One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wiz. Since I was five years old, I’ve been watching–first on a VCR, then DVD and now I’ve been binging it on Netflix. It’s been 40 years and I’ve never grown tired of watching Dorothy and her friends ease on down the road. 

Recently, while watching with my daughter, she made some remarkable discoveries about Dorothy and her crew. 

Things just happened to Dorothy. 

What do you mean? 

Well…she got caught up in a snowstorm and landed in Oz. She was told to go to see The Wiz because he was supposed to be magical. She got some cute shoes. Except she just kept stumbling on characters and things. She didn’t think things through–all she did was encourage them to come with her because she thought The Wiz could fix things for her. And when she got scared she started calling for Toto. Her friends did all the work. She got lucky. 

Damn. She was right. 

And it occurred to me, that there are tons of entrepreneurs out here just winging it, looking for a miracle, and relying on hopes and prayers with their content creation. 

Not good. 

As entrepreneurs, we’ve got to commit to not being a Dorothy–just winging it. Instead, you need a strategist who is always looking ahead, always planning, and ready to solve problems. 

If you are really ready to take your content marketing strategy to the next level, stick with me.  I’m breaking down the content creation process that I’ve created and share with all of my clients: The SPPPA Method. 

Step 1: Start With A Strategy 

What’s the purpose of creating content to market your business? By building your strategy, you’ll be identifying specific goals and objectives for a specific time period in your business. Your goals are ideas or results that you want to achieve. Objectives are the actual actions that you will take to achieve that goal.

Here’s an example: 

Goal: Increase email list to include 200 additional subscribers for Q1. 

Objectives: 

  • Create a lead magnet that speaks directly to your target audience’s pain points
  • Promote the lead magnet by purchasing ads on Facebook and Instagram 
  • Share the lead magnet on social media channels in lives, reels and static posts
  • Include lead magnet offer in long-form content such as your blog, YouTube, or podcast

I recommend developing a strategy that spans at least 90 days because you’ll be able to analyze your insights from all of your content platforms to understand what is resonating with your target audience. You’ll also be able to gauge what content is not helpful to your followers. 

Takeaway: Your strategy supports you in working smart, not hard.

Step 2: Plan Your Content 

You know the saying, “Those that fail to plan, plan to fail.” Welp, this couldn’t be any truer for content marketing. After you’ve developed your strategy, it’s time to realistically plan your content. If you don’t you’ll feel just like Dorothy felt in that subway station–world closing in on you!

 

Here’s what you need to do: 

  • Identify evergreen and timely topics for the quarter 
  • Choose which topics will be used for long-form content, social media, and email  
  • Add them to your content calendar

Quick Tip: Every week should have a theme. This will allow you to share the most appropriate content and set your audience on a journey that moves them from interest to awareness to trust. 

Be realistic when planning your content. This will help you feel less overwhelmed and frustrated. For instance, if you know you work full-time and your time is limited, plan to create one piece of long-form content every other week. Then, use your social media posts and emails with this one piece in mind. Quality over quantity is the name of the game. 

Step 3: Produce 

This will take you the longest…but seriously, goals, objectives, and planning mean nothing without execution. 

Recommendation: Create your long-form content first. I don’t care if it’s a blog post, YouTube video, or podcast, do this BEFORE you focus on social media posts. 

Here’s why: you can break that long piece of content down into several social media posts. 

For instance, with this blog post, I will be able to: 

  • Go live on Instagram 5 times, breaking down each tip into a separate post
  • Create a carousel post shared on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook
  • 10 “weekly reminder” static posts that were also shared on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, and Facebook
  • Include in several emails as a link 

From this one post, I’ve created 17 pieces of content that I’ve shared on social media platforms and emails. 

Step 4: Promote 

Content guru Derek Halpern of Social Triggers argues that creators should have an 80/20 split: 80 percent promotion and 20 percent writing. I think that’s a really cool rule to follow IF you’ve got a ton of content. If not, build your content log and then, follow Halpern’s rule! But even with a little bit of content, promotion is key. Here are a few places to share your content: 

  1. Email. If you’ve already begun building your email list, this is the perfect opportunity to put your list to use! If you don’t have one, it’s time to create one. 
  2. Choose two to three social media platforms and share your ideas
  3. Join online groups related to your target audience’s pain points that will allow you to promote and share your content
  4. Engage with other social media accounts by commenting on posts.

Step 5: Analyze

Every month, evaluate your engagement with long-form content, social media posts, and emails. Use this information to inform your strategy for the next quarter. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you analyze your insights: 

  • What content has the most engagement? 
  • What content has the least engagement? 
  • What content led to audience members reaching out to you? 

Don’t get flustered and frustrated if you find that some of your content is not performing well. This is an opportunity for growth and discovery as you continue to develop your business. After all, this is what Dorothy finally realized after she stopped chasing magic and began focusing on her gifts. 

Femi’s Final Thoughts 

Owning a business can be a challenging yet exhilarating experience. You get to call your own shots and take your dreams from ideas to reality.  So why not call your own shots and build a strategy that will make you a success? 

Don’t be Dorothy–caught in a snowstorm, trying to get home. It’s time to stop handling your content as an afterthought. It’s time to roll up your sleeves, dig deep and get busy. 

I’m here to help. Use this link to schedule your free chat with me. I’ll bring my cup of Bustelo. You can bring your drink of choice, too, and let’s talk about your business.