing is actually what their ideal client is attracted to. More and more, it seems like people are putting content out there that really has nothing to do with their ideal client and their interests. Which makes it a waste of their time and yours.
So, let's look at what you should ask yourself before you use your valuable time to create content.
1. Who is your ideal client?
Don't click off this post. Yes, I know you've heard this a MILLION TIMES, but you really have to narrow this down. Not only income, family life, age, and gender...but what all of those things put together mean. If I'm targeting a mother of 3 in her mid-thirties who has a full-time job...she's busy. She doesn't have time for BS. So, the content you're putting out there needs to reflect that. Make it skimmable and to the point.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't just look at the demographics of your ideal client. Actually put yourself in their shoes and think about what content will best serve them.
2. What is their problem?
That should be the central focus of any content you put out there: What problem are you trying to solve for the ideal client? Frankly, I've run into so many situations where the business is putting out what they like, rather than what the ideal client needs. You might run across a great article that interests you, but before you post it...is it something your client will find helpful? Because those are 2 different things.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't serve yourself with your content. Serve the client.
3. Is it already being done?
This takes a little research on your part, but in the long run it could save you valuable time and effort: Is what you're thinking about doing already being covered? And if so, is there a specific spin that you can contribute to the subject...or do you need to move on? Constantly ask yourself if what you're putting out there has value to - I'm going to say it again - your ideal client. If not, you need to think about it a little more.
BOTTOM LINE: If what you're thinking about doing (especially if you're thinking about a larger campaign, online courses, etc.) is already out there, you need to either change subjects or really think about what you personally bring to the content.
4. Are you using the right platform for your ideal client?
Different age groups, genders, interests have their preferred method of receiving content. Are you delivering it to them where they already are? People in their 60s aren't using online courses as much as people in their 30s. People in their 20s aren't on Facebook and LinkedIn - they're on Instagram and YouTube. The way you deliver your content has nothing at all to do with you - it has to do with the client. Again, you have to put yourself in your client's shoes and possibly do a little research. Better to do that upfront than waste time promoting content that doesn't have an audience.
BOTTOM LINE: Meet the client where they are.
5. What do you want the outcome to be?
People are constantly disappointed with outcome of their content and social media efforts many times because they never identified what they wanted the outcome to be in the first place. Of course, what most of us want are more clients as a result of what we're putting out there, but we're not distributing it in a way that allows for that. If what you're looking for are more viable leads, you need to create a way to capture them in a way that's measurable. That means using specific campaigns to get the result you want.
That also leads to me question 5 1/2: How many leads do you actually want? It never fails to surprise me when I ask a client who has been working on brand awareness how many new clients they want this year and the answer is "3 or 4" or something along those lines. That's a very targeted audience. So, no, you shouldn't be putting out financial advice for the masses or real estate for every buyer. You should be putting out content that attracts those 3-4 people this year.
BOTTOM LINE: Define what you want from the beginning and market that way.
While asking these questions and doing your homework upfront might seem like more time than you want to spend, it's better to take a few hours to do the research rather than waste months on marketing that doesn't work. Truly digging into these topics will get you on the right path to attracting your ideal clients.
