The reality is… you and fellow business owners are fighting for real estate in the mind of your community members and potential clients. Social media and digital spaces are more bloated than ever and local SEO can only do so much to give REAL chances to SMALL BUSINESSES to rank high.
We’ve all been there. We work hard, pay our dues, get a website, post daily on social media… but… we’re in the shadows. We get a like or two and that’s it.
Ego blow? Absolutely. Insecurity jab? You betcha.
Making content is a big task that requires a lot of time and sometimes just doing it isn’t enough once you get comfortable. But, if Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus has taught me anything… it’s okay to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.
It’s taken a long time for me to get comfortable with creating content – especially video form – but it requires a keen eye and a thought of the big picture. I’m still perfecting that and it truly does take time to understand where you are and where you wish to be. You are not alone! I get the jitters when sitting down to write a blog, design my own social media graphic, or record a video. The key to this is to do the scary things anyway… because your competition already is.
Let’s talk about why your content may not be seen and I’ll be providing you some insight!
what am I doing wrong?
Weak SEO Optimization on Your Website
- If your website is not optimized with keywords, meta data, and utilizing an SEO plugin like Yoast… you may have a difficult time breaking through the ranks.
- When thinking of your SEO (search engine optimization, if you didn’t know) … try tailoring your content on your website around what people are searching. If you’re a bakery but you want your page to focus on catering … try utilizing the word “catering” often in your headlines. Understanding your audience’s search behavior and crafting content around those queries can significantly enhance your SEO results!
- Make sure to balance writing for humans AND ‘robots’ – do not rely on stuffing keywords everywhere to rank high… it is disingenuous to your human site visitors!
Lack of Consistency in Posting / Promoting
- Creating great content is only half the battle! Promoting it effectively is the other crucial part. If you’re not consistently sharing your content across various channels, your content may go unnoticed.
- It takes some time, but A/B testing allows you to test what time periods could work for your posts. It’s always good to remember: your audience may be active at different times on different platforms.
- If you have an e-mail list, tailoring your content around getting them back to your website helps get them down the sales funnel. If you’re not utilizing e-mail marketing… you’re missing out!
Not Understanding Your Audience
- If your content is not addressing your audience’s interests, pain points, and preferences… you may have an issue getting them to stop the scroll on social media to read and interact with your content.
- Using poor grammar, unprofessional graphics, and awkward conversation pieces can drive people away.
so what now? my content isn’t seen… how can i fix that?!
Addressing these issues involves a combination of strategic planning, audience understanding, and staying attuned to industry trends. It’s a LOT of work, I won’t lie to you but what this work is worth it. It’s aligning your efforts into something that can truly pay off.
Smart and Strategic Creation:
- Embrace a more strategic approach to content creation. Don’t underestimate the power of a good blog. Blog posts are GOLDMINES of content generation and a strong contender for showing up in keyword searches your clients are possibly looking for. Consider each blog post as a timeless piece that can be referenced over and over again.
- Aim for an 80/20 balance – 80% of your content should be evergreen, designed to remain relevant and valuable for extended periods, while the remaining 20% provides glimpses into your personal world. Add quotes from yourself, little ways you tie into your blog posts.
- This shift towards strategic creation ensures that your blog posts have a lasting impact, maintaining relevance not just for weeks or months, but potentially for years to come.
Efficient Repurposing:
- Forget the pressure to constantly churn out entirely new and original content for every platform. Instead, focus on the art of repurposing. The content you create CAN be used in other ways! Consider the beefiness of a blog post… do you see how it can be condensed and broken down into talking points on a podcast or on an Instagram Live?
- There is NO shame in repurposing content from older posts if you feel like the content is still relevant or it can reach a new audience. Using “we talked about x topic in the past last year… but I wanted to expand on this” is a nice way to show consistency as well!
- When planning your content, I personally start with a blog post… it’s the longer form of content and it’s easier to break down. You want an expansive “theme” or “topic” that will allow it to live across multiple avenues. The truth is, we spend about 90% of the time creating content and only 10% promoting it… Let’s change that.
Thoughtful Creation with Purpose:
- Move away from mindless content creation and align every task with a tangible result. Think: do you wish to inform, connect, promote, or convert? These four topics help you narrow your content’s end goal. They are pillars to help organize you into creating content that can have a purpose and be expanded upon!
- Numbers are daunting. They’re there to show numerical proof of “success” but they can be really intimidating, huh? By avoiding the pitfalls of content creation by focusing on BIG numbers… shift your focus to what matters: growth in your followers, e-mail lists, conversions into sales and best of all – meaningful connections with your community members.
- This shift towards thoughtful creation ensures that each piece of content becomes a strategic asset, guiding your audience with clear calls to action and subtle cues towards the next steps in their journey. The age-old saying is to always wrap your posts up with a call-to-action – and that’s true! Being direct never hurts!
will this solve my problems?
Your content becomes not just a checkbox on your to-do list, but a driving force behind your brand’s narrative and connecting with your community. By using these tips to strategically plan your content, you allow yourself greater success in creating content that will last and make an impact.
Ready to take your content to the next level and start getting the visibility it deserves? Don’t miss out on the opportunity to reach your audience and connect with potential clients. Remember, it’s not just about creating content, it’s about creating content with purpose! And we can help you do that. Contact us today to discuss and consult your marketing needs. If you’re still having trouble making your content seen, we can DEFINITELY push you in the right direction! It’s a Decelle Branding Guarantee™️.
