4 Reasons You’re Not Consistent With Your Content Creation (and Online Marketing)

Yes, we’re talking about consistency again this week!

For four years I’ve surveyed my audience and do you know what the number one struggle is?

Actually showing up.
Not just once.
Not twice.
But, consistently.

But, dang it’s hard.

The reality is creating content can actually be overwhelming. Most people go through the typical cycle of, “Oh, I've got a great idea! Wait is this actually valuable? How do I know if this is valuable? Maybe I should think of another topic!"

And even when we start to figure it out, we find ourselves repeating the cycle month after month.

This is why it’s important to pinpoint and correct why we’re not consistent in the first place, so today’s post is going to share 4 of the most common reasons you might be lacking consistency in your business.

1. LACK OF COMMITMENT TO YOUR BUSINESS

Ok, I’m bringing this up with so much grace and love because I want you to know that you’re not the only one who is sitting in this in-between, but we've talked about this lack of commitment a lot with time management conversations.

For example, I always say that one of the reasons time management is a big struggle, especially when growing your business, is because your business isn’t taking top priority in your schedule.

I know it can be easy to see entrepreneurs who are “making it” and think, “Wow, they're so lucky.” But the truth is that the people who have done this and are doing it successfully have done it with intention. This success didn’t happen by accident.

This intention comes from making a commitment and in this case a commitment to your business.

Have you made this commitment? Here are three questions to help you determine if you’re downplaying your business, even if subconsciously.

QUESTION #1
Have you told anybody about your business?
Really consider if you’ve told the people that you love most about your business and if you’ve had conversations with them about what you imagine your business can be.

QUESTION #2
How do you refer to your business?
It’s time to really think about how you refer to and think about your business, yes this includes calling it a side hustle. For me, the term side hustle carried a heavyweight and made me think of my business as something less important, which absolutely wasn’t true.
This way of thinking subconsciously made my business less important and not a time priority. So when I had time, I’d work on my business as opposed to making the time to work on my business.

Really consider the way you view and openly talk about your business. Are you talking about it as a fun side project, or is this a goal that you're working towards? How bad do you want it?

Entrepreneurship requires work, yes, but most importantly it requires a commitment. One thing to consider is having a specific time on your calendar for your business, especially as it relates to content creation.

If you do not have designated time on your calendar we're running into a problem, because that means that your business is not a priority. We use our calendars to prioritize the things that we have to do all the time, think the dentist, meetings at work, soccer practice for the kids.

The beautiful part of this is there isn’t a right or wrong way or number of hours you need to work on your business, it always comes down to your goals, timeline and availability. So your scheduled time might only be two hours a week or five, but having the time carved out is part of this commitment.

#2 A LACK OF SYSTEMS = A LACK OF CONSISTENCY

One of my favorite quotes from James Clear in his book Atomic Habits is, "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

I love it so much we talked about it last week, but I truly don’t think there is a more important conversation to have in regards to consistency than your systems.

If you’re already pressed for time, and only have so many hours to come up with content, ideas, and so much time to write our content and then so much time to get it out there, we have to get our systems in place. 

These systems in your business look like clear and defined workflows, thorough weekly checklists and frameworks for getting your content written and out for distribution.

One of my favorite parts of my business is taking one piece of content and repurposing the crap out of it, seriously I wrote an entire blog post on my process. The art of repurposing not only allows you to spend less time creating content, it allows you to create a weekly workflow that can be repeated week after week.

This repetition takes the guesswork out of marketing your business and gives you more time and energy on fine-tuning and improving your craft.

Every week I take one video, the one you can watch below, and I turn it into a blog post (yes, this one), 3 social media posts, an email and multiple videos for Instagram. And every single week this workflow is repeated.

This type of system and there are many to choose from, allow you to rinse and repeat, minimize the time and energy you’re spending and maximize output.

Inside The Consistency Guide, I share an 8-part framework for showing up more consistently in your business. One of these pieces is centered around your workflow. I walk you through my process of determining your core content and repurpose schedule, then you get a behind the scenes look into my business and my workflow so you can implement it in your business with ease.

Content might be Queen, but if your content isn't consistent it won't do you much good. The Consistency Guide teaches you how to release beliefs holding you back and put systems in place that allow you to succeed in business week after week after week.

Get the consistency guide now

#3 STOP TRYING TO BE ON ALL THE PLATFORMS

One of the most popular reasons for not showing up consistently in business is that you’re trying to be too much, create too much and show up too much! 

“What?! Michelle you teach marketing and you’re telling me I’m doing too much?”

YES! As with all things we need to be strategic and I’d rather you show up fully on a few platforms then stretch yourself thin with mediocre content on a bunch.

The truth is when we start our businesses, and even in that first year, shoot, even in your fourth year, it can be really easy to look and see where everybody's showing up and think to yourself, “Well, I should be there too. I definitely need to be there. Um, I'm not on Pinterest, I need to be on Pinterest. I'm not on Instagram, I need to be on Instagram. I need to be doing a weekly live stream as Michelle does.” Sound familiar?

We feel we have to do #allthethings because we’re comparing our Chapter 1 to someone’s Chapter 10. Look, I was not doing all of this four years ago, I focused on the areas that felt most comfortable and where I could show up fully and then I continued to grow from there.

In my business, it looked like Facebook Groups and my Facebook Page first, then I added Instagram, then I got serious about Blogging and Pinterest, adding podcasting, weekly live streams, etc... came next.

No one is expecting you to do it ALL right from the start, that’s just crazy!

If you’re trying to do all of the things, all of the time, and find yourself consistent for a week, and then nothing on again for two weeks and then off again because you’re stretching yourself too thin, you’re not going to be able to give your full focus and energy to the areas you absolutely need to see growth, think high-value content.

I recommend two to three platforms most when you’re first starting out and when choosing these platforms you need to consider what is required from that platform.

For instance, if you don’t have a lot of time then you might not want to focus on Instagram or Facebook to grow your community which requires daily posting. Using your blog and Pinterest might be a better option for you and better use of your time in the beginning. Then as you understand and implement repurposing you can take that blog and expand it on social media.

So that's why it's really, really important to create a strategy that works for you. This is why I love authentic marketing and what it’s truly all about. It's about really looking at your life, your schedule, your audience, where you want to show up, how much time you have and create a workflow and a content creation plan to match that.

So much of this comes from your system and workflow. I’ve mastered this with my Repurposing Plan and I’m giving you my strategies to build your own system that you can rinse and repeat inside the Consistency Guide.

#4 YOUR PURPOSE ISN’T DEFINED

Now, I don't mean your life purpose, although that could easily fit into your business if you know that go for it, but if when you hear the word purpose and instantly start to feel overwhelmed it’s not necessary.

What, I want to encourage you to think about is the purpose behind your business and how it’s deeper than your why.

Let me explain. When I started my business I remember my first coach asked me my “why”. I listed out a ton of reasons like being home with my son, bringing my husband home from his job, traveling more, paying off debt, shopping at Whole Foods.

It felt great! But then business got tough and I found myself no longer motivated by these very surface-level reasons for running my business. So I took the time to think about the true purpose behind my business, my mission, which is so much more than me and even my family.

It can’t be because of money.
It can’t be because of fame.

You can achieve those things working a 9 to 5, it has to be bigger, it has to focus on impact.

There will be months when you don't make as much as the month before, and you might have social media posts that do really, really well and then social media posts that don't.

You might have launches that do really, really well and then have launches that don't.

And when you're focused on the money, or the fame, or the, you know, influence or publicity, or whatever you want to call it likes followers, then you're going to struggle because you're going to question if you should be doing this! 

When you think about your audience and impact, the reason you’re showing up you’ll keep going, you’ll keep creating and you’ll continue to be consistent.

If you haven’t already ask yourself, 
What is the mission behind our business?
What is the purpose of you showing up every single day, even when no one is there?

Having this information at your fingertips, being deeply rooted in your purpose, allows you to pull yourself back up. As an entrepreneur, no one is going to do that for you!

Inside The Consistency Guide, there is an entire section on defining your purpose. I ask the questions needed to determine your purpose and feel deeply rooted and connected to it.

I've used my Consistency Framework to create consistent high-performing content for four years.

This has included weekly emails, weekly blog posts, at least two videos a month (now it's weekly), multiple social media posts on both Facebook and Instagram and so much more.

I've generated half a million dollars in cash from showing up consistently in my business, delivering what my audience wants and sharing my expertise in a way that is authentic to me.

This isn't another plug n play template, this is going to set the foundation you need so you STICK WITH IT.

Because plug n play is just a band aid, it doesn't solve the problem.

Get the consistency guide for $60 off!

The goal here is to make deep changes in your business both with your systems and mindset (because we both know it's needed).

My clients have used my Consistency Framework to break free from their blocks and get results.

...Romy has created weekly live streams, blogs and emails (all from one piece of content) to generate $3k - $5k cash months.

...Ariel shows up for her audience every week, posting multiple times on Facebook to create a 6-figure photography business.

...Kinsey has grown a following on Instagram by releasing weekly podcasts, posting consistently on IG to successfully launch her first group program and 1:1 coaching.

I know you can follow this simple framework and do the same.

I typically sell this guide for $97, but I wanted to give my readers the opportunity to get all the goodness of the guide for less. You can grab the consistency guide by clicking right here for just $37!

CONCLUSION

Remember consistently showing up in your business is essential. You want to find a pattern and routine that works for you, but also be aware of areas, four specifically, where you might be blocking your own success.

So much of what we do as a business owner is equal parts strategy and mindset. Find the area where you’re lacking and focus on building it up so you can start showing up!

If you want to grab The Consistency Guide you can learn more about my 8-part Consistency Framework, you can do so by clicking here!

P.S. If you made it this far my guess is you’re ready to create consistent content and a sustainable business. So much of this starts with your marketing workflow which I’m giving you inside my free Repurposing Guide. You can download it here.

WATCH THE TIPS AND MORE FROM THIS POSTBELOW.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

4 Steps to Create Consistent Content for Your Business

If you’d like to watch the full video, you can do that here.

Content creation, you either love it or hate. I freaking love it and over the past four years of running my online business, I’ve shown up every single week with content for my audience.

I have over 200 blogs on my website, I’ve emailed my list at least once a week and the number of videos I’ve created is crazy. I do it because I love it, but I’ve also found a way to do it without spending all my time on it.

And content has gotten a bad wrap, people are talking about how you don’t need it, but in this blog, I’m going to share why it’s important and how to consistently show up for your audience without feeling stressed and overwhelmed with the process. 

3 LEVELS OF CONTENT CREATION

There are three levels your audience passes through, that you need to be aware of when creating content.

LEVEL ONE IS AWARENESS.
It’s the level in which people learn about you, your brand and maybe your service for the first time. Suddenly you’re on their radar and their awareness is heightened.

LEVEL TWO IS ATTRACTION.
After someone has an awareness of your brand, we then move our attention to attracting them to our inner circle/ or tribe. The goal here is to get people to sign up for your email list. Attracting them with a signature piece of content or, as I prefer, a lead magnet where they have to join your list to get it.

LEVEL THREE IS CONNECTION.
At this phase, we are putting the emphasis on nurturing your growing audience. The goal is to show up for them, connect with them and ultimately lead them to the sale.

Now, of course, someone could see your brand and go straight to the sale.

Somebody could join your list and go straight to the sale, but the majority of the people (think 90% need a little more nurturing and trust building).

Each of the levels shared above relies on content.

You can't really bring people to your brand, make them aware of your brand and what you have to offer if you're not showing up.

You can’t attract the right people and get them ready to join your email list if you’re not creating the quality content they want.

And, we can't really connect with people and build that relationship if we're not showing up and connecting with them consistently. 

So everything that we do as an online entrepreneur is really centered around content.

CONSISTENT CONTENT DOESN’T MEAN POSTING DAILY

When I talk about consistent content people’s immediate reaction is that I’m asking them to post every day, when the truth is far from that.

I actually hate this strategy and don’t use it in my business. I teach a very, very different method inside of Brandmerry Academy that relies on the art of repurposing.

But, what I want to drive home is the element of consistency. Consistency doesn’t mean daily, it means being consistent in your scheduling.

If you decide that you want to show up twice a week, consistently show up twice a week

If you decide you want to show three, four, whatever it is times a week, consistently do that. 

One of the worst things you can do is break your consistency, yet so many entrepreneurs fall off the wagon once or twice and then stop. Rather than hoping back on, it becomes this whole thing of, “Do I hop back on? How do I get back into it? Where do I start again?”

We put too much pressure on ourselves that if something happens, and we don't show up, or you know, we don't write a blog that week that we have to start over from the beginning and that is so not the case. 

That’s why so much of consistently showing up online and sharing content is reliant on our mindset. 

The tips below will only work if you understand that life will happen, you might fall off the schedule a few times, but the best thing you can do is get back up and work on your content creation habits.

Remember the more that you show up, the more consistent you are, the more your audience hears from you. 

The less you show up, the less consistent you are, the less your audience hears from you.

It’s not science.

Ok, on to the 4 Tips to Create Consistent Content in Your Business.

1. STAY INSPIRED TO CREATE CONTENT

You have to stay inspired and motivated. The key to being excited about creating content is to always look for ways to be inspired.

Let me give you an example. 

I know that if I need to create content, my butt goes outside.

If I know that I need to create content, let’s say I want to brainstorm and map out 90 days of topics I head to Starbucks.

I know the type of environments and resources that get me inspired and motivated. What are yours?

We have to put ourselves in places that inspire us if we ever hope to be inspired.

If you're sitting In bed, on your laptop, you're probably not feeling very inspired. 

So not only do we need to put ourselves in situations where we're feeling inspired, but we also have to get excited about what it is we are doing.

So much of getting excited ties back to the purpose of your business. 

Why are you doing this? 
Why should you show up and create content?
Who is it for?

If you haven't figured out the real purpose and mission behind your business, today would be a great day to write that down.

When I tap into my purpose of empowering women to own their story and show up and share that with the world through their brand that keeps me motivated. So, even if I am tired or don’t feel 100% in it, I root myself in my purpose and excitement hits.

The core part of consistently thinking of content topics, consistently showing up and delivering that content and consistently engaging comes from being inspired and being motivated. 

2. LOOK AROUND FOR CONTENT IDEAS

When we start thinking about creating content we sit down with a notepad, in a quiet room and write our ideas.

I'm telling you, I've had the best content ideas in the shower, or walking through the grocery store, listening to podcasts, or scrolling on Instagram, which is not in a dark room with a notepad.

I’m using the everyday moments around me to think of ideas. For instance, when I hop on Instagram I won’t just do it to waste some time, but I’ll set the intention to see if anything inspires me outside of my industry.

Then I use that inspiration to create a piece of content.

This is why I’m a big fan of using Trello or Google Docs as a way to organize a content idea bank because as I’m going about my day, with the intention to look for ideas, I can pause and add my idea to my Trello board and then go back about my day.

What I’m doing is I’m creating a resource of content ideas every single day, rather than sitting down to “try and write” and feeling incredibly lost and stuck.

The biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make is feeling like it's 100% up to them to come up with topics for their content.

Look around you.
Get inspired.
Don’t be afraid to Google topics and see what comes up.
Search on Pinterest for a topic and see what comes to your mind.
Look in a Facebook Group and search for topics to see what people ask.

Shift the way you go about getting ideas away from sitting down and brainstorming, to setting the intention to always look for ideas.

3. MAKE CONTENT CREATION A PRIORITY

Your content creation and your business in general, shouldn't just fit in where it fits in your schedule. Make it a priority and move the other things to fit around it.

You will get results if you’re carving out a dedicated chunk of time at least once a week to create your content if you’re not then you're doing yourself a disservice.

You don’t need to create every single day, many of my clients have one designated content creation/ writing day a week. And if you do it, for let’s say two weeks, and still don’t find you’re able to create the amount of content you want in that time frame then cut back on the content or master your repurposing workflow.

Do what you can in that time frame and then as your business grows, as you hire more team members, as you get faster and faster writing content and blog posts, then you can start to create more and show up on more platforms.

So many people fall off because they're trying to do way too much when it comes to content creation, they can't keep up with it. 

I am a big fan of bulk scheduling. I bulk create and write my content on Monday’s.

I don't do calls on Mondays and pretty much my entire day is carved out to create my content.

I use this time to write my notes for my weekly live stream, Mondays With Michelle, schedule my social media posts and choose the graphics.

4. CHOOSE YOUR CONTENT PLATFORMS WISELY

When you’re starting your online business you’re thinking, “Ok, I’m going to create a website and hope someone comes to it and then I’ll show up on social media. I’ll create a Facebook group or I'll join some Facebook groups, and I'll show up on Instagram.”

Sound familiar? I know it was exactly what I did in the beginning.

This is why so many entrepreneurs get overwhelmed because in order for your stuff to really get seen on those platforms you need to consistently post, which means daily on Facebook and Instagram.

I used to do this and found myself overwhelmed with the amount of content I needed to create, so I don’t do it anymore and that's because social media is no longer my top tier platform.

Remember back to the beginning where we talked about Awareness, Attraction and Connection? Another way to look at this is through Cold, Warm and Hot Leads.

The majority of people in the Awareness phase are a cold lead, so you’re creating content that pulls them into your brand, if this is social media you’re going to feel like you’re constantly climbing a steep hill.

In my business, I pull in cold leads through my blog, which I optimize for Google and share on Pinterest. Another alternative is Youtube and podcasting. The reason these platforms work so well is because they are Search Engines; your audience is going to them with specific questions and looking for answers, this is not the same for social media.

In addition, your content lives longer on these platforms than say a post on social media, which might last 24 hours if you’re lucky.

If you're not already considering things like optimizing your website for SEO, and you aren't blogging, and you are not using Pinterest or you’re not using YouTube (if you like videos), really consider switching up where you are showing up, it will make a huge difference and will allow you to consistently show up with less content.

Again, if you want more of a deep dive in how to repurpose your weekly video or blog post, check out this blog.

CONCLUSION

Consistently showing up in your brand is important, but it doesn’t mean you have to post daily. Consistently showing up is about having smart marketing in place with systems and workflows that allow you to create content in a shorter amount of time and optimize your content so it lasts longer.

Brandmerry Academy is where I teach my clients how to improve their marketing without relying on social media. To learn more and join the waitlist visit brandmerryacademy.com

If these tips were helpful let me know over on Instagram. I’m hanging out at @michelleknightco.

P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!

The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.

In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales

The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Every single day I am messaged or approached by someone who is concerned with their Brand Story.

And while understanding and framing your Brand Story in the best way IS important, it's not the only story you should be sharing online...

…and, dare I say, it's not even the one that's going to build the most trust or lead to the most sales.

It's the everyday stories you share on video, via email and on social media that make the biggest connection with your audience.

These stories make your content 22x more likely to be remembered and I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time and energy crafting content for my audience so I’d like for it to be remembered!

However, so many entrepreneurs struggle to figure out what stories to share, understand the core pieces of a great story and how to effectively write for social media.

And that’s because…

1. It doesn’t come naturally to many of us, myself included in the beginning.

2. So many people make storytelling so freaking complex when it doesn’t have to be.

But, I've spent the last 4 years studying, testing and getting results from sharing stories on social media.

In fact, everything I write in my business is centered around story and I’ve built a multi 6-figure business by sharing stories online #nojoke

So, let's just say I know a thing or two around this whole storytelling on social media thing.

What’s important to understand is:

• The importance of story in branding and how to use it to break free from the algorithm and social media chains currently keeping your brand from its full potential.

• What makes a GREAT story online and why it’s not really about you!

• How to start integrating storytelling into your content to build a deeper connection and trust with your audience.

And lucky for you, this blog is going to cover just that.

I’ve also got a video training below if video is more your thing!

MY JOURNEY WITH STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

A little backstory on me. I started my business with just an idea, seriously I wanted to help women design their website and brand. I spent months building that business until I wasn’t seeing results.

So I did an exercise, I looked at my story and my past to try and determine what I could build a business around that lit me up and made an impact. I had determined that not only was I not making money because my messaging and marketing was off, but because I didn’t actually want to do the things I was trying to sell.

I went deep into my story, performed my niching down exercise I shared last week and came out with the idea that I wanted to help women experience more time, financial and location freedom, but how?

I decided that I could do that by helping them build profitable brands, so I started showing up and sharing more of my own journey, my own experiences and sharing so much more of my story.

My community began to grow and I almost instantly started signing clients. I kept going and tapped more and more into my story to scale my business to multiple 6-figures.

Yes, my brand is the center of how I’ve created a successful business, but even further down it’s been the power of story.

Every single day I’m incorporating storytelling into everything I do and now I’m going to share with you how to do it too!

WHY STORYTELLING IS SO IMPORTANT AS AN ONLINE BUSINESS AND BRAND

I like to use the Ice Cream Sundae analogy when talking about your brand and storytelling.

Imagine for a second that your brand and story are the ice cream. The ice cream alone is delicious and something you can enjoy just as it is or you can enhance it to make it even better.

Now, let’s imagine the marketing, funnels, ads, social media platforms, etc are chocolate syrup, nuts and whipped cream. Mix those together and have them stand alone; it’s kind of just a mushy, nutty sweetness. Definitely not as good as it is with ice cream.

The point is your brand and story can stand alone and make you money. The marketing strategies can not. You need to have the entire package for those to even work.

You need the whole package.

WHY STORYTELLING WORKS IN ONLINE MARKETING

 
When you add storytelling to your messaging and content it is 22x more likely to be remembered

Not to mention it helps in the decision-making process. A report from Harvard University found that 90% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously and based on emotional connection. Emotional connection comes from trust and storytelling.

So you’re also more likely to convert your clients into a sale by using storytelling.

AND not to mention the average time someone spends on a website is 8-15 seconds. Yet, this is where all the information about your business is. So, how do you keep them captivated for longer? Storytelling and strong personal messaging.

That’s because storytelling makes your brand:

1. Captivating - pulls in your ideal customer

2. Memorable - at the front of their mind, even as they scroll

3. Trustworthy - builds an emotional connection to you and your brand

WHAT MAKES A STORY GREAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA (or anywhere)

The key to great storytelling isn’t you.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but great storytelling is about your audience.

This is a hard switch because when we first start tapping into our story for our business it often looks like our Brand Story and About Me Page.

And those pieces are important, but so many entrepreneurs stop there. 
They might be the only two ways a business owner incorporates story.

But, if someone decides to go further they tend to carry this framework over into our marketing is only going to hurt us.

And, that’s because what makes a great story memorable and captivating is that the person (your audience) can see themselves or relate to your story.

The key takeaway from all of this should be that great storytelling isn’t not about you, it’s about your audience.

THE 3 PHASES OF STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

Phase 1: The Beginning

This is your niche, brand story and the overall direction for your business.

Remember, when I said I couldn’t determine what I wanted to do, until I tapped into my story? This is how we use storytelling in the beginning. We dive deep into our own personal journey to determine a great deal of our brand foundation.

Phase 2: Showing Up

This is when you start sharing your own experiences and story, as it relates to your niche and audience (more audience focus here) to showcase your expertise.

You’re building your momentum online and starting to incorporate story into your content (it no longer just lives on your website).

Phase 3: Messaging and Marketing

This is my favorite stage and the one you’ll hang out in for the majority of your business.

At this stage you’re getting to know your audience more and more and artfully framing stories around their need and desire. 

Phase 1 and Phase 2 should last no more than 30 days, it’s the business creation/foundation stage and something I walk you through in my program You! Branded youbrandedcourse.com, then you move into studying your audience and writing stories for them.

This is where sales really start to amp up.

3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN SHARING STORY ONLINE

1. Know you and your stories

You need to feel good about the stories you are sharing online. Not every single story needs to be shared, even if it’s great for your audience. If you don’t feel good about sharing it you won’t want to share.

2. It’s not about you

Stop guessing when it comes to what types of stories your audience will appreciate and resonate with. Do the work, and by work I mean Market Research.

3. Incorporate Emotionally Charged language

Part of storytelling is incorporating emotion, that’s why it works so well after all. You can do this by tapping into the pain and pleasure of your ideal customer in your copy.

HOW TO FIND YOUR STORIES TO SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEYOND

The first thing I want you to remember is a story for your business is not a period in time, it’s a moment in time.

What does this mean? 

It means that when you’re choosing stories to share online to build trust and make sales, you’ll have much more luck and feel less overwhelmed when you’re focusing on a very specific moment.

For instance, I wouldn’t share a story on the birth of my son, I would share a story on how the birth of my son forced me to embrace vulnerability.

This is specific!

The second thing to keep in mind is that storytelling can, but doesn’t always have to be the entire piece of content. In fact, sometimes you will want to use a small sliver of story just to connect, but then go into teaching or selling your product or service.

Even a single line can be a great story.

EXAMPLE #1:
When I was sitting in a hotel conference room and heard the presenter share that story made content 22x more memorable, I knew I was on to something. I had spent 4 years sharing story to build a successful 6-figure business and knew I needed to teach other women to do the same.

Story part: A moment when I heard something, the stat I heard, how long I’d been in business, the success of my business and my ideal client and mission.

EXAMPLE #2:
Do you struggle to feel confident on social media?Does it feel as if the algorithm is always out to get you?You take so much time to create content, only to schedule it and watch it fall flat?

Today I want to share…

Story part: Highly relatable pain points my audience has expressed, painting a picture of what they are going through.

So not only should stories be very specific moments in time, but they can also be very short and used to enhance the content you’re creating.

Watch the video below for 6 types of stories to get you started. 

CONCLUSION

If you’re running an online business you need to make storytelling your top priority.Not only is it going to enhance the return on the content you’re creating, but it’s also going to help you increase sales and build your personal brand.

If you’re interested in building a personal brand, deeply rooted in storytelling then I’ve got a free gift for you.

Grab the Personal Roadmap below.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE

P.S. I know I didn’t talk about your Brand Story above, but it’s still a fun way to start. Read this blog on How to Identify Your Brand Story.

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

The #1 Content Creation Mistake to Avoid

If you’d like to watch the full video, you can do that here.

Content creation is so important as an entrepreneur because it is basically how you get your voice and message out into the world.

So today, I want to address the obstacle that I see coming up for entrepreneurs, especially new entrepreneurs, in prematurely creating their content. 

New and seasoned entrepreneurs often come to me after starting their business and showing up on social media. They start creating content out of the gate and find themselves feeling overwhelmed, like their message is all over the place, struggling to come up with content ideas or not getting enough engagement.

The truth is there is a misconception around when we should be creating content and what we need to have in place in order to be doing it in a way that brings in the right people and leads to a revenue-generating business. 

The truth is so many entrepreneurs are skipping the branding process which is why content works or why it doesn’t work. It’s really not about using cool tricks and trying to beat the algorithm.

It’s not about a specific number of characters or writing your title in a certain way.

It’s about understanding the fundamentals of your brand and building a strong foundation in which every piece of content is created.

CONTENT CREATION MISTAKES AND WHY THEY ARE HAPPENING

Unfortunately so many educators, coaches and consultants are telling people that they’ll figure it out if they keep posting content.

Okay, there's some truth to this in that you find your voice along the way, you start to see what people resonate with and don't resonate with and that tells you what you want to expand on. 

But if you think that just posting random content with no clear plan is going to help you decide the pillars of your brand and business, that's backward.

We need to figure out the foundational pieces first so the content that we create, mimics that and is in alignment with that and again, draws in the right people. 

Too many entrepreneurs are putting content out there, without a clear brand strategy in place and finding themselves building a community that they hope to sell too. Then when they finally sell...nobody buys.

The reason is you’re attracting people who aren’t in alignment with what you’re ultimately selling.

BRANDING FIRST THEN CONTENT CREATION

Branding at its core is what gives us the foundation so we don't ping pong all over, so that we don’t struggle to come up with ideas and so we don’t struggle to connect our community to our offer.

If you’re experiencing these pieces, let me tell you it’s a branding problem.

SO WHAT IS BRANDING?

To fix it we need to first talk about what branding is. There’s this lie that’s been floating around the internet for too long that your brand is your visual representation, i.e. your logo, fonts and colors.

While the visuals play a role they are only part of the finished product. They are the result of deciding on the experience you want to create.

Branding is an experience we’re creating for our target audience and what they’re taking away from the experience we’re creating.

So branding is so much more than just the color you use in a photo, and finalizing the true brand, the experience will help you decide on those visual components much faster.

It’s something that can’t wait or be done later. All of the pieces you want to create now, your website, content, free offers, promotions, etc...rely heavily on finalizing the core pillars of a brand.

The belief that branding can wait is very harmful to online entrepreneurs.

SO HOW DO WE FIX IT?

Lucky for you, I’m a Personal Branding Consultant and Marketing Strategist so you’re in good hands.

Depending on where you’re at in your business you need to:

1. Build your brand from the ground up (New and aspiring entrepreneurs)

2. Find the holes in your branding process and fill them (Seasoned entrepreneurs)
   
   
   

Before I share the 4 steps needed to have a solid brand, you must understand I’m not suggesting you go into hiding for 6 months, figure this out and then start again...NO!

Please don’t do that. So many of my clients do this in as little as a week, with some guidance.

If you’re wanting to fast track that then sign up for my free class on The Build a Better Brand Method here.

The key is to put in the work, yes, sometimes extra, on the backend, so you can start creating better content, growing your community with targeted leads, experiencing more engagement and ultimately making more sales.

As you do the work, you’ll notice a shift in your content creation strategy and results.

4 STEPS TO WRITE BETTER CONTENT + BUILD A BETTER BRAND

These four steps are 4 of the 6 steps in my Build a Better Brand Method. You can learn more about each detail and get the full picture of the branding process and how it plays a role in not only content creation but also increased revenue in my free class.

Watch The Build a Better Brand Masterclass here >>

1. NICHE

FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU FIT IN THIS ENTREPRENEUR SPACE

I don't care what you sell, you have to figure out your specific market. Niching down is one of the best things that you will do for your brand, for your business and as we're talking about for your content. 

You need to understand what specific niche you provide your audience.

For instance, if you’re in skincare you won’t grow your business if you offer every skincare product under the sun, but you could focus on skincare for adult acne. 

I’m a Branding coach, but I focus on personal branding with an emphasis on storytelling. So I'm not for the woman who isn't ready to be the face of her brand who isn't ready to share stories. That's what I'm about and I've carved out a very specific niche that addresses that issue. 

This clarity is going to help you to understand how you're going to show up and communicate with your ideal audience. It's also going to help you get discovered online because people are searching for very specific things.

If you find that your market is full (aka saturated) you’re not alone. And while so many people think this is a bad thing it’s actually working in your favor. If someone is successfully doing it, then there is a need and demand.

Not one person can serve everyone! Find the gap, what they’re not doing, that you can bring to the table. This is your specific niche.

This knowledge around your niche is going to influence how you show up, create content and communicate with the world.

2. IDEAL CUSTOMER OR CLIENT

YES, YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

If you're just starting out, your fear of focusing on one core person is hurting you. Because when you're not clear on specifically who you want to attract, you're creating messaging, content, offers that are trying to attract a bunch of different people and then guess what happens? You're so confusing to your ideal client, that they back out and can’t handle it.

Confusing your audience will result in lost sales.

Please do yourself a favor and take some time, if you haven't already, to do ideal client research. And if you have done it in the past, but it's been a while then give yourself a refresher.

There is so much to the ideal client research, but the top three points to identify are:

1. What specific person do you want to attract, sell to and work with?

2. What do they need help with? This is what you want to begin to create content around.

3. What do they ultimately want or desire? This will help you guide them through the process and help you identify obstacles standing in their way, which can also be addressed in your content.

If you can speak to the pain points of your ideal customer, you can give them solutions, and also speak to their obstacles; I am telling you, you will be the person that they hire.

Another perk of the ideal customer work (hey, that rhymed) is understanding who they are at a core human level. YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS!

Your audience is human and the more that you can understand this and speak to their everyday struggles and desires, not just how they pertain to your product or service, the deeper the connection.

For instance, my audience also loves to hear about time management, productivity, mindset, being a mom and running a business, so I get to create content that fits in all of those pieces and keeps my audience entertained and engaged.

3. MESSAGING AND BRANDING CONSISTENCY

REMEMBER, IF YOU CONFUSE YOUR AUDIENCE THEY WILL MOVE ON.

Having a messaging structure in place will help you to avoid posting one thing on a Monday, something different on Tuesday and completely left field on a Thursday. We want to avoid this off the wall approach (think spaghetti at a wall) and focus on having a clear structure in place.

One of the ways to combat this is with brand containers.

BRAND CONTAINERS

Brand containers piggyback off of the idea that your audience is freaking human. They want to see and hear about more than just your one offer, your products or your photographs, they want to build a know, like and trust factor with your brand overall.

This is why we want to identify the different ways we can support our ideal customer through our content. Like I mentioned above, I might do this with time management, productivity, mindset, being a mom and running a business.

Consistently creating content in these buckets builds you up as a credible resource for your audience, makes a more personal connection and also doesn't overwhelm your audience with sell after sell after sell.

These brand containers are life savers when it comes to creating content.

4. YOUR OFFER

WHERE ARE YOU LEADING YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY?

This is a really important question that not enough people are asking. It’s one of the reasons I consider your offer or framework one of the foundations of branding.

Again, let’s imagine you’re showing up online. You’re spending time creating content and consistently post. Then after months you decide I’m going to make an offer, but that offer doesn’t connect to the community you’ve built online...your sales won’t be great!

When we have our offer or framework in mind from the start, we can reverse engineer our content to bring in the right people and lead them to the sale in an authentic and genuine way.

Building a targeted community requires building a strong brand.

If you know exactly what you want to teach or sell, amazing! This is where you would start getting clear on what that looks like and how it supports your ideal customer.

But, let’s say you’re not 100% sure yet, that’s ok too. You can build out your framework and then use that to influence your content and eventually your offer.

Ask yourself…

“If I were to create something, what would it look like?”

“How would I want to support my idea client on their journey?”

Just having that awareness in your head will allow you to create content and build a community that will then effortlessly lead to your product. 

CONCLUSION

It’s important to remember that this process is part of branding and is necessary when building your business. I often say the brand is the beating heart of your business, without it, you’ve got nothing.

So by clarifying your niche, it will allow you to stand out when other people are talking about the same freakin’ thing. 

Knowing your ideal client will not only allow you to create better copy that pulls them in and keeps them engaged but if you struggle with what to create content around, just pay attention to what your ideal client is asking for. It's like the easiest thing in the world. I never run out of content, because I'm listening or I'm asking questions of my audience. 

If you're all over the place with your content and messaging, people are going to be very confused with how you can support them. Get clear on your messaging and brand containers, based on what they need the most support with.

And finally gaining clarity on your offer will allow you to create content that attracts the right people, nurture them and warm them up so that they're ready to take action on your offer.

Without these pieces done correctly, you'll struggle and we don’t want that.

That’s why I’ve put together a free guide for you called The Personal Brand Roadmap. 

It gives you the full step by step in an easy to consume guide so you can get to work. I’m also sharing the top 3 mistakes I see entrepreneurs making when building their brand that you definitely want to avoid.

Download your free guide below.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE GUIDE

P.S. Planning and creating your content doesn't have to be a constant struggle. There is a better way to research, plan, and create your content as an entrepreneur and it's all inside the Content Planning Blueprint!

The Content Planning Blueprint is perfect for online business owners who know the power of content creation but are tired of spending all of their time coming up with ideas, organizing their content, and wondering what will attract their dream clients.

In just a few hours, you'll have 90 days of content planned, a repeatable workflow to save you hours on creating and distributing your content every week, and content topics that will keep performing for your brand for years to come! Get your blueprint now >>

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

3 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid as an Online Entrepreneur

3 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid as an Online Entrepreneur

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

In the past four years of running my online business, I’ve worked with thousands of entrepreneurs in marketing their brand and business.

I’ve noticed three core mistakes that online entrepreneurs are making when it comes to marketing their business.

And, full disclosure, I’ve ALSO made these mistakes - you live and you learn right?

Along with everything I create at Brandmerry.com, I want to give you the insights and tools to brand and marketing yourself online. So, let’s start with the top three mistakes.

For additional tips on what I call SMART Marketing and what I believe the 3 pillars of a solid marketing strategy are, be sure to watch the full video below. These tips start at the 19:32 minute mark.

Marketing Mistake #1: Relying on Social Media

The very first marketing mistake is that you are most likely relying only on social media to grow and market your business. As the online mentoring and course industry expands more and more coaches are utilizing social media platforms and unfortunately the message is getting out there that all we need to do is show up on social media to grow a profitable business.

I don’t know about you, but I quickly noticed it’s not quite that easy, right?

While, this strategy might have worked wonders for them and it probably still does cause they have like 100,000 followers or 25,000 followers, for those of you that are just starting out and in the trenches of that first and second year maybe you've realized that you've hit a ceiling and that you can't create more content.

Showing up on social media daily to engage and create content takes a lot of time. When you go about using this strategy only, you’ll start to create less and less content because it starts to get harder to keep it consistent. Then over time you notice you’re going weeks without anything.

I got to a point in my business where I had reached six figures, and although I felt accomplished I also didn’t know how I was going to keep growing. I realized I couldn’t make more than this a year, if I was going to keep getting clients and then still show up on social media every single day. 

The reality is by relying on this strategy I was limiting myself and you’re most likely doing the same. It’s not scalable to rely on social media to grow your community and profits.

The other piece is that you don’t own social media. If you're relying on Instagram to promote your business and Instagram doesn't work, how do you promote your business?

If you're relying on Facebook or even your Facebook group to show up and promote your business and for some reason that's not working in the middle of a launch or a sale, what happens? 

That’s why it’s so important to have these other avenues in place to consistently build your audience. 

**If you’re curious about my favorite strategy which is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) be sure to check out this post here.

You should not be relying on social media to constantly attract new leads and grow your business. Social media is where we go to be social, to build relationships, to nurture the community that's already there.

Marketing Mistake #2: Not Generating Leads

This mistake makes me hurt a little inside, when I see an entrepreneur who has no efficient way to collect leads from prospects on their website, watching a live video or following them on social media.

This is all about list building. The idea is that if someone is taking the time to consume your content, you want to give them a way to join your “inner circle” i.e. your email list.

To kick it off, I highly recommend Convertkit to grow your email list because it has all the tools you need including landing pages, segmenting, forms for your website, tags, funnels and more. You can try it for free with my link here.

The beautiful thing about capturing your ideal customers information is that they are committing to your business. It’s essentially their first investment in you and your brand. Even though you're not getting an exchange of money, somebody is saying, “Okay, I trust you. I like what you're about and want to hear more from you. I want to welcome you into my inbox!” 

I don't know about you, but my inbox is a sacred space. This is a big deal!

So to generate consistent leads to your business you want to have advanced marketing strategies in place like, SEO, podcasting, YouTube, blogging and Pinterest  where you’re putting out a piece of content and every single day people are finding it and saying yes to joining your list.

Now, here is the kicker!

There needs to be an exchange that happens where you give them a free gift in exchange for their email address. This is the very beginning of the lead generation process.

If you’re new to list building, here is the overview below. If you want to learn more about list building, check out this blog here.

So you start with a free gift. If you’re a service-based business this can be a PDF, video training, audio training, a quiz...there are a ton of different options here.

If you sell a product, this might be a coupon code or a discount on their first item, but it could also be something really cool like a quiz. If I were selling a skincare product, I might create a free quiz that tells people their skin type and recommends the best products. In order to get the results and tips, they would have to give their email address.

That’s the free gift, something of value in exchange for their email address. Then you show up for them regularly in their inbox, providing value and time to time asking for the sale.

3 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR FREEBIE (FREE OFFER)

1. Your freebie needs to be something your audience knows they need. If they are not aware of it, then it’s going to be really hard to market.

2. It needs to provide value to your audience. If after they consume the content, they walk away with something to implement, having learned something new or being inspired it’s valuable.

3. Your free gift needs to be a clear pillar of your brand. For instance, a skincare quiz sounds super cool, but I wouldn’t do that as a free gift because it doesn’t directly connect to my brand message or paid services. 
   

Marketing Mistake #3: You’re Blaming the Algorithm

I call this the blame game. 

My marketing isn't working because of the algorithm…
My marketing isn’t working because my industry is saturated…
My marketing isn’t working because my ideal client isn’t on [insert platform]...

That is not why your marketing isn’t working, but it's really easy to fall into this rut. It's really easy to fall into this thinking and then stay there.

I can teach you all the strategies in the world, but if you're stuck in a mindset that no one cares or no one sees it or it doesn't matter, then you won't get results.

And that's the truth. 

I’ve had those moments in my own business, especially in the beginning. If I was promoting a challenge and there were 5 people who signed up, and in my mind it was nobody cared.

EXCEPT 5 people! 
5 people who signed up, who had never heard of me before, who had never bought from me before, who were giving me an opportunity to show up for them.
That’s 5 potential clients.
It’s all in your mindset.

Such a big part of showing up is creating content! If you don't think people will find it, if you don't think people will find value in it, then what are the odds that you’re going to consistently show up?

Your mindset will take over and you’ll feel there is no point...no one sees it
...the algorithm is out to get me.

No, the algorithm is out to challenge you...accept that challenge and become better.

If your marketing isn’t working change your mindset, accept responsibility and find solutions.

We cannot play small games when it comes to building our online brand and our business and this belief will keep you playing small. In order to be successful, we need to think big picture and big picture responsibility, taking responsibility for things, not working and finding solutions. 

CONCLUSION

The first part to improving your marketing is understanding the mistakes you’re making and my guess is you’re now super aware of three. 

From here, you can create a course of action to fix them so you can continue to grow your online business. If you want to learn more about SMART Marketing and the three pillars of a successful marketing strategy watch the video people (these tips start at the 19:32 mark).

If you’re ready to take action to improve your marketing, grow your audience and grow your profits, then I encourage you to check out Brandmerry Academy and join the waitlist for when the doors open again.

Learn more at brandmerryacademy.com

P.S. If you want to learn more about my repurposing strategy, check out my 3 tips here.

P.P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.