We live in an age of content! Everywhere you go you see blogs, podcasts, images, videos, and any other content a person/business can produce. They inform, educate, and even entertain. You’re in the midst of browsing content right now. That’s how you ended up here. And yet, surrounded by all of this content, so much of it feels generic and sterile. It lacks a distinctive voice and often seems like it’s done just for the sake of doing it. But what do you do to stand out in the sea of content? You make it personal. But how?
I want to come out from behind the curtain for this piece. My name’s Matt Hampton, and I am the Copywriter for Stingray Branding. In the summer of 2018, I decided to quit my job in the world of insurance and give being a writer ago by starting a blog. The concept was simple; I would meet 100 people in 100 days, with no days off, and write about every encounter on the day of. 100 Connections was born and I became a full-time content creator. I make a ton of mistakes. Screwed up SEO and domain name purchases, slapped a logo together, and generally fumbled my way through a lot. But I also built an audience of over 30,000 readers a day and learned a few things about making content personal.
And now I am going to share those three simple things with you.
Make Content You Care About
If there’s one phrase I dislike, I mean truly hate, it’s “fake it ‘til you make it.” It’s because I have watched so many people try and then discover that it’s very hard to pretend to care. It shines through in your content. When you care about something, you work to craft it well. Your enthusiasm shines through. That content, whatever it may be, becomes more engaging, thoughtful, and dynamic for your audience.
Let’s face it when you care about something, you enjoy working on it more. You feel the reward, and so will your audience. You will stick with the creation and make a better piece of content overall. So do what you love, make what you care about.
Make Content You Know
Have you ever sat down with someone who was clearly talking about a subject they knew nothing about? Did they amazingly convince you that they did? Probably not. For the most part, it is easy to see when someone is trying to convince you they know more than they really do. It’s actually easier to do with content because we can fact-check you online almost instantly and review the things you said. Pretending to be an expert has never been harder if you have a discerning audience.
You want them to pay you money; they’re probably more discerning than you know.
The simple truth is that you should deal with the things you know. First of all, it helps people view you as an authority in your field. Secondly, it makes you look so much better because it’s something you’re knowledgeable of and, presumably, good at. So if you’re an awesome insurance person, be one. If you are a great mechanic, nurse, singer, teacher, whatever that is, then talk about that and share it with the world.
Make Content You Want to Make
This one seems easy, but it’s probably the most difficult of these pieces to fully implement. Why? Because we are always trying to find the thing that will make us amazingly successful right out of the gate. We’re a culture that wants solutions to our problems, and we want them right now.
Tell me if this is familiar, you go onto a social network (like LinkedIn or Facebook) and see an article about how video is tearing up the rankings in news feeds. You don’t really know a lot about video, and you prefer the content you’re already making, but you decide instead to dive face-first into video. You don’t love videos, don’t even really like making them, and so you do a good enough job with it and put it out because you NEED to make a video.
Will this strategy work? Honestly, it depends. If you develop a love for being on camera and making videos then it might be a really great thing. On the other hand, if you hate it and do it because you’re supposed to it’ll probably fail. The point here is simple, it doesn’t matter. The video will be hot for a while, and then it will be something new. If all you do is rush to keep up with the latest trend, you will tend to make mediocre content halfheartedly.
Bottom line; make the content you want to make. It will always be better when it is a labor of love.
Content production can be great and rewarding, but it also needs to be personal. You’re an incredible person. You have an incredible business. Take the time to make your content personal and show us just how amazing you really are.
Your Stingray Branding Team
Stingray Branding is the number one source for your digital marketing needs. Our team of subject matter experts brings a vast array of knowledge and experience to drive your marketing to the next level. No matter the size of your business, or your industry, we can help you. If you have any questions or just want to see how we can help, contact us here. We’d love to hear from you!
