Even if you love to write, creating valuable expert content on a regular basis is a major drain on resources. Research takes time and energy. Writing requires focus and careful revisions. And once the content is published, there’s the matter of marketing it, repurposing it and measuring its impact on your brand. Not surprisingly, for busy members, the scale doesn’t always tip in favor of more content.
But when you’re being Googled regularly by clients, customers, potential hires, journalists and partners, producing fresh content — even just regular social media updates — is a must. Great content helps you control those search results and present a strong personal brand to the people who matter most.
Luckily, quality and consistency are more important than quantity — and the tools and hacks highlighted here can help you achieve both.
Take the guesswork out of what your next article or blog post should be about with this acronym: TAG (Trends, Audience, Goals). That is: Is your topic related to a current trend in the business world (or in your own company)? Does it address your audience's needs (whether your target "audience" is investors, fellow experts or customers)? Does it meet your goals (e.g. establishing a personal brand or lead gen)?
The hardest thing about writing is getting started. Once you do, however, there are a slew of tools that make it easy to collaborate, dictate notes and even correct your run-on sentences.
A shared calendar keeps your team organized — and reduces decision fatigue when it comes time to sit down and write. (Here’s a great article about how to set up a simple editorial calendar.)
A spreadsheet is a good place to start. But you can often use the calendar functionality of your existing project management system instead, delegating research, transcriptions, edits, and social media updates to other members of your team. Here are some quick links to help you learn about setting up calendars in some of the top PM systems:
With your process organized and streamlined, you're ready to contribute articles consistently and build your presence as a thought leader.
Do you have tips and tricks that help you create better content in less time? Share them with fellow YEC'ers in the forum.
This post is part of a series on how YEC members can best utilize their personal branding and publishing benefits. If you're not yet a member, see if you qualify.