In this blog we share some fundamental tips on what to firm up on, so you marketing is on point.
So often we see advice online -
"5 things you're doing wrong with your content.." "5 reasons why your marketing isn't working"
We call them the 5 reasons why you should listen to that person and buy their sh*t because they're doing their best to make you feel like a failure.
That's not good marketing BTW, it's a tactic that plays into fears and cognitive bias.
There are lots of facets to marketing, We're not going to talk to them all today, but we are going to talk about the one that most people assume is marketing in its entirety - marketing communications or marcomms (i.e content marketing etc).
Fundamentally, there are four things you need to be good at content marketing;
A really good understanding about how your clients are struggling with the thing that you can solve, and where they might hang out. (This helps you to talk about where they're stuck and also create products and services that solve those problems.)
A passion for what you do. (And that's why you're here!)
The ability to use 1 and 2 together to create things that people really want or need.
A 'have a go' attitude. Marketing in essence is one big old experiment. Sometimes it will work so well you'll want to bottle it, other times it might feel like tumbleweed (but you'll still be creating brand awareness and building trust - trust us!)
Most of you will already have bundles of no 2 - you're here because you're passionate about what you do. 1 is something that can be fixed by having conversations with people, and 3 and 4 will follow.
Think of your audience as being on one side of the river, and you and your solution are on the other side. You have to build the bridge and make it so your audience wants to cross it.
So what can you do with your content?
Educate people
Inspire people
If you can - be innovative and then shout about it!
Have fun with your content
Create conversations
Offer advice or tips (especially if you have a closed door product like a course
Tell stories about you, your own journey and the journeys of people who have interacted with your brand.
And finally - have at least one call to action every week - download X, send me a DM, here's a link to buy my thing.
Some content myths busted - (said with the greatest of love)
You don't HAVE to put your life on display and tell people what colour knickers you are wearing if you don't want to.
You don't have to tell people you hate marketing
You don't have to always be selling either
You were born to communicate, so you're not shit at creating content. If you've done your homework and know your audiences needs...you've got the keys to the castle.
You don't have to do lives or reels or dance around the living room like a twonk if you don't want to.
People out there are looking for help with the thing that you do - so make sure you're securing that oh so important real estate in their minds for when they need you.
You can NEVER do enough marketing, and if anyone says it's too much - then they weren't your target audience in the first place, and their opinions don't count.
How do you feel about content marketing?