A pep talk: Why content marketing creation is an art

Welcome inside my pep talk to myself about content marketing creation and why I should shake off the feeling of Imposter Syndrome and start connecting again with story.

It’s been a long time coming, believe me.

There are a lot of people who are afraid their content marketing creation process is frail and bumpy. They don’t realise that discomfort actually means they’re closer to the mark than most.

Content marketing creation is about writing story. It’s about bringing people back to where you want them and building trust. It’s not always easy to put your story out. You’ll need to draft and re-write. You’ll also throw whole pieces away. It’s about being vulnerable. Yes, even in sales or plumbing or whatever else you write about.

No one gets it right 100% of the time unless they are amazing (hint: no one is that amazing) OR they aren’t pushing the envelope enough.

So it’s OK to feel weird, vulnerable and to run out of things to say.

If you’re uncomfortable with the use of the word story in relation to content marketing, be warned. It’s usually a big clue that you’re part of the problem, not the solution. That you’re churning out stuff that doesn’t add much value. That depth may be lacking.

Any fool can clock 5000 words a day. That doesn’t mean 4980 of them are worthwhile.

Since humans began communicating, we’ve used story to educate. You don’t have to get hit by a car or burnt by a fire to know what you should do around these things. Someone has explained it in a way that you connect with and remember.

This is the same with content marketing creation. If you write like the most boring person on the planet, of course your content won’t work unless you have an audience that appreciates beige. That’s a difficult audience to find.

If you spend all your energy impressing people with your Google rankings, of course people won’t stick around if they don’t feel invited to the story. Otherwise we’d read sauce ingredients for fun instead of novels.

Some people get a crowd cheering us on for reasons that don’t make sense. That doesn’t mean your value as a content marketing creator is diminished by an audience wanting different stuff. It takes time to find an audience and to speak to them. Be brave enough to own what your voice sounds like and play the game of being you.

So don’t be put off from being yourself by people who appear popular for being bitchy. Or if they sound like they could be out-smarted by a crayon. Or if you don’t write like them.

Let the audience decide.

As a content marketing creator, you have to wear two hats. Your work to get the work as well as the work you produce for your customers. That’s a tough ask at times. You want to let yourself shine through, but you worry about the loss of professionalism or business voice.

It’s important to remember that businesses want the same thing you do. They want to use content marketing creation to create a bond, a world and a story. That business that calls on you to use your word weaving skills wants you to connect with their business in an open and honest way. They want you to find the hidden story.

So what are you waiting for? Use your word nerd super hero power to empower the businesses of the world. Create content that sells. Tell that story. Be brave enough to shake off the constraints of SEO while being intelligent enough to realise why they are there in the first place.

Build content marketing that matters and enjoy the difference that can bring.

Want to create your content with me? Get in touch with me now.