What is it you’re trying to say?
If you don’t have a clear brand voice identified and your content planned out, chances are your point might be getting lost in translation.
Don’t get me wrong; not everything you write has to be the best thing you’ve ever written. Nor does it need to provide some groundbreaking lesson that’s never before been heard. I’m a big believer that not every caption should be selling something, and not every blog post should be a teaching guide.
That being said, your content should always serve some purpose; even if that purpose is simply to build relationships by telling people about your day, or letting them get to know you better. This might mean talking about the things that you value and believe in as well as your day!
Your story and how you got to where you are now, is gold dust as far as content marketing is concerned. If you want people to trust the things you’re saying and the advice you’re providing, you need to position yourself as an authority.
And that doesn’t mean just mentioning your story once. It means making it an integral part of your content plan and driving that point home over and over.
So how do you develop a purposeful story driven content plan that forges a deep connection with your audience?
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Timeline out your life
If you’re going to tell your story, you’ve gotta figure out what that story is. What did you like doing as a child that relates to your business? What chances did you take to end up where you are? What lessons did you have to learn? What were your struggles? What are your qualifications or work history? (Though, as someone who has built their entire career on being self taught, I consider this less important!) Where have you lived? What do you enjoy doing?
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Define your values
I’ve written a few times about how important your values are to your brand voice; here and here. If you haven’t taken the time to really work out what it is you stand for, I highly recommend it. Knowing your values can inform every decision you make in your business, from staffing to content!
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Establish your target audience and their challenges
If you’re going to tell your story, you have to know who you’re telling it to! By figuring out exactly who you’re talking to (down to the magazines they read and the places they frequent for lunch) you’ll be able to easily figure out what their challenges are and how you can help them. And as a bonus, all of these challenges can be content ideas that sustain you for months!
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Work out your content pillars
Content that lacks purpose speaks to no one. Establishing content pillars is kind of like working out your “categories” of things you talk about. These content pillars shouldn’t feel restrictive however! They should be a reflection of everything you’ve established so far; your story, your values, and your target audience.
Do you still feel like your content plan isn't reflecting who you truly are? Make sure you get in touch and we can have a chat about how we can make your digital presence feel a little bit more like home!
Until next time, look after yourself!
Laura x
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