Creating Content for Your Business Without Getting Overwhelmed

Creating Content for Your Business Without Getting Overwhelmed

Creating content for your business might seem like a daunting task. Many business owners struggle to get started, feeling overwhelmed by the idea of writing. But the truth is, content creation doesn't have to be impossible or intimidating. In this blog post, we'll share some helpful pointers and actionable tips to get you writing in no time.

Have a Clear Goal

One of the most important steps in content creation is setting a clear goal. With a clear goal, it becomes much easier to generate content ideas. Ask yourself: What do you want your content to achieve? Here are some simple examples of clear goals:

  • Increase website traffic: Write informative blog posts related to your industry.
  • Boost sales: Create content that highlights the benefits of your products or services.
  • Build brand awareness: Share stories and insights about your business and its values.

By defining what you want to achieve, you can tailor your content to meet those objectives.

Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience is crucial when planning content. Once you have a clear idea of your audience persona, you'll find it much easier to create content that resonates with your customers. Consider the following:

  • Demographics: Age, gender, location, occupation, etc.
  • Interests and hobbies: What do they enjoy doing in their free time?
  • Pain points: What problems or challenges do they face that your business can solve?

Understanding these aspects will help you craft content that speaks directly to your audience's needs and interests.

You Don’t Need to Write a Novel

Many people think they need to write pages and pages of content, but that's not the case. Aim for around 1,000 words per post. This is about 7-8 minutes of spoken word, so think of it as a 10-minute conversation. This length is sufficient to cover your topic without overwhelming you or your readers.

Write First and Edit Later

One of the biggest barriers to content creation is the fear of making mistakes. This often leads to editing while writing, which can break your flow and cause great ideas to get lost. Instead, focus on getting your ideas down on paper or screen. Even if the ideas seem terrible at first, write every single one down. You can always edit and polish your content later.

Record It

If writing seems too difficult or overwhelming, try recording your ideas instead. Here’s how:

  • Use your phone: Set it to record and talk through your content ideas.
  • Have a conversation: If you have a friend or colleague who is willing to listen, discuss your ideas with them. This can help the ideas flow more naturally.

Recording your thoughts can be a great way to get started, especially if you find speaking easier than writing.

Transcriptions

For those who choose to record instead of write, transcription tools can be incredibly helpful. A direct transcription allows you to edit your recording into a usable blog post. Here are some tools you can use:

  • Otter.ai: Offers high-quality transcriptions and is easy to use.
  • Rev.com: Provides accurate transcriptions with quick turnaround times.
  • Google Docs Voice Typing: A free tool that can be accessed through Google Docs under the "Tools" menu.

Using these tools, you can turn your verbal ideas into written content with minimal effort.

Creating content for your business doesn't have to be overwhelming. By setting clear goals, understanding your audience, and using simple techniques like recording and transcription, you can make content creation a manageable and even enjoyable task. Remember, the key is to get started and let your ideas flow. Happy writing!

Turn Your Ad into a Scroll Stopper

Turn Your Ad into a Scroll Stopper

Introduction

In today's fast-paced digital world, capturing attention on social media can seem like an impossible task. With endless streams of content vying for the attention of users, creating something that truly stands out is more crucial than ever. This is where the concept of a "scroll stopper" comes into play. A scroll stopper is an element in your advertisement that grabs the viewer’s attention and compels them to stop scrolling and engage with your content. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of scroll stoppers, especially in Facebook ads, and highlight the key factors that make them effective.

What is a Scroll Stopper?

A scroll stopper is a compelling visual or textual element designed to interrupt the continuous scrolling behavior of social media users. It acts as a hook that piques curiosity or interest, encouraging users to pause and pay attention to your ad. In a sea of content, a well-crafted scroll stopper can be the difference between your ad being noticed or overlooked.

The Importance of Scroll Stoppers

In a landscape where the average user spends only a few seconds glancing at each piece of content, grabbing attention quickly is essential. Scroll stoppers not only help in capturing attention but also enhance engagement, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions. They are a critical component of effective social media marketing, particularly on platforms like Facebook where competition for attention is fierce.

Key Elements of an Effective Scroll Stopper

Knowing Your Audience

You could create the most arresting, attention-grabbing advert that will stop any scroller in their tracks, but it won’t appeal to your audience if they don’t identify with it. Make sure you have a clear, direct message intended for your audience before you start planning your ad. Understanding your audience's preferences, interests, and pain points is the first step towards crafting a scroll stopper that resonates.

Headlines

If you want to grab attention, you need a seriously good headline. Nobody is going to stop scrolling to read the details if your headline doesn’t immediately speak to them. Effective headlines are short and to the point. You want your headline to encourage the reader to pay attention. Use power words and create a sense of urgency or curiosity.

Copy

Just like your headline, you want your copy to be focused on the message you want to share. If you’re running a special offer, make sure that’s immediately apparent. If you’re advertising a new product, highlight the benefits your audience would respond to. Clear, concise, and compelling copy can turn a casual scroller into an engaged viewer.

Imagery

Imagery is a fantastic way of instantaneously drawing somebody in. Shocking pictures, big bold letters, and intriguing videos are all fantastic ways to stop the scroll. Bright colors are also important, as well as paying attention to dark mode on websites such as Facebook. Use high-quality visuals that are relevant to your message and appealing to your target audience.

Visual Examples of Scroll Stoppers

Example 1: Bright, Bold Imagery

Imagine a Facebook ad featuring a bright, colorful image of a mouth-watering burger. The headline reads, "Limited Time Offer: 50% Off Your Favorite Burger!" The vibrant colors and appetising image immediately draw attention, while the headline and copy make the offer clear and enticing.

Example 2: Intriguing Video

A video ad starts with an unexpected scene – a person in a superhero costume performing everyday tasks. The headline says, "Discover the Hero in You with Our New Fitness Program!" The combination of an unusual visual and an engaging headline piques curiosity and encourages viewers to learn more.

Example 3: Shocking Picture

An image of a cracked smartphone screen with the headline, "Don’t Let This Happen to You. Get Our Unbreakable Screen Protector!" The shocking visual of the damaged phone grabs attention, while the headline and copy immediately convey the product's value proposition.

Creating a scroll stopper is about understanding what makes your audience tick and delivering a message that is both visually and textually compelling. By focusing on knowing your audience, crafting strong headlines, writing clear copy, and using striking imagery, you can create Facebook ads that truly stand out in the crowded social media landscape. Remember, the goal is to create an ad that not only captures attention but also engages and converts viewers into customers.

Can locals find you?

Can locals find you?

If someone searches for a community centre like yours online, how likely are they to find you?

When someone performs a search for an organisation in Google, they’ll often be presented with a map listing at the top of their search results. Underneath the map, there will be around 3 close matches listed.

Each of the listed organisations will have options for the seacrcher to contact or to click and find out more information. There may also be review stars, showing reviews left by clients.

Take a moment to fire up your favourite web browser and search for your own community centre. Use a search term that represents something a person might want from your community centre. For example, if you’re based in Corio, Geelong, then you might search “art classes corio”.

Is your community centre currently showing up at the top of the search results, next to the map? If you’re not visible there, you’re potentially losing out on visitors and attendees to your programs and activities.

These listings are controlled by a free service that Google offers called Google Business Profile.

To create a listing, head over to google.com.au/intl/en_in/business/. Click the large blue “Manage now” button to begin.

The first thing you’ll need to do is login to Google. If you don’t have a Google account for your community centre, just click on the “Create account” link and follow the online instructions. You’ll need access to your work email to complete the verification process.

If your community centre does appear, then you already have a Google Business Profile page. The message on the page will let you know how you can reset your login details. Alternatively, if someone else set up the page for you, then you’re able to request access.

If the search doesn’t find your community centre, you’ll be given the option to create a Google Business Profile page.

As part of the setup process, Google will ask you to verify your community centre. The verification process works via post, telephone, or email. One of the most usual forms of verification is for Google to send a postcard to your business address, but go for whatever is easiest and most convenient for you.

Once your page is verified, you can then add in your community centre details and information. This includes opening hours, categories, photos and more.

Try and be as detailed as possible with the content that you add to your Google Business Profile page. Good quality content, photos and information, will help Google to see what your community centre is about. The information also helps potential customers who are looking for an organisation like yours.

One thing to mention – reviews are really important. The more reviews you have, the better the chance of showing up as one of the three organisations listed next to the map in the search results.

Your customers are able to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile page. So make sure you take a moment to ask them to leave you a review.

This could be something you do at the point of sale in your centre, for example you might have some business-cards printed with a link and/or QR code to your Google Business Profile. You could also add a note to your invoices or email your clients after a service has been delivered, activity started, or course finished.

Because you serve customers in your local area, it’s crucial that you have a Google Business Profile page set up. It can mean the difference between being visible to potential customers and losing them. Best of all? It’s free publicity!

Build your brand by sharing your knowledge (you can do it!)

Build your brand by sharing your knowledge (you can do it!)

You may think sharing your experience and knowledge, gained over years and likely at considerable expense, is not a good idea. Sharing what you know and how to do it would mean your customers could do it themselves, no?

However, it is more likely that communicating your knowledge lets people know that you are good at what you do, that you’ve put time and effort into your skills, that there may be more involved than it appears. Even for services and products that actually relatively straightforward, you make it clear that it’s your ‘thing’ and you are someone to turn to for them.

Sharing your knowledge is likely to generate sales opportunities, and builds awareness of you and your brand. Both are pretty good outcomes!

So what sort of options are available for you to share your knowledge?

  • YouTube Videos – If you search for a plumbing issue you’re facing, you’ll almost certainly find seasoned expert plumbers who answer this question in a quick, simple and easy-to-understand way. They aren’t “selling” their services to you, they’re establishing their expertise. If they’re doing it properly, their contact information will be available in case someone wants to call them.
  • Podcasts – Podcasts are popular for education, entertainment, self-help and shared interests. Podcasts are easy to consume on the go, or in the car, or while exercising/commuting. You can start a podcast at relatively low cost -all you need is a microphone and a voice and a service to serve it from eg. iTunes. Podcasts let you share your personality, building trust with your audience, so be sure to ‘be yourself’.
  • Books – Books are an easy way of establishing authority in your industry. It doesn’t have to be a full War And Peace tome (unless you want it to be of course!), it can be a short book or even a bite-size booklet. Once you’ve written your draft, there are a number of options to publish to readers; ebooks, printed editions, audio books for example. Often such a book is something you can use as a give-away in return for contact details to build your mailing list, or it can be something you pass on to new customers to help them understand the full picture.
  • Digital Product – Creating a digital product is getting easier and easier with the advent of increasingly powerful yet cheap tools and services. The key is to think about the type of problems that your audience often deals with. Digital products are quick and easy to create. Ideally they’ll deliver value quickly, so that your customer gets an immediate return on their investment. What could your customers purchase and download immediately, that solves their immediate need based on your expertise?
  • Courses – To really share your knowledge, you can teach it to others. Creating a course is a significant time investment because you are putting together something unique, and you’ll need a range of assets such as words, images, videos, and there may be templates or procedures/processes involved too. It’s not a short process when done well. However, when done well, a course is one of the best ways that you can share your knowledge. One thing to note, courses can scale up very well, up to hundreds of students. It could be the opportunity for you to create a revenue stream that is far beyond anything you’re currently doing in business. Take a look at something like Heights for a platform that makes it easy to build, publish and sell a course online (that’s an affiliate link by the way, as I use it too).