Why Create Content?
We have to ask ourselves why are we spending time creating something when there’s so much information out there? Well for most people, you have a specialty area that the world needs to hear. Statistically, only 8% of the United States has a Master’s degree, I know that most of my audience are counselors, practitioners, and psychiatrists that have private practices. So in a regular room of one hundred people, you are in the top eight, just academically. Then let’s take into account your specialty area. You have skills that people need, even if you don’t have a Masters Degree.
Have Something to Say That will Impact People
There are lots of things that get in the way, like impostor syndrome or ‘Who am I‘? I heard someone say once ‘do you have something to say or do you just want to say something‘? Have something to say that’s going to impact people.
Strategies
We’re going to go through some strategies here that are going to help you come up with ways that will actually help you create content quickly while also serving your audience.
Building Trust
Content helps people build trust, it helps people know that you are a normal person that’s learned some things that can guide them, the more that you create content that resonates with the pain and the outcomes of your audience, it’s going to help build that trust. And more trust equals more dollars, more dollars equals a bigger business. Now it’s not just about the business, of course, we can talk about the impact on the world. At Practice of the Practice, we talk about the four i’s: income, innovation, influence, and impact.
Break it Down
You probably have these big ideas, you need to break it down more. I would much rather see you create five pieces of content that are smaller, than a huge piece of content that people aren’t going to watch. If it’s a video, a podcast, a blog post or a series, that’s going to go over much better than if you have a giant article. Maybe your style is to do a giant article and you attract people that love giant articles, that’s awesome, but for most people, if you break it down and be more specific, that’s going to help you get more views, reads, and people will just want to share it more.
The Quick Guide
- Use numbers: the things that get clicks have numbers (The 5 things you need to know about content creation or 7 reasons content is king, etc). People want those quick numbered things, that’s going to help you create a really clear list of something that you’re working on. People will quickly read through those headers, they may not even read all your paragraphs but they’re going to see you as someone that they can trust.
- Do how-to videos: so this could be how to set up a Google business page or how to set up a Facebook page or whatever it is that’s your specialty area. If you create something that’s a how-to that doesn’t go out of date, people are going to go back to it over and over again.
- Use email as inspiration: I’m sure you get email questions from people, whether it’s in your practice, your consulting, your YouTube video or your podcast. People will email you to say ‘I’m just stuck in this area’. Keep track of those emails, whether it’s in a Google Drive doc where you have your assistant keep track of it or you put it into a spreadsheet. This will be a source of inspiration for you to create content.
- Look at a spin on current events, what’s already trending: if you’re a psychologist, what would be a psychological perspective on what’s happening right now? If something’s trending what is it your view on the subject. You have the expertise and a lens that’s going to assist other people to see things a little bit differently.
- Stay true to yourself: I know this sounds cliche but be who you are, that’s what’s going to make you stand out. You’re awesome, you have great ideas, you’re quirky.
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Joseph R. Sanok, MA, LLP, LPC, NCC
Joe Sanok is an ambitious results expert. He is a private practice business consultant and counselor that helps small businesses and counselors in private practice to increase revenue and have more fun! He helps owners with website design, vision, growth, and using their time to create income through being a private practice consultant. Joe was frustrated with his lack of business and marketing skills when he left graduate school. He loved helping people through counseling but felt that often people couldn’t find him. Over the past few years, he has grown his skills, income, and ability to lead others, while still maintaining an active private practice in Traverse City, MI. To link to Joe’s Google+ .
