We've done a lot of preliminary work: pulling together your unique "disparate forces", determining where they intersect and which topics you're going to have the best chance of successfully using to market with content, then prioritizing and narrowing the focus based on your own preferences, your strengths and weaknesses, and the market itself.
Now, finally, after all this effort, you're ready to sit down and develop that very first piece of stellar content that's going to go out into the world with your name on it.
Are you ready? This is exciting!
We're going to spend a lot more time breaking down content creation in Section Three where your Content Marketing Hurricane reaches "tropical depression" stage. At that point, you're going to be focused on continually creating and distributing content based on the cycle we've been discussing.
Just as that evolving storm out over the ocean begins to spin around a central eye once the conditions are right and it begins drawing power from the wind and the water, your Content Marketing Hurricane needs to "spin" too.
That is, you need to have some established systems in place that allow you to create and distribute content efficiently and effectively or else the work is going to overwhelm you and you'll end up just churning it out to get it done.
And that won't accomplish anything for you.
But to get this cycle moving in the right direction, your mind needs to be in the right place.
So let me introduce you to The Four Laws of Effective Content Creation. Then, later on, we'll get into the nitty gritty of actually creating all the various kinds of content you can use to build your strategy.
Law #1: Focus
The first law has to do with keeping your subject reasonable narrow.
Thou shalt limit thy main points.
Each time you prepare to write a piece of content, you'll need to plan it out in such a way that it is narrowed down to a set number of well-defined main points.
Then, as you build off that outline, be sure to express your thoughts on these points clearly and concisely. Don't add any unnecessary filler or try to impress someone with your wordiness.
Based on the media you choose, this focus may bring you down to just ONE main point. That's OK. Cover that point well.
Law #2: Express Yourself Clearly
While maintaining a narrow set of points is important, those points do need to be covered well.
Thou shalt cover thy main points effectively.
Research your points well and always check your facts. Nothing will slow down your momentum like losing credibility with your audience. It's definitely not worth it for expedience.
Then, express your information as clearly and concisely as you can while still helping your audience. Simple points and simple thoughts can still be helpful as long as you're not talking down to your audience or dumbing down the subject unnecessarily.
But, at the same time, don't shortchange your audience by only giving them the surface facts if both you and they know there's a lot more there under the surface.
Dig deep and give it to them!
Law #3: Be Yourself
The third law speaks to those points of differentiation you identified earlier.
Thou shalt develop thine own voice.
While you're obviously going to be utilizing the work of content creators that went before you, don't try to emulate their voice. And by no means should you EVER plagiarize another person's content in any way.
Instead, assimilate the information, run it through your own filters, and express it with your own unique flavor.
This is a powerful form of differentiation that will eventually form one of the key success factors in your content marketing strategy.
Law #4: Have Fun
It may seem strange to create a law that obligates you to have fun, but that's because too many content marketers forget this vital piece of the puzzle.
Thou shalt have a blast.
If you're not having fun, it will quickly shine through in the crappy content you create. So don't do that to your audience or to yourself.
This is a lot of work, but it's also fun, exciting, and – in the long run – profitable!
So have fun with it!
Exercise #14 – Creating Your First Piece of Content
1. Now it's time to create that all-important first piece of stellar content. Based on the decisions you made in Exercise #13, choose one type of media and one channel that makes sense for you and your target audience.
2. For now, don't be overly concerned about making this one piece perfect. Instead, focus on following The Four Laws of Effective Content Creation and getting over the “I don't know what I'm doing” hump.
3. When you're done, do the Happy Dance.
4. Read the next chapter.