The Content Marketing Hurricane: Using Proven Content Marketing Principles to Blow Your Competition Away! by Justin P. Lambert - HTML preview

13 INITIAL DECISION MAKING

The first step in the process of moving from just a bunch of "disparate forces" to actually creating a "tropical disturbance" is to ask some in-depth probing questions to unmask which of the intersecting points you've identified has the legs to carry your storm all the way to land and beyond.

In other words, which topic(s) are you both interested in building as an expertise, and capable of doing so?

To begin the process of becoming an expert, you're going to need to spend some time quietly contemplating the answers to some very important questions.

Don't rush this process. Give it the time and attention it deserves.

The answers to these basic questions form the foundation of the entire formula. Therefore, if you rush through, do a shoddy job answering these questions, or allow yourself to get caught up in trying to force the answers you “want”, you're only hurting yourself and your chances of success.

So schedule at least an hour or two away from the job, the family and the Boob Tube to sit in a quiet place with a pen and notebook in hand.

The following list of questions is designed to help you focus your thoughts. They should be answered in the order presented because the questions are designed to naturally narrow your focus, with each one building on the one before.

Not every question will end up being vital to your final outcome, but many will. So, to get the most power out of this process, don't skip any.

Keep an open mind

As you're going through the questions, it's important to keep an open mind and turn off your internal editor.

We all know what he sounds like:

“Come on, that's ridiculous. You'll never be able to do that.”

“Who are you kidding? You don't know anything about that.”

“Ha! You? An expert? Give me a break!”

The fact is, this nasty little guy can stop you in your tracks and kill your motivation to reach your goals before you even have those goals established.

So make a conscious effort right now not to let him do it.

As you're reading and responding to these questions, especially in the beginning stages, make sure you're answering honestly and realistically, but at the same time, creatively and optimistically!

These aren't commitments. Not yet. These are possibilities, and they're wide open for the time being.

So, while you want to be “realistic”, don't let reality hold you back from considering some great ideas.

Don't automatically assume that your passion for organic hot pepper farming is completely outside the realm of what you're looking for here.

The fact is, if you have a passion for – and knowledge about – a particular subject, and you just love learning and talking about it, (unless you're really, really weird,) other people may feel the same way!

So answer these questions as broadly as possible for now. We'll worry about prioritizing and weeding out the weaker ideas later.

For now, have fun with it.

Questions to ponder:

So, if you completed Exercise #9, you reviewed those intersections where the forces that made you who you are come together, and you should have a short list in front of you of topics or ideas that truly fire your imagination and make you want to talk.

Although it may be difficult, you're going to need to look at that list objectively for a few minutes and ask yourself the following questions:

• What on that list do you care enough about to discuss in depth for perhaps the next several years?
• What on the list do you have a hard time not talking about?
• Why do you care so much? (This one's very important. It digs to the core of your motivation. If you're not sure, or if it's a rotten motive, it might not stick.)
• What subject(s) on the list do you already know like the back of your hand?
• What on the list do friends, family, and coworkers already ask you for advice about?
• Would any of them want to pay you for that knowledge? (Again, this is key. For some of you, you're eventually going to want to sell your knowledge. But even if that's not your content marketing goal, the content you create needs to be valuable enough that your audience would pay for it if it wasn't free.)

Asking these questions and answering them objectively lays a beautiful foundation on which you can build powerful content.

It separates those areas you love for reasons that will last from subjects you may tire of quickly. It separates topics you may love but which are not marketable from gems that people would be willing to pay for. And, it offers the opportunity to determine what niche your Content Marketing Hurricane is going to draw the most "moisture" from.

That's what we'll get into next.

Exercise #10 – Brainstorming: Deciding on Topics

1. On a new piece of paper, or in a new document, answer each of the questions posed on the previous page, in order.

2. Remember: honesty and an open mind are key here to be sure you're identifying all the realistic options available.

3. Read the next chapter.