Blog | Content Clarity | Content Planning & Creation Made Easy

Social Media, Instagram
3 things to avoid on social media
- by pamela
It can be hard to know how to best invest your time on social media for your business.

There are so many different elements to consider… Hashtags, posting frequencies, engagement and it can all seem a little bit, well overwhelming!

But buckle up because I’m going to throw a few bad habits under the spotlight that won’t be getting you any enquiries or sales.

1. “Like for Like, Follow for Follow, Share for Share”

Comment pods, like threads… Whatever they are called in the Facebook groups you’re part of. Avoid!

You see these aren’t going to sell you anything, why… Simple: Because 99.9% of the people sharing, liking, or following you in those groups AREN’T your target audience or market.

Sure, you’re getting more likes and followers, oh and that’s so tempting! But those are what we call ‘vanity metrics’ and that’s not what you should be consuming your precious time on.

It’s far better for your business to have a smaller, genuinely engaged following than to have tons of likes from people who don’t even know who you are (and let’s be real, are probably going to unlike or unfollow you in the next few weeks… Then you start to panic when your numbers tank).

And YES, even if these threads only take you 10 minutes a day to participate in, that’s 10 minutes per day that could be better spent.

On top of that, you’re going to do some serious damage to your accounts. You see the social platforms ain’t daft! They can see people going from a Facebook Group to an Insta pic, “like” then back… On REPEAT! They can tell natural engagement and that ain’t natural.

2. 30 Day Posting Challenges

A little part of my soul dies every time I see a ’30 day posting challenge’.

I’m not being a spoil sport here, but listen up… If you’re not already seeing good results from your content, then posting more frequently isn’t going to solve the problem.

You need to tie your content into YOUR goals, not someone else’s.

If you’re not seeing great results, spend that time to investigate where you’re going wrong.

Not to mention, consistently posting sub par content that gets no engagement day after day, just tells the social media platforms you’re not worth showing in the news feeds of your followers… and so you don’t.

I hear you shouting, oh but we’ve all agreed to like and comment on each other’s content for 30 days… I’ll just revert you back to point 1 above!

So, step away from the ’30 day posting challenges’ and instead use that time to ‘roll up your sleeves’ and work out exactly why your posts aren’t performing.

Quality wins over of quantity every time!

3. Posting ‘just for the sake of it’

Panic posting is the one sure thing that’s going to get your knickers in a twist when it comes to content. Getting ahead in your content is something that I teach you in my signature course, Content Planning for Business.

Instead of trying to come up with a different post every time. Give yourself a topic for the week and then think of all the different ways you can create content about that topic.

So say you’re an accountant and you want to talk about ‘expenses’. You could create a post on what 5 things you might not know are tax deductible. Then another post on the best app to keep track of receipts. Another on going paperless in business.

With that in mind I’m sure you can think up 4 topics to get you through the next 30 days
Business
How to avoid FOMO in business
- by pamela
Being a business owner means wearing all the hats, so the last thing you need is to add to your list of things to do thanks to business FOMO.

What do I mean by business FOMO?

Business FOMO is when you’re casually running your day to day business errands, posting on social media… Doing some engagement or research on your content and then BAM you all of a sudden see that someone is doing a podcast, workshop or even offering a new service and you immediately think “I should do that”. And before you know it you’ve ordered a microphone on Amazon and you’re huddle in your closet (cause that’s where you get better sound!) There’s another plate to spin each week!

The downside of business FOMO is that it can seriously take you off your beaten track. Before you know it 3 mths have gone by and instead of working on that 1 thing you really wanted to do, you’ve hacked together a service offering that you didn’t even want and is doing nothing for you.

So how can you stay on track and avoid FOMO in business?

1. Set goals

It might seem like an obvious one, but if you’re not setting goals and objectives for your business then it’s only natural you’re going to be attracted to all the shiny things going on around you.

But don’t freak out… I know if you’ve not done goal setting before, it can seem daunting. But just think:

– Where do you want your business to be 3 mths from now?
– What can I put in place to make the above happen?
– How can my content help me work towards that?

Then next time you see something ‘shiny’ ask yourself ‘is that going to help me achieve my goals?’ If the answer is no… Step away!

2. Limit your browsing time

If you’re finding it really hard to resist, then limit your screen time for 30 days.

Have 30 days of running your business WITHOUT looking at what everyone else is up to and see the power of your own decision making and really working towards those goals on your own steam.

3. Trust yourself

Ok, so I’m going to get a little bit emotional here, but you need to ask yourself ‘why’ you’re so attracted to what others are doing in their business?

Do you not trust you’re doing it ‘right’?

If so, the beauty of the above 2 steps is that you will gain that confidence that you are growing your business and that you are capable of doing this at your pace.

Dig deep and try to work out what is sparking the feelings of FOMO and do some mindset work around overcoming that.
Video
5 ways to harness the power of video in your marketing
- by pamela
We all know that video is the hot topic of the decade in the marketing world. But don’t worry if you’ve not tapped into the power of video for your business marketing efforts, because now is a great time to start.

Video is super powerful for many reasons. First up it engages viewers for longer. Whether that’s on social media or your website, it keeps the viewer more engaged than text and image alone. Forbes actually found that an average user spends 88% more time on a website with video.

Wynowl (2018) found that where people had the option to learn about a product or service from a webpage with video and text, 72% would rather learn from the video. Making it a great way to get the word about your business out there!

But how?

Well let me run down the 5 different ways you can harness video in your marketing efforts:

1. Testimonial videos

Testimonial videos are great. It builds an extra layer of trust with your audience, because they can see and hear direct from a previous customer for themselves.

Once people can put a face and context to a testimonial, it becomes far more relatable than if it was just a typed bit of text on a social media post.

2. Tutorials

Tutorials or styling videos are an excellent way to add value to your audience… Imagine you sell a food product. You could do recipe videos to show people how to incorporate your product in different ways. Or home products, you can show how to style a coffee table. Showcasing your products versatility.

I guarantee you will always find a use that someone hasn’t thought of yet!

3. Behind the scenes

Video is great for behind the scenes. It really brings to life everything that goes on inside your business. Whether that’s the attention to detail that goes into sourcing products, or personalising a service for someone.

You might wonder if people will really care… Just ask yourself why so many people watch day in the life vloggers and there’s your answer!

4. Q&A

So think of the Live functionality that’s available on the social media platforms… These are great for Q&A’s! Really helping you engage with your audience directly. For a lot of business owners, they don’t have any direct dealing with the customers, so this is a great way to bridge that gap and build that know, like and trust factor.

5. Engaging with the audience

Moving onto Stories now and there are a whole host of additional features that allow you to poll or ask questions to your following.

This is great if you’re researching for a new service idea or looking for opinions on branding of a new product.

Doing this really makes your audience feel like a part of your business and like their opinion matters.

So are you making use of video in your content strategy?

If you’re struggling to think of ways to add video into your content plans, then check out my 1:1 content coaching. A 12 week coaching package to help you get the most of out content marketing for your business.
Blogging
5 Powerful benefits of blogging for your service-based business
- by pamela
A business blog is one of my favourite forms of content marketing. It’s easy, it’s cost effective but best of all it’s actually a little swiss army knife of content marketing.

If it’s not something you’ve yet tried for your service based business, then listen up as I tell you the 5 powerful benefits of blogging for your business.

1. It builds trust

Now you’ll have heard all about the importance of building the know, like and trust factor to ensure that your audience has confidence in you and your company’s abilities.

Not only does blogging allow you to show up regularly as an expert in your niche, but share a great cross network of posts allowing them to build a deep bond and connection with you.

2. It’s a multi tasker

Now the reason I say blogging is the swiss army knife of content marketing is because it’s a multitasker.

Done right, your posts can bring traffic to your website through the search engines. Helping you reach a new audience.

It also warms up your audience for you on auto pilot, because as your audience moves through the buying process they’ll need reassurance and answers to various different questions to help them come to the decision to buy from you.

Devise a great content strategy that ensures your blog posts cover all the bases and your blog posts are doing this for you whilst you sleep… Thank you blog posts!

3. They can grow your email list

If you’re looking to grow your email list, a blog post is a great place to give a potential subscriber a taste of what they can expect from you if they sign up.

Write blog posts sharing tips and tutorials and you’ve just given someone a great reason to join your list and get the inside scoop on a more regular basis.

4. They’re there for the foreseeable

Blog posts are a great long term content marketing strategy. You’re constantly building up a network of entry points to your website and business.

A growing number of doors, allowing more and more people into your website, to find out about your company and services.

5. It adds value

Everyone loves something for nothing… Blogging allows you to give on auto pilot for years to come.

Compare it to an Instagram live for a minute. All the research, the preparation that goes into it. Then it’s gone in 24hrs, never to be seen again (don’t get me wrong, they have their place!) But you put that same time and effort into a blog post and it’s there adding value forever more.

PLUS weave in a call to action in there and it’s taking the guess work out of who’s interested.

So what do you say? Are you reaching for the notepad?

If you’re new to blogging for your business and you don’t know where to start, then check out my ‘Blogging for Business’ course to make sure that your blog posts are supercharged when they out and packing the best possible punch now and for years to come!
Content Planning
How to align your content to your business goals
- by pamela
Is your content aligned to your business goals? Don’t worry if it’s not, because in this post I’m going to help you make sure you line up your content so that is works hard for you in your business.

Now, this is not the only time you’ll hear me say this… Content isn’t just about making noise and having a presence.

Oh no… The purpose of content marketing is to help you grow your business and achieve your bigger business goals.

Outline your goals

First up you have to know what your goals are in business. This might seem obvious, but it’s one that is regularly overlooked. You dive in with the sole focus of making money and then 5 yrs later you wonder why you’ve made the same turnover 5 yrs on the trot and not actually grown, but just existed.

I like to start off with goals for the year and then break these down into quarterly objectives.

So lets say one of your business goals for the year is to increase profit by 20%, so you can afford to hire another member of staff. (It’s always key to give yourself quantifiable goals that you can measure. So don’t just say ‘hire someone’, think what it takes to make that happen)

Then you would start to look at the ways you could ensure you make that 20% extra profit happen.

Get even more specific

Now there’s the obvious ‘increase sales in general’. So, work out how many additional clients you’d need to win, or products you’d need to sell each quarter to make this possible.

But think beyond that… So maybe in quarter 1 you may want to launch a new passive income service offering, such as an ebook or online course.

Or, if you’re product based, bring in a new product line that compliments what you already sell. Say you sell candle sticks and you’re going to start selling candles in quarter 1.

It’s really important you do this. Otherwise you’re just coming to work everyday with no direction or target and it just becomes groundhog day.

Where the magic happens

So now you have a list of business goals and some really specific measurable quarterly objectives to help us along the way. How can you start to align this to content marketing?

First up part of your bigger goal is to hire someone in a year’s time, so part of your content marketing strategy in 2020, is to make the company look AMAZING to work for.

Even as early on as Q1 you can start to pepper ‘behind the scenes’ on Stories. If you have other staff, you can perhaps start to show their pride for working there. Maybe a monthly piece of content dedicated to that employee’s story… That would make a great blog post or what about a video ‘day in the life’. Over the year you can really showcase the benefits of working for your company, so that when you get to the end of the year and you advertise that position… People are fighting over it.

Ok, so now we have the profit goal and the increase in sales, potential launches and quarterly pushes.

If you’re a service based retainer business, then you’re going to want to draw new eyes to your business. We want more reach, traffic to the website… enquiries and sales, right.

So here’s where the magic happens and you start to work out exactly what type of content you need to help increase sales and generate that extra 20% profit…

Now this will be different for every business. Some businesses have a short buying process and some have longer. You might impulse buy a candle, but take 3 months to buy a car, for example. The longer the buying or nurturing process the more content we will need to support it.

So let’s say you’re an accountant and you want to attract new clients. You know that your existing clients tell you how much time you’ve saved them.
- You could film a video about the ‘3 reasons why you should hire a book keeper’
- Do Insta Stories to show people how to integrate Quick books with their bank statements.
- Write a blog post about how a client has managed to grow their business, thanks to the time they’ve saved and they recommend outsourcing admin based tasks, because that freedom is what allowed them to grow their business.
I can almost hear the penny dropping at your end now.

You see this is why content marketing is super powerful and not just noise.

And the best bit… That time investment to film that video, write that blog post and do those stories (assuming you save them to highlights after the 24hrs). Well it’s out there warming up and nurturing your audience through the buying process, whilst you sleep… Your own personal sales army, right!

Got a taste for getting your content marketing strategy in place, then check out my 1:1 Content Mentorship. A 12 week long journey, where together we get your content strategy into place and that all important content rolling out.
Social Media
5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Use Stories
- by pamela
If you haven’t used Instagram Stories before for your business… Definitely jump on this bandwagon!

It is huge right now and continues to be so.

When it comes to Stories the potential uses, it’s like a swiss army knife… Making it an absolute must for every business… And here’s why:

1. Use Stories to learn more about your audience

Instagram Stories is a great way to get instant feedback from your audience.

Say you want to find out more information about your followers, use the Poll or question features to get that all important golden feedback about your audience

Struggling to think how much to charge for a service, or package up a product… Go straight to source for a quick answer!

2. Use it to reach a new audience

Stories might only last 24hrs (forever, if you save them to a highlight), but they are discoverable through hashtags and locations, as well as allowing you to tag other accounts (which allows them to reshare to their Stories… Hello new audience!)

So if growing your reach, or targeting a new demographic, is on your list of goals… Box ticked!

3. It drives traffic to your website

Ok, so you’ve got to have over 10K followers to get the direct ‘swipe up’ feature from Stories (at the moment), but you can still use a cute ‘link in bio’ graphic to direct people to your latest blog post, or newest offering.

It’s also worth noting that you can ‘swipe up’ to IGTV uploads regardless of follower count and if you run ads, it will also ‘swipe up’ as standard.

4. Stay front of you audiences mind

One of the HUGE benefits of content is to help you stay at the front of your audiences mind. With an online following, you can’t always know what buying stage everyone is at. So Stories is a great way to pop up daily, without the high production time factor or cost.

5. There’s more than 300 million accounts viewing Stories

So last up, let’s talk statistics… According to Instagram’s own internal data, one third of the most watched Stories comes from businesses. With 1 in 5 Stories receiving a direct message from its viewers.

So there you have it, 5 reasons why every business should be on Stories!

Ready to give it a go? If you’re struggling with your strategy for content planning, then check out my 1:1 services, or online self study courses.