When you’re writing for your business, the way you write makes a big difference. The sheer quantity of content you produce is going to help you get noticed, but it needs to be quality content if you want to get noticed by the right audience. And in order to get read, you need to make an impact on someone—anyone. The right anyones.
Your Style
Your style is the cornerstone of your business. It’s like that first glimpse into who you are as a business owner. And your style will attract the right audience to you, so long as you’re consistent in the way you deliver it.
People work with you because of your personality, your values and the way you do business. And if you remain steadfast in that role, people will come back to you again and again. Your style includes how you’re talking to your audience and where, in addition to what it looks like and how you react to those who are responding to you.
Think about how you want to portray yourself and your business. Are you laid back and casual? Or do you want to be seen as an industry leader who attracts big-name clients with regular 6-figure launches? The way you present your message will vary greatly depending on how you answer these questions.
The Platforms You Use
Social media and other platforms are the way you get the message out about who you are. And as much as I’d like to disagree, you really can’t do it all and do it well.
When working out which platforms you want to use for business, take into account where your audience is—which is not necessarily where you spend your time. It’s impossible to stay consistent on all the social platforms out there, especially if you’re looking to interact with your audience. Which is essential in building relationships with those who reach out to you.
I recommend that you choose two or three platforms and do them well. When you have a good rhythm going, or are ready to hire on help, then add other platforms where your audience may be.
Case in point: I have an Instagram account for my business and I post there, but I don’t do it well. I post willy-nilly and my graphics are nothing to write home about. I simply have a presence that one day I’ll turn into something. But until then, I’m almost exclusively posting content that I’m already posting somewhere else—so there’s really no thought or reason behind it. And, really, I’m okay with that. I don’t need to have a beautiful Instagram feed. But I do make sure to check in a few times a day to see what others are up to, or to comment on the nearly inexistent comments on my posts.
Take stock of where you’re currently posting (and why) with my social inventory. It will help you decide where you may not need to focus your time and energy for now and may give you new insights into what’s working and what’s not.
Your Message
Think about what you’re saying to your audience. The actual meat of the content. This is the educational piece of what you’re putting out into the interweb, the marketing. It’s what you’re trying to get across to your audience as a whole. If you always come from a place of selling a product or service (daily emails, anyone?), you’re positioning yourself in a much different light than if you come from a place of wanting to help or educate your audience. And I can tell you that your audience will likely respond to you a lot better if you’re approaching them from the heart instead of the bank account.
When you’re in launch mode or when your calendar is booked with client work, it can be easy to get off track. It’s difficult to maintain consistency in your messaging (both the cadence of your publishing and the message you’re putting out there). One way around this is to create your content when your business is a little slower, so you’re never stressed about pushing out content when you’re too busy to even think about it.
And while your brand’s voice and tone are important to your content, they’re not the end-all. You need to think about who you’re talking to, where you’re talking to them and how you’re coming across based on the actual message you’re putting out there. All of this (and more) wraps up into your overall brand.
