Well Said Wednesday: When Content Stress Strikes

"What should I write about this week?" 

Raise your hand if you've ever asked yourself (or your VA or your dog) that question. 

Keep your hand raised if you've ever said that, sighed heavily, then got up from your laptop to get a coffee (or a cookie or a Xanax.) 

Raise your other hand if you ever threw both your hands in the air and said "I give up! Writing a blog (or a newsletter or a podcast) to market my business is stupid and a waste of time!" 

Okay, you can put your hands down. And please step away from the Xanax. There are two, non-pharmaceutical things you can do when content stress reaches its peak. 

1. Reconnect With Why
   There is a reason you dish out content on a regular basis: to tell the story of your business and help your ideal clients see themselves in the content.
   
   Coaching clients don't magically appear. Shoppers don't fill their carts unprompted. Our words nudge them to our services and products bit by bit.
   

2. Make A Plan Already*
   Content spontaneity is highly overrated. It leads to muddled messages and sporadic outreach. Let's face it, "muddled" and "sporadic" aren't results-getting words.
   
   A content plan, however, creates focused messaging delivered with continuity.
   
   Bonus: Your content plan can be simple and still be effective. At its core, a content plan is simply: your schedule, your topics, your channels.

Next month, I'm offering my Content Calendar Build workshop that: 

1. Guides you through creating an effective content plan, and lets you ask questions along the way so you're tailoring your content plan to your business.

2. Offers tricks and tactics to choose the right schedule and -- this one's been huge for the folks in the beta version of the workshop -- the right topics.

3. Includes templates, tools and time to actually create your content plan during the workshop with input from me and brainstorming from the group.

Interested? Read the details here. Or just sign up if you're done with staring at blank pages and wondering why you bother writing for your business at all. 

*I know, I know. I talk about content planning a lot -- but that's because it can be such a game-changer for small business owners!

Content planning is how I managed to spend 8 weeks out of the office in first quarter 2018 without going completely dark to my audiences and making them wonder if I'd gone out of business.

If you've got vacation time planned this year (and I hope you do!) a content plan keeps you on people's radar even when you're off the grid.