Hey, Content Strategist! Ready to make some magic by walking the content road less traveled?
Yes, you. I’m talking to you.
What if, instead of doing what every single content marketing guru told you to do (“Do more!” “Be everywhere!” “Jump on the bandwagon!”), you bucked the trend?
What if, instead of being on the most appealing platform du jour (podcasts, anyone? Also, WHY?), you instead focused on a platform that let you express yourself the best way you knew how?
Even if you hadn’t been super-active on it to date (or EVER) … and didn’t have the massive network you have elsewhere… and were pretty sure your initial posts might not engender a groundswell of reaction?
But – and this is important – it gave you your voice in a way none of the other platforms did… and helped you show just a little bit more of yourself to the world than you ordinarily would… what then? Would you go for it?
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
When it comes to content generation and marketing – which is such a huge part of Social PR – there are already a lot of best practices laid down. Because, after all, we’ve been doing this for a while now.
So we’ve figured out decent workflows, integrations, and we can sync X to Y, and Y to Z, and we may even have learned how to automate most of it so that it’s taking place while we sleep (or while someone’s sleeping).
But it isn’t FUN any more.
Now, granted, not all we do as part of “work” is fun – that’s impossible.
But if you and I are lucky enough to pursue the practice, or teaching, of Social PR as our primary means of earning a living, most of it sure beats flipping burgers at MacDonald’s. Right?
So if we are this incredibly lucky to make money doing something we actually enjoy… doesn’t it stand to reason we need to keep finding ways to keep enjoying it?
Why, then, do we get stuck in content ruts? And I’m calling out “content” because it is such a big part of what Social PR pros do.
“Is everyone good at social media?”
That’s what one of my Social PR Virtuosos asked just the other day, when we had a (relatively impromptu) meet-up.
It was almost as if she’d gotten everyone to line up at the psychiatrist’s couch. Because we talked about time, and creativity blocks, and private v. public personas… all the things that continue to plague Social PR pros even though “social” has really become a way of life.
The thing is, this is going to happen. The honeymoon phase of any industry, any platform, inevitably passes, and then it starts becoming WORK.
And we equate “work” with “drudgery.” We just do, it’s human nature.
And that, I think, is the point at which we need to stop, collaborate and listen 8-) … to our instincts.
If we are still doing what we started out doing, 5, 10 years ago (or more), there’s something about it that keeps us there.
And if we’re staying put, it’s on us to find the magic again.
What’s the point of complaining about how crowded the marketplace has become, or how the community feeling of yesteryear has dissipated?
It has, and it has. That’s just the way life goes. Things change, people move on.
But it’s still possible to find wonder in what we do… and if not wonder, per se, at least the fulfillment that we’re doing our bit to make the world a better place, by helping people connect at the right times, and for the right reasons.
So, I ask you again, Content Strategist: what can YOU do today to stop making your work feel like a basketful of tired laundry? How can YOU change your approach to content to start seeing, and feeling, its magic again?
What are YOU doing today to change the world?
Image: George Hiles via Unsplash, CC Zero
Shonali
Good post.. However the problem of content creators specially b2b is that you cannot move away from your cores product proposition. For consumer durables and CPG content creators ” going off the beaten track, moving away from the road less travelled is an exercise in creativity.. however for b2b less mortals like us its an exercise in futility.!
Making a brand human, specially when you are in the business of creating ceramic tiles is a sore infact eye sore for people who reads it as ” the opportunity ” to talk to consumers beyond what they know- Its the best flooring you can every get.. The functional and features part of the brand story seems uncomplete… I have never ever had any satisfaction of feeling happy and elated after creating a content for ” b2b product”.. and if i dont feel good about it. I know.. my readers would hardly celebrate .Thats my 2 cents for you
would love if you could write something about the challenge this industry faces
Hey, Sumit,
Thank you so much for your extremely thoughtful response! I apologize it’s taken me a few days to get here… I’ve been caught up in the stress of the election. Now that we all know how *that* turned out…
See, the thing is that your product/service’s core proposition needs to solve a problem for your customers. So if you keep the focus on that, you can absolutely bring personality into it. It all depends on how creative you get.
When I did my “Social PR Launchpad” webinar last year, I showed quite a few examples of B2B companies doing just this. In fact, one company makes those massive steel drums to store water, etc.
Those are expensive products with a crazy long sales cycle as well. But they made their blog really interesting, with killer headlines, the type of content even I would want to read, and I’m not in the market to buy a massive galvanized drum. And this led, over time, to real business results.
My point in the post wasn’t for B2B brands to try and become comedians, or do something supposedly “human” but completely out of character for them.
What I’d love to see is folks stop thinking they have to be “here” and “there” and “do Twitter” and “do Facebook” and do this and that. Do something that is fresh and creative that shows your customers and prospects who *you* are, so that they want to do business with *you*.
Does that make sense? Still want me to write a post about it? :)