We all make mistakes in business, right? When I started freelancing 10 years ago, I learned as I went. Even with a degree in public relations (granted, one I hadn’t used in years at that point), there was still a lot I needed to learn about writing and helping businesses promote their product and services in a non-sleazy way.
Luckily, I had people I could learn from. But that’s not to say I created content for my own business perfectly. Far from it. Here are a few of the biggest mistakes when creating my own content—and I hope you can learn from them.
Not Being Consistent
Up until a few years ago, I was forever telling my clients that they should be blogging regularly—because content is where it’s at if you want to get noticed online. But I never blogged consistently in my own business. Or sent out a nurturing email to my subscribers. Honestly, I spent so much time working with clients that I didn’t have time to do the work for myself.
I’ve since corrected that and have dedicated time for my business every week, where I can create content and nurture my audience to provide value and support.
[bctt tweet=”Content mistake 1 – Telling clients to blog but not doing it myself.” username=””]
Not Having a Plan in Place
I’m all about putting content into buckets, or themes, to make the creation process more streamlined. But “back in the day” I would throw together themes without stopping to think about what those themes would do for my business. What do those themes mean? Where are they driving my audience? Is this what will help my clients and my business grow?
Today I have a full strategy behind every piece of content I create—whether it’s a video, a blog, a freebie or something else. I have a clear path mapped out so I know where I’m driving my audience and why.
[bctt tweet=”Content mistake 2 – Putting out content without a strategy behind it.” username=””]
Forgetting Who I’m Creating For
In the early years of my business, I was all about just putting something out there for my audience to see. Whether that was curating content from other sources or blogging for the sake of blogging (when I actually started blogging, that is), I didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on my audience and what they wanted and needed from me.
Now I listen—to what people are asking me, to what my clients are saying and what information others are putting out there. There needs to be a reason for creating content and it’s important to have that at the back of your mind through the entire process.
[bctt tweet=”Content mistake 3 – Forgetting who I’m creating content for.” username=””]
Are there other mistakes I’ve made? You betcha! And like everyone else out there, I’ll keep making mistakes. And I’ll keep tweaking and adjusting what I’m doing as I go.
Know that no one is perfect and no one has everything down pat. That’s okay. Making mistakes is how we learn and grow and I’m determined to learn for the rest of my years. Which means I’ll be making a lot more mistakes down the road.
As far as content is concerned, I feel like I have a great handle on what’s needed to develop a quality strategy to make sure that my clients get noticed. What kind of content planner are you? Find out in the quiz below!
