As part of the creative industry, it’s up to us to elevate our marketing with quality content.
A new year is a great time to look at the world with fresh eyes. What we have all learned in the past year is the importance of developing a resilient business. The rules of yesterday have no part in tomorrow, and neither should they.
I’d like to first have you determine if you want to embellish the interwebs with cheap clickbait. Are you hoping it will drive traffic to your site and make the pitch for you? Or are you ready to step out of the crowd and connect with those that matter and provide quality content?
We need some positivity. So, it’s time for the graphic design and marketing world to be the leaders. Leaders of a positive change are what is needed right now. It’s time to throw out the mousetrap strategy of using cheap clickbait.
When creating a content strategy it’s important to ensure you:
- develop a core value system. Use it as the driving force for what you say and how you say it. Take the time to review your business mission and visions (or create them if you haven’t already). Use them as the guiding light of your business. When you do that, you light the way for prospects to find you out of the chaos. For instance:
- are transparent. Audiences are aching for ideas and insights that are informative and transparent. Honesty about what is being said, and avoiding misleading directions. Time is valuable, and when you waste a reader’s time, you just piss them off. If your subject line, tweet, or post promises some kind of insight with a wow factor, but then they arrive only to find self-indulgent drivel or an endless clicking scroll of links, feelings of frustration and angst are what you end up with.
- create content about the reader. Clickbait is self-serving. Quality content is worth the price of admission. How often have you felt frustrated that prospects don’t value your design services? How can you blame them, when you haven’t proven that what you offer has value?
Imagine investing in your business by creating a solid content strategy that aligns with your vision and purpose. That will light the way for the right prospects to find you. Give them a sense of connection and value. When it comes time to pitch your services, they see the value in what you have to offer. Stop trying to trap them into a funnel, instead invite them to the party.
Written by Crystal Reynolds