My boss pushed the brown envelope across the glass table.
I opened it up while he watched on.
“Bryan, We regret to inform you that we’re terminating your services at the end of the month.”
I was in my early thirties, and this was my dream job.
My son was eight, and my daughter was two.
I didn’t know how we would pay the bills or what this meant for my career.
From a dream job to the social welfare office.
Getting fired is never pleasant.
It took 12 months, but eventually, I got a fresh start.
A friend referred me for a job as a content marketer.
I spent the next eight years learning almost everything I now know about writing and earning a living online from writing and creating content online.
Lesson 1: Create Content About What You Do
We sold software that helped small businesses market to their customers.
The problem?
B2B software isn’t the sexiest thing to write about.
So, instead, I wrote about how we were marketing to our customers i.e. the reader.
I explained what worked. What didn’t work. And why.
Trials of our marketing product went up.
It turns out customers love hearing authentic stories from the front line.
Write or create content about what you do.
Publish more of that.
Lesson 2: Writing is a Superpower
Colleagues often sent me emails like this:
“Bryan, can you rewrite a sentence in this presentation for me?”
Or
“What headline should I use for this sales page?”
I’d spend five minutes changing their passive to active voice draft. I’d take out some corporate jargon. Or I’d insert a power word and benefit statement into the headline.
And they’d treat the results like I was a Voodoo Shaman with magical copywriting powers.
In hindsight, I reacted the same way when a coder fixed a technical problem on the company website at short notice.
Words I can handle.
Code? No.
If you’re already comfortable writing, you’ve got a huge advantage over other content creators.
Use it.
Lesson 3: Go Where Your Audience Is
“We need a TikTok strategy.”
A sales rep wanted to hit a big target for the end of the year.
His bonus was on the line.
Mine was too ;)
The rep was convinced TikTok was the way to hit his ambitious year-end target. He’d read all about this trend new network.
The problem? Our ideal audience wasn’t on TikTok (this was back in 2017).
They were spending their lunch breaks and commutes on LinkedIn.
So, we doubled down on creating content for LinkedIn instead.
Create and repurpose content for different networks. But focus on the one that drives the most ROI.
Lesson 4: Content That Converts Isn’t Always Sexy
One year, we spent months creating a campaign all about… spreadsheets.
Small business owners love spreadsheets.
They’re free, versatile, and easy to use.
So, I wrote articles, guides, and video scripts explaining how to use a spreadsheet to manage a business.
At the end of the article or guide, I’d suggest why the company’s business management software offered a better solution than Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
They weren’t the most fun pieces of content to create. And spreadsheet content NEVER goes viral.
But then a funny thing happened.
Readers downloaded the guides and emailed in their questions. Some had no interest in leaving Excel behind.
Others took out a trial and went on to become customers.
That was when I realized content that converts isn’t about vanity metrics such as likes, shares, and follows.
It solves customer problems.
How to Create Your First Content Marketing Plan
Creating content without a commercial objective is a hobby, not a business pursuit. Read any good content marketing book, and they offer variations of this advice.
A content strategy outlines using content to achieve specific business or marketing goals. It identifies target audiences, and the content format engages audiences (such as blog posts, videos, social media posts, reels, etc.).
If you’re a solopreneur or want to grow a business with content, you can easily create a content marketing plan. Here’s what you need to include:
Defined Content Goals or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Establish specific objectives for your content marketing efforts. Are you aiming to increase website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales? Define clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as the number of new subscribers, engagement rates, or conversion rates. This will help you measure the success of your content and guide your strategy.
Content Theme
Select a central theme for your content that aligns with your business goals. This could be driving traffic, generating revenue, or enhancing brand awareness. Having a focused theme helps streamline your content creation process and ensures consistency in your messaging. Remember that constraints aren’t limiting; they spur creativity and increase productivity.
Target Persona
Identify and understand the specific audience you're creating content for. Develop a detailed persona that includes demographic details, interests, pain points, and motivations. Conduct interviews or surveys with your target audience to understand their needs and preferences. This will help you create content that resonates and provides value to your audience.
Content Format
Choose the format that best suits your message and audience. This could be newsletters, videos, blog posts, social media posts, or podcasts. Consider your strengths and resources and what formats are most likely to engage your target persona. Select a medium in which you can consistently produce high-quality content.
Description of Content
Summarize the essence of your content in one or two sentences. This should encapsulate your content's main idea, value proposition, or unique angle. This brief description serves as a guide to ensure all your content aligns with your overall strategy and objectives.
Channel
Choose one or two social media channels that are most effective for reaching your target audience. Focus on a few channels where you can build a strong presence rather than spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms. Consider where your target persona spends most of their time and the nature of content that performs best on each platform. LinkedIn is great for older B2B users, while TikTok contains a younger demographic.
Publication Date
Set a realistic and firm deadline for publishing your content. This helps maintain a consistent content schedule, which is crucial for audience engagement and SEO. Holding yourself and any team members accountable to these deadlines is important to ensure timely and regular content delivery.
Publication Status
Organize your content workflow into 'To Do', 'Doing', and 'Done' stages. This helps track the progress of each piece of content from the idea stage to publication. It's an effective way to manage your content pipeline and ensure a steady flow of content. By all means, add more stages like ‘Scheduled’ or ‘Draft as your plan grows.
Marketing Team Member Responsible
Assign specific roles and responsibilities to each team member involved in the content creation and marketing process. This promotes accountability and ensures that your content strategy covers every aspect. Your team must be able to see how their work contributes to the overall content marketing goals.
Bryan -- I love learning, and that's the reason I enjoy your newsletter. This morning, I was delighted you agree with me on one thing--Writing is a Superpower! That's the name I gave my new and not yet open Substack! When I get it ready to go, perhaps we can do some crossover articles or podcast to help one another. I'd love it! Cheers to you! Susan Thomas (susanmossthomas@gmail.com)