Content tips: It’s NOT about YOU!

I like to keep things as simple as possible. Especially when it comes to marketing. I think marketing should be something that every single business owner can understand, enjoy and do for themselves!

Let’s talk about content…

What is it?

Content, in it’s simplest form, is the stuff you say about your business.

Where do you use content?

Everywhere! On your website, flyers, socials, blog posts, emails, videos… absolutely everywhere and anywhere you talk about your business!

Let’s talk about writing content…

Writing content is an important element of your marketing, it’s a big part of how you get your message across to your audience. The key part of marketing is getting the RIGHT message to the RIGHT people.

Writing content is hard – writing good content is even harder!

When writing content, a lot of businesses make the mistake of talking about themselves. (I sound crazy, I know, but bear with me…)

Your customer does not care about that.

Your customer cares about what YOU CAN DO FOR THEM!

A slight tweak in your message can make all of the difference. Here’s an example…

BUSINESS TYPE: Dog walker

IDEAL CUSTOMER: Dog owner who bought a dog in lockdown and is now returning to work

CUSTOMER CARES ABOUT: Will the dog be OK when I’m gone? I’ve never left them before. Will they fret? Will thy destroy my new curtains? Poop on my carpet? What am I going to do!

DOG WALKER CONTENT

Before our nifty trick: I am a dog walker in your area.

After our nifty trick: Are you returning to work and worried about leaving your furry loved one? I specialise in fun doggy walks in your area. We make lots of new friends, have loads of fun and return home very tired after our adventures.

See what a difference that little tweak in the message makes?

To get this right you really need to get into the mind of your customer, think about their goals, worries and concerns.

GOALS: What are your customer’s goals? What do they want from you?

This one might seem obvious, but when you really think about it you will find that there will be one obvious goal but also lots of small goals as well. It’s important that you think this one through.

Here’s an example…

BUSINESS TYPE: Mobile hairdresser

MAIN GOAL: Get my hair cut (glaringly obvious goal).

SMALLER GOALS: I don’t want to go to a hair salon. Maybe I don’t like going to a salon, maybe I can’t drive… I want my hair doing in the comfort of my own home. Maybe I have a new baby I can’t leave or a loved one to care for.

WORRIES AND CONCERNS: Ask yourself things like…

• What are the things your customer worries about?
• What are their main concerns before using your services?
• What keeps then awake at night?
• What are they afraid of?
• What are they angry about? Who are they angry at?
• What are their top daily frustrations?

This one is really where the magic happens. If you can tweak your marketing message to talk about how you can help your customer overcome these worries and achieve their goals and smaller goals – you’ve cracked it!