How a content process can help guide content creation

Do you struggle with content creation? I hear this a lot from clients who feel that the content creation process is overwhelming, they’re not sure what to post, they’re worried about how their content will be received, and/or they feel they need more content than they can manage, so they get discouraged quickly. 

But when you implement a content system, the pieces begin to fall into place in a way that can be exciting and rewarding. 

Because when you are continuously creating valuable content for your audience that speaks to them where they’re at, shows them you understand what they’re going through, and begins to provide them solutions to their pain points, you’re gaining invaluable trust, which will later likely convert to sales. 

Before we dive into my content creation process and how you can implement it in your own business, I think it’s important we get on the same page when it comes to content. 

What IS content? 

I like to define content as everything you create or say that covers any aspect of your work or expertise. 

You might already start to feel a weight lifting off your shoulders when you realize that with this definition, having a lack of content is highly unlikely! 

You have a lot of knowledge and a lot you can share with your audience. You just need to know how to sort through it to create content that’s strategic.  

Strategic content essentially means content that converts. Because while there are likely a lot of things you could share on, if your content isn’t strategic, it’s not going to benefit you. 

There are 3 elements of strategic content: 

• Goals: What is your ultimate goal as a business? What is the journey you want to bring people through? How can you measure your progress and success?

• Audience: Who is your target market? Where are they at? What are they struggling with?

• Message: How can you craft and share your message in a way that resonates with your audience where they’re at? 

My step-by-step content process

1) Ideate: ideas beget ideas 

If you’re feeling lost for content you likely haven’t given yourself enough time to get inspired.

You need to be intentional about setting aside time to brainstorm, so you have a vault of content ideas you can turn to when you need it (and aren’t trying to come up with an idea the same day you’re expected to push out content).

To ideate effectively, you need to be inspired, so make an effort to find regular sources of inspiration. Whether that’s giving your mind time to wander in nature, consuming blogs and social media content from other creators, or reading books and listening to podcasts that get your wheels spinning. 

The ideation process is not a time to be picky. You want to record all of your ideas -- the good, bad, and ugly because otherwise, your ego will get in the way of new ideas. Ideas come from unlikely places so allow your brain the chance to just run, knowing you can sort through things later. 

Record these ideas in a place you can easily find and revisit regularly. To stay organized, consider sorting the ideas based on different messaging strategies, by appropriate platform, and/or by “evergreen” vs “time-sensitive” content. 

2) Create: build something great

This is the part of the process where you build upon your ideas, creating content to suit different platforms, marketing strategies, and potential launches. 

It’s important to establish a content creation process that matches the resources you have available, so you aren’t trying to push out more content than is realistic. 

Consider what platforms you want to be showing up on (take into account both the platforms you love and where your ideal clients are) and what a realistic posting schedule would look like. 

Remember, you can always push out more content one week if you’re feeling really inspired, but if you try to sign up for more than you can handle right up-front, you’re only going to end up disappointing yourself and your audience when you can’t deliver. 

Once you have the release date in mind, work backwards! Plan ahead so you have creative thinking time and so that there’s enough time for any other involved parties to do their part. 

You want to be generous with how much time you allow here because you won’t always be able to sit down and perfect a blog or social media caption in one sitting. 

Similar to the ideation process, start with getting down all of your brainstorming without judgement, and then work from there rather than trying to edit everything immediately. 

3) Promote: share it with the world

Now comes the part where you get to share your message with the world! This is your initial release date, as well as the recurring resharing of evergreen content. 

Posting one piece of content in one place and expecting your audience to find and read it simply doesn’t work anymore. 

People are bombarded with information and content daily, so you need to ensure that you’re generously sharing. Repurpose and promote the piece in multiple ways (posting it to your blog, sending it out to your email list, posting it on social media, sharing it in your Facebook group, etc.) to maximize how many people see it. 

You’ll also want to write social posts that grab attention, use themes to group related content together and tell stories that reinforce your expertise so that people resonate with what you’re sharing and want to learn more. 

Promotion isn’t a one-and-done activity! 

Build a content process that works for you and your business

Content creation is an ongoing cycle. It involves getting an initial idea, testing it out, exploring what’s possible in terms of repurposing and reimagining it, building new things, breaking things, and ultimately creating valuable content that you can share with the world. 

When you have these systems in place you’ll never run out of content ideas or ways you can support your ideal clients. 

You’ll know what content you’ve already created and will more easily be able to identify gaps, it makes it easier to plan the content you need, and it enables you to keep content flowing. 

Do you want to learn more about my content process AND the system I use to keep it all flowing? Sign up to Find Your Content Groove here!