When I first launched Emily Writes, I did it with a video. I posted a poorly lit Facebook Live talking about what I was doing and why I was excited about it. I had a lot of friends and family comment on it, celebrate what I was doing, and give me a boost of confidence.
It was nice. But to be honest, that’s essentially the last video I ever did! 🤣
Occasionally, I’ve made video podcast appearances and Instagram Stories, but I just don’t like to be on video. It’s not something I’m comfortable with, and I have a hard time forcing myself to hit “record.”
So, I just don’t do it.
And you know what? My business is still thriving. I bring home a great full-time income without working over 40 hours a week.
Could I be even more successful if I did tons of videos? Maybe! But I wouldn’t enjoy it. That’s why you’ll never see me tell a client that they absolutely NEED to jump into the world of short-form or long-form video content. Because it just isn’t true!
My point of this story is to remind you that you can build a successful business without taking every single tip from every “marketing guru” on the internet. You can design a content marketing strategy that will work for you without forcing yourself to do things you dislike.
If you want to break things down to the basics, here are the most important marketing skills that I believe every entrepreneur should have, regardless of the type of content they want to produce or the kind of business they run:
(1) Create with Confidence
To succeed in business, having confidence in yourself, your brand, and what you do is more important than anything else. If you can clearly and confidently sell yourself and what you do, it will shine through in any type of content you produce.
(2) Build Your Knowledge
Are you great at what you do? Let it be known! Your target audience will resonate more with your ability to solve their problems than with glitzy videos or super-polished podcasts.
Of course, this can be developed over time. When I first started my business, I was much more timid about my expertise than I am now. I started out by selling a very general set of services and then, over time, figured out what I really wanted to do and for whom.
(3) Set Your Boundaries
Setting healthy work/life boundaries is far more important than any type of content. You don’t have to make yourself available 24/7, just because people can access you 24/7. I use time-blocking to set clear boundaries for my work vs. off-work time (read more, here!)
Putting pressure on yourself to respond to every email or social media DM the second it comes in is one of the quickest paths to burnout. If your business truly requires this level of service, build a team to help you handle the workload. It’s simply not sustainable to do it all by yourself.
(4) Show Up Consistently
However you choose to show up to your audience, do it consistently.
You don’t need to do “all of the things” and be on every corner of the internet, but you do need to figure out where your audience spends time, and dedicate efforts to creating content for that platform.
Whether it’s posting content in a blog, on a podcast, on YouTube, on social media, or through an email newsletter, give it all you’ve got! Focus on creating content that is cohesive with your brand, and be sure to post it consistently. (And if you need some help, I know the perfect team to support you. 😉)
(5) Invest in a Website
Speaking of places to show up, a well-designed and up-to-date website is your #1 marketing asset.
Social media is great. A lot of people find success for their businesses by leveraging social media platforms! But anything can happen to your account. I know of a handful of small businesses whose accounts got hacked and taken over and there’s nothing they can do about it. In those cases, they’ve lost the audience they spent years cultivating.
But when you have a website, people will know where to find you at all times. If you go missing on social media, they will find you with a quick Google search.
Develop the Marketing Skills You Actually Enjoy
There isn’t a set roadmap for success that will work for every single entrepreneur in the world. When it comes to creating marketing content, some people will thrive with the help of video content, whereas others find their footing with long-form blogs.
Whatever you decide to focus on, make sure you enjoy doing it! When you love what you do, it’s a lot easier to produce the content. Spend your time intentionally learning about entrepreneurship and building marketing skills that you actually enjoy deploying.
By the way, if you need help writing content that your audience will love, the Emily Writes team is here to help! Schedule a commitment-free consultation and let’s find the best content marketing strategy for you and your business.