Stressing Over Content Creation? Do This!

If I count all of the years I spent creating trainings and various things for people in the sales industry to improve their skills in the past, it means I’ve been creating content for the last 20 years or so! It’s definitely been a journey of learning how to get better and better at it, and over the last 5 years, I’ve taken those skills and converted them into what I do now.

I’ve come up with a process that helps me create content that almost flows in and out of my day, and I’ve found that my best ideas always come when I’m working out!
I’ve also found that it’s just as important to know what NOT to do when it comes to content creation, in order to avoid it becoming a chore. You want content creation to come from a place of passion, to be a place where you LOVE spending time, and for it to allow you to show your audience how you can help them and change their lives.

Do’s and Don'ts of Content Creation:

DON’T: Check social media for ideas.

When it comes to goal-setting, she says she has to be VERY clear on it, to reverse-engineer it into tiny chunks, and to make sure she CELEBRATES every small win that happens along the way. Any time there’s a goal, she encourages everyone to celebrate something good that's happened either in business or our personal lives.
Celebrating the smallest wins will affirm that what you’re doing and who you are in your business is a positive light. We get so caught up in goals that they can become monsters we create, and we forget the good stuff that’s happening. We’re only ready to celebrate the goal we want to achieve.

DO: Keep a List of Inspiration.

I’m oldschool- I like to write things down when I think about them, or throw them in our project management software so I don’t forget the idea! My BEST ideas come when I’m NOT on social media watching something.
It’s easiest to keep a list going as the inspiration strikes, so keep something with you whether it’s on your phone, a notepad, whatever! It’ll come in waves throughout your day, so keep it handy.

DON’T: Don’t be for everyone.

It’s gonna be super overwhelming. If you see someone in your niche doing an amazing job, you’ll try to hold yourself to the same standard. You’ll put unnecessary stress on yourself and you won’t be as creative.

DO: Be the person you were BEFORE you found the solution you’re now providing.

Then you can get into that person’s skin and KNOW what they’re feeling, and what they NEED. What are their challenges? Their objections? Coming from that place is MUCH easier than trying to be everything to everyone, and assuming you have to be at some crazy advanced level. There are ALWAYS people in every group: Beginners, people in the middle, and the advanced. Just focus on who you were as a person before you came across the solution you have now.

DON’T sit at your computer on the fly and try to come up with ideas

There’s no strategy behind what you’ll put out. It’ll be a waste of time because you’re spraying and praying, and the quality will suffer without a strategy that fits everything together.

DO: Write out categories you have in your content, and turn them into “Content Pillars.”

For example, in the makeup industry, “Tutorials 101” or “Before & Afters” would be 2 content pillars. This will make your posts VERY clear for you, and recognizable to your audience as well! Planning your content will never be confusing, because you’ll have a constant stream of ideas that will fit into their own pillars.

By the way, if content creation is something you need help with, you need to check out our “Done For You” plans! We break down the content pillars and make it REAALLY easy for you to post without it being a chore.

You can check out the newest plan at www.ashleyshaw.ca/job1. It’s the newest plan that ties in with Beachbody’s new launch! For all our other Done For You Plans or plans non-specific to Beachbody, just go to ashleyshaw.ca and click the “Shop” menu!

DON’T: Follow other people in your niche.

If you’re constantly seeing your competition, it’s gonna encourage “Imposter Syndrome,” and the pressure to be further along is bound to come up.

DO: Follow other people who have an authentic presence you really jive with.

For example, I love to follow makeup artists, and a store that’s local to Ontario, CN called LoveWell. Their content really drives emotion and gives me tons of ideas to implement in my own business! But following others in my same niche causes me to want to repeat what THEY’RE doing, but I won’t stand out and look different doing that

Also? A cleanse is OKAY. You have permission to remove people who don’t make you feel good when you see what they’re posting. (I started doing it a few years ago and it made a HUGE difference!)

FINAL DO and DON’T:

Don’t start your day with socials.

It’s the same as starting off with email, slack, or wherever you focus on “work”- doing this while you’re still in bed will put your body into fight or flight mode, and it sets the tone for the rest of your day.

DO: Start your day with something that helps you get into a flow-state.

Working out, meditation, writing… whatever works for you! (Sometimes, I’ll be doing my workout and hear a quote from one of the trainers that really hits home for me, and I’ll have to write it down because it’s perfect to talk about!)

Bonus reminder: A great trick is to look at the kind of content
YOU love to consume.

It should do a couple of things: Build likability, trust, and rapport. You should have content that’s educational, entertaining AND helps tell your story. Educational posts help provide value, and the amount of value you provide is directly related to your audience size! If you’re struggling to build followers and create new connections on social media, you need to provide more value. There is a direct correlation between the two things.

Stop over thinking it, k? Just provide things that are helpful on a day-to-day basis! What are real people struggling with? Often it’s as simple as “Tips to get all your water in for the day,” or “Workouts when you’re crazy busy with literally no spare time whatsoever.”

Key Takeaways From This Episode:

There is a distinct correlation between the size of your following and the value you’re providing them.
Stay true to YOU, and unfollow all content that causes negativity.
Share solutions to whatever people are struggling with no matter HOW irrelevant you think they might be, because someone somewhere is struggling with it.