Content writers and digital marketers (myself included) love to tell small business owners that content creation is easy. You just have to have the right strategy.
"If you take the time to figure out your target audience, define your 'why' and establish your content pillars, then creating on-brand content consistently will be a snap!"
But the truth is, even with all of this stuff all figured out, it's still hard sometimes - especially if you're trying to be strategic about it.I've definitely been guilty of marketing my content planning products with this pervasive narrative at the forefront of my strategy. And while the content planning strategies I've included in these resources usually work for me, and may work for you, it won't work for everyone - nor will it work every single time.
We are not never-ending idea machines, nor do we have limitless creativity. Sometimes creating content is a snap; sometimes it looks a lot more like a detective obsessively investigating a murder on a TV crime drama. You know... post-it notes, string and a slightly deranged look?
Defining who you're talking to, what you're talking about and how it relates back to what you do and how you do it, is incredibly important. It's defining your North Star, guiding you in every bit of marketing you put out there.
But the North Star isn't always visible. Sometimes it's cloudy or raining, sometimes there's something obscuring your view and sometimes, it's just not the right time of day to see it.
This analogy should be applied to every content strategy. You can be as clear as you've ever been about who you're creating content for, but still be staring at a blank screen with nothing to say.
Here's the thing: that's OK.
If someone is out there telling you it isn't OK, ignore them. Block them, mute them, fire them… whatever.
Because here's the tea (a phrase I have never used before, but I'm trying it out - what do you think?): even we get stuck sometimes.
The photos in this blog post are not staged. I didn't stick a bunch of post-it notes on my wall purely for the aesthetic or for this post. This is me working to get past a strategic content planning block, and this time, it took time.
It took patience, it took trust and rest, and it took post-it notes and a thesaurus, and many cups of coffee.
Sometimes, this is what content creation looks like.
Next time, it might be a snap. Next time, it might look like this again. But the end result will be remarkable. That's all part of the creative process.
So don't be so hard on yourself if the words aren't coming to you right now. Creating content isn't always easy - if it was, there'd be no need for content creators, right?
Give it time, give it space, and be kind to yourself! The words will come.
Until next time, be kind to yourself!
Laura x
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