Every small business owner knows you need to create content. Post to social media. Publish a website. Send an email. And the constant churn of it can exhaust even the most creative people. And for those for whom creativity is not where your talents lie… it can be an overwhelming task. You know you need to create good content. But what do you say? How do you say it? What format do I use for which platform? It’s enough to make a lot of small business owners just stop trying, which doesn’t help grow your business at all. I see your pain, and I want to help! So here are some tips that I think could do just that!
Tips for Creating Good Content
- Appearance This one might seem so obvious, but it’s one that gets overlooked so often. It needs to look like your business. Your content, regardless of where you will share it, should match your business’s branding – whether that means a color scheme, fonts, style, or tone – that is a decision you need to make and then stick to it. Regardless of what you choose, it should draw people in. And any text should be easily read. You can find the best dimensions for graphics, images, and videos in a simple Google search. Be sure you create it with the best dimensions for whatever platform you are sharing your content on – dimensions for stories will not always look the way you hoped in a post.
- Originality – Be sure that your content is unique – your thoughts, ideas, and words. Try to take your own photos, even if they are candid. Create your own videos, even if they are simple videos recorded with your smartphone and edited on an app. Write your content from what you know – share your knowledge, educate your audience, get a friend to do a product demo, or ask a customer to video a response or review. Of course, you want your content to be professional, especially if your business is offering professional services or mid-to-high-end products. If you need some pro content, there are some companies out there to help you with some templates. Canva is my fav go-to to make even simple content look professional. And since they have added a video component to their platform, they have so much to offer now!
- Add Value Be sure your content adds value to your visitors. No one wants to read a post or watch a video that has no value. Don’t create bait-and-switch headlines or posts out there that hardly say anything at all in their tips or how-to videos and then pitch a service. If you’re offering something free, make sure there is something free there. If someone is coming to you to engage with your content, make sure it’s worth their time and make it meaningful for them. You don’t have to give away the Colonel’s secret recipe to share something meaningful. You will lose your followers if there is no value to your content.
- Clarity Make sure that what you share is clear. Be cautious about using industry jargon. If you must use it, then use it sparingly and be sure to include enough information that a reader can understand your meaning. Read it. Then read it again. Watch it. Then watch it again. If possible, wait a day between drafts to be sure you are looking at it with fresh eyes, or send it to a friend for feedback. Try having someone walk through the steps on how-tos. Content can be beautifully and professionally made, but if it’s not clear, it’s useless.
- Passion / Enthusiasm Share your love for what you do with those who are engaging with your content. I love hearing people share the things they love, and learning about what interests them. Let that passion shine. Smiles really do draw people in – use visuals that show happy people. Excitement really is contagious. Spread it around!
- Optimization Search Engine Optimization centers around keyword and keyphrase research for a reason. That research tells us what terms, phrases, and questions are being used when users are searching for products and services. Let that be a part of your guide for creating content too. You already know the information or have the product that they are looking for, so share that with them, in the words they use to search if possible. It help will help you meet your followers and customers where they are.
- Quality over Quantity If you do a search on the best time to share content, you will find out quickly that there are about as many different answers as there as people attempting to answer the question. The honest answer is that there is no magic number of posts. The sad result is that the constant churn to find something to say often leaves your followers uninterested and disengaged with content that you aren’t passionate about or says the same thing they have already heard. Now I tell my clients to share content when they have something to say. Do you have enough to say to write a new blog post once a week and it stays engaging, then do it. But if you only have one month’s worth of good quality content, then only do one per month. Quality over quantity. The same is true on social media as well. Share something when you have something to share. It’s important to note here that I’m not saying that it’s okay to only post once a week for some businesses. Some businesses will have things to post daily that are relevant and your followers will be interested and engaged in that information. If that’s the case, then you need to be creating and sharing new content more frequently.
Hopefully, that was enough to get your creative juices flowing. If you need help coming up with a content strategy, content ideas, or just need someone to take the reigns over on your content creation, message me for a free consultation to discuss your needs and how I can help!