Why Your Content Isn’t About You | Abby Herman
Let’s be honest. There’s a reason you create content: To get your message out there so you’re visible and relevant. Of course that’s why. After all, you need people to notice you if your business is going to be a success.
But no one will to pay attention to your content if that’s the approach you take with it. It’s time to grab a new agenda and make your content about your audience. Not you and your products and services.
No matter who you’re marketing to, online business owners have very little time. So if you want them to consume your content, you need to make it worth their while. Here’s how:
Offer Value
Every piece of content you create needs to offer value to your audience. When you’re writing your blog posts or nurturing emails or filming that new YouTube video, think about what you’re trying to teach your audience. Even when you’re creating sales copy, know that readers want to learn something—so give them the value they want so they’re left wanting more. They’re more likely to poke around a bit to see what other value they can grab from you.
Tell Them What’s in it For Them
Be sure to spotlight what benefits your audience will receive. When you’re creating content about a new strategy or approach in your industry, readers need to be clear about what they get out of it. And if you’re selling a product or service, what’s the big gain for buyers? Don’t simply spotlight the perks; focus on the outcome.
Your audience wants to know what’s in it for them. Tell them in your content. (Tweet)
Make it Easy to Digest
No one wants to read a wall of words on your blog. Or a 400-word Facebook post. Or watch a 40-minute YouTube video. Your content needs to be easy for your audience to digest so they actually get through it and get something out of it.
Unless you’re creating a true tutorial, keep your YouTube videos under 10 minutes (and under 5 minutes is even better). When you’re writing for the internet, use subheads, bullet points, bolded text and Click to Tweets to break up your text. There’s truly nothing wrong with a 1,000-word blog post as long as you make it easy to read.
Get to the Point
About that 1,000-word blog post. It’s true there’s nothing wrong with it, as long as you have that much to say. While long form content tends to get better traction on search engines, that doesn’t mean you should drone on and on just to make your post longer. If you only have 300 words of valuable content, your audience will appreciate you so much more if you leave it at that.
In other words, write until you’re done writing. Then stop. Forced content looks and feels forced, and your audience will notice.
Don’t force long form content. Write until you’re done. Then stop. (Tweet)
Find Out What Your Audience Needs
How do you determine what content you’ll create? If you’re listening to your audience, they’ll tell you what they need. And that’s what you should be building your products and services around. Sure, you have to be excited about it too. But unless they need the information in that blog post or have asked about what’s in your latest video, they’re not likely to click on it.
Pay attention in Facebook groups. Write down questions your clients are asking you. Keep track of requests that come in through email. Look at mistakes you’re seeing. And then build your content strategy around those ideas—not simply what will sell your next course.
Even when you’re creating content for your audience, you’re really creating it for yourself and your business. Because when you’re creating what your audience craves and needs, you’ll be the first person they come to when they need to buy what you’re offering.
So take stock of what you’re putting out there in the online space. It’s never too late to make a shift to help your audience and your business.
Abby is a content strategist and coach for small business owners, helping to get her clients' written message out to their audience, in their own voice and on their own terms. She specializes in working with female-owned, service-based businesses to generate ideas and strategies that help to move their businesses forward with content that attracts the perfect clients. Abby firmly believes in the power of educating and empowering business owners so they can grow their businesses without breaking the bank. Community over competition is truly her jam!
When she’s not crafting words or coaching her clients through their own writing roadblocks, you can find her exploring the mountains near her home in Phoenix or finding new ways to get her teenaged daughter to take a break from the school books and technology. You can follow her on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.