When content creation is a torture
You have to be present all the time, you always have to be making something. For many businesses, content creation is a compulsory “evil”. Even though they know it’s necessary, they find it hard to do. There is a rush all day, you have to go and do business. And there is no room for idle time when I am not making any profit. What can you do if you want to balance your two roles?
If I’m an entrepreneur, I have to focus on my business. I have to build the business and I don’t have time for anything that doesn’t contribute to it. I can also have a family, a partner, a child, I can do sports, I can have me-time. There are only 24 hours in a day and I need to fit everything in. And content creation is just one of many tasks. I’ll post something tomorrow, the world won’t fall apart if I miss a day. That’s all true, but if you don’t do it today, you won’t do it tomorrow. You’ll miss a day, you’ll miss another day, you’ll end up neglecting it. Nothing happens, because they know you are in the business today and will know you tomorrow. But what are the long-term effects of missing out?
It's an entrepreneurial activity
Although it’s hard to convince yourself of this, marketing (and within that, content creation) is also an entrepreneurial activity. It builds your business, adds to your reputation and therefore your revenue. There are plenty of anecdotes about old, vibrant entrepreneurs who produced content all the time. Think of the first commercials in Formula 1 (Red Bull and Niki Lauda). You’ll probably think of György Klapka and 9 Vámház körút. Similar things are and have been a constant in our lives, even if perhaps back then it was a different era of content creation. Maybe it wasn’t even conscious yet, the benefit of talking about your brand was recognised by all. And in a positive context.
What can be content?
Anything, really. Walking down the street can give you an impulse that is somehow related to your business. What you see through the lens of your own business is up to you. Often, what is boring and mundane for some people is an excellent basis for a post for others. But it’s best to have something to work with, and a content calendar to help you even when nothing is coming your way. Plan what you’re going to communicate, what type of content you’re going to create, and what your goal is with it. It’s important to balance your content, because if all your content is the same, you won’t engage your audience. Have a variety of constantly changing content that you can change and everything will come back to you. You also have to be careful not to try to sell every post you make, because no one will want to “consume” it.
What are customers interested in?
You can use many resources to do this. The easiest is to look at what words people are searching for. You can do this more easily using Google search, if you want to look at more complex things, Google Trends will help. Based on what customers are searching for, you can target these. By paying attention to these impulses, you can be the one they find the answer to their questions. In addition, search engines will love your content and customers will see you as an expert. Related to the first point, this is entrepreneurial activity, because you are reaching new customers, even if you are not necessarily serving a need that will arise tomorrow.
If the inspiration is already there
The peculiarity of the trend is that it’s about now. It’s interesting now, and people are interested now. So if you see a theme, an opportunity in it, they need to act now. Content creation is (also) about trends. You get instant feedback on social media, likes, comments and shares instantly show how well you have or haven’t hit the mood of the market. If you’ve got the topic, but you’re procrastinating, you’d better let it go. There’s a news race in the media, and what you want to publish about, your competitor also knows. Others may make it happen while you wait. So the best advice you can get on the subject of content creation is don’t wait! Do it!
#nofilter
Customers are increasingly tired of the set, done and filtered. Grab your phone and get a snapshot of life. Don’t hire an actor to consume your product, instead ask a customer to record it. You’ll get much more truthful content, and consumers will like that better. Social media is also increasingly favouring the natural, and if you look at the fashion world, naturalness is increasingly being highlighted. Models don’t look like they did twenty years ago. And this is filtering down to the smallest businesses.
Abroad?
There must be foreign content creators you follow who are into your theme. What they talk about can be a compass for you. You might be facing the same trends, as well as them being some time ahead of us. You know these market trends. But for your clients, you can be the one who talks about what’s going to happen in this market, and they’ll love that, because you’re helping them prepare for that. Or you can be someone who is constantly talking about what’s going on in America, rather than dealing with local issues. The content is pretty much the same, yet it strikes a completely different chord with consumers because of the positioning. So the next important point is to speak their language. Put their problems at the centre and look for (and find) solutions to them.
It's still not...
Often, although you follow all the “rules”, the end result is not what you want. You’ve made it, but you haven’t hit the target. It doesn’t flow as smoothly, it feels like you had to write something, not communicate it. It’s a bit more angular, slower and it won’t work. Because for customers, consuming your content should be an experience. If you look, even on TV channels, traditional news is being replaced by infotainment shows. They are both information and entertainment. That’s exactly what they expect from you. Because the competition is constant, and you’re competing with people you never thought you’d be competing with before. Twenty years ago, you weren’t competing with a singer, an influencer or a car expert. Now, on social media, they happen all the time. Celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers are fighting for the same attention.
Influencer
We’ve talked about whether you should work with an influencer. But if you just go by the word (influence), we’re talking about someone who influences others. We also distinguish between micro influencers and professional influencers. In other words, content creation can be a tool to become an influencer in professional circles. By this you should not mean invitations to speak on various TV shows, but invitations to speak at professional events. So is content production an entrepreneurial activity?
