Avoid these content creation mistakes to stay ahead of the online marketing game and thriving in business

As an online entrepreneur, content creation can be extremely challenging. You essentially live in a vacuum of what you know and what you’ve learned, all the while finding yourself struggling with being consistent, creating content that actually ‘sells,’ and also staying authentically true to you.

Over the years of running a business and stumbling (uphill trekking, banging my head against a wall, you name it) more than thriving when it comes to content creation, I’ve learned what NOT to do – and have dang near mastered it. 

When it comes to content creation, mistakes will happen. You’ll have a typo here and there, you’ll forget to put a link in something AFTER it’s published, and you might get caught up in trying to be perfect that you spend more time than you should on it (tip: don’t do this).

The good news: these four common mistakes are fixable. Now let’s get started on the first mistake – which is all about your ideal client.

 

Mistake #1: Creating content from a place of being a “thought leader” instead of creating content that your ideal client actually needs

I wish someone had smacked me over the head with this one many years ago when I was posting things that I thought were interesting, what I THOUGHT people wanted to see. The keyword here: thought. 

I was posting content that directly correlated with the services I offered, with the phrase “thought leader” echoing in my head repeatedly because that’s what I thought was my golden ticket to getting more business. News flash, that worked on a local level – it didn’t work on a digital level.

The content you create and publish needs to be rooted in two things:

• a) The services you offer
• b) Things your audience AKA your ideal client is asking about

The best way to get to the bottom of what your ideal client is asking about is as simple as that – have conversations with them. *It’s called market research sweetie.* 

Ask them questions about what they’re struggling with, what their deepest fears, goals, and desires are. Then, when you go to create content, speak as if you’re talking right to them about those fears, goals, and desires. The more personal you can sound, the better. Keep in mind that sharing content is also about creating connections, however that may be. 

 

Mistake #2: Neglecting a content strategy 

If you’re out there all willy nilly posting content without a written strategy as it ~ feels good ~ to you, I can bet that you’re not seeing the greatest engagement and better yet, you’re probably not converting sales online. 

That, and it gets exhausting – because eventually, you hit a wall of ‘what the heck do I post, it’s been three days??!?!’ 

Here’s the breakdown of the content strategy I teach my 1:1 clients:

1. Set goals. Knowing your ideal client and what they need, what are your overall marketing goals and how will your content serve those goals? Try and get as specific as possible here – it will make it easier when you’re going to create content. (This could look like growing your email list, more website traffic for Facebook Ad Retargeting, more followers, conversions on your freebie, etc).

2. Decide on content types. Are you a video person or a blogging person? Are you at peace with Canva or Photoshop and can make graphics with ease, or is this piece of content creation something you can outsource to your VA or design team? At the end of the day, you need to decide what type of content you can efficiently churn out as it aligns with the goals you’ve set.

3. Create a content calendar. Whether you use Google Sheets as a content calendar or a project management tool like Trello or Asana, having a place where all of your content is documented will streamline your content creation processes. Plus, you’ll be able to come back to repurpose down the line.

4. Create + distribute content. It’s important to remember when creating content that you’re addressing your ideal client’s pain points – their struggles, desires, and goals. Once you’ve done this, I suggest picking one day per week to schedule content (get it out of the way, sis!) and using a scheduling tool such as Later or Buffer to distribute.

5. Track and measure content effectiveness. Building your business online takes TIME and a good as heck content strategy – plain and simple. This is why you must be tracking the effectiveness of your content before planning more (do this every week). Success right away may not look like a huge increase in bookings – but it could look like more followers, a growing email list, higher conversions on your freebie. Take notes weekly on what is working to grow your online presence and warm leads and reference that before planning more content.

 

Mistake #3: Forgetting to tell a story

Story is the backbone of selling anything, and here’s why I love it:

• There isn’t a person on this planet who doesn’t love stories
• Through stories, we all find common ground… through emotion, fear, or joyous times
• Any person or brand can tell one – and it can look different for everyone. But you’re doing your brand a disservice by not telling a story, somehow, through your marketing. You’re basically just shooting an arrow into the dark

Money talk: story evokes emotion. People make their purchasing decisions based on emotion.

Think of it as reality TV – people are obsessed with it! (Hi, it’s me, I’m obsessed with it). I get so interested in the drama of these people and how they overcome some of life’s silly curveballs. It’s the same with your audience on social media. They are looking to you as the guide and through story, they can relate to you, building on the know, like, and trust factor of taking an ideal client from a follower to a sale.

Some ways you can use story in your content creation:

• Share stories about your journey that has led you to what you’re doing today
• Give your audience a glimpse into your personal life
• Talk about the challenges and successes of your business. 

The more transparent you are, the better.

 

Mistake #4: Only using one platform to publish content

The #1 platform I see creative business owners using (if they’re using any platform at all) is Instagram. While this is an incredible social media platform to market your business, you’re leaving money on the table if you’re just using it alone. 

The reality is, people are searching for you. They’re searching on Pinterest when they type in ‘social media tips.’ They’re searching on Google when looking for branding help. It’s CRUCIAL beyond measure to take advantage of the other platforms you can use to distribute content that drives traffic back to you. Do this by repurposing content from every platform in a way that suits the other platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. 

 

In conclusion…

It’s important that you create content your ideal client needs, have a content creation strategy, tell a story through your content, and use multiple platforms to do so.

When you utilize these in conjunction with one another, you’re making it even easier for your dream client to land right in your lap (or rather, your email inbox).

Did you learn a lot from this blog post and want to see more? Sign up for my Good Times Newsletter to make sure you’re the first to know when a new post hits the blog.

– Lauren