Content Tips

Apr 11 2019

The first question you should be asking your brand’s ideal customers

Gargantuan.

Fight Club was considered a gargantuan failure by Hollywood’s financial standards … a failure, that is, until it found its way to the heart of its target market…on DVD.

Fight Club’s release date was pushed back on numerous occasions.

It struggled to find a successful marketing strategy leading up to its opening, and millions of dollars were blown in the process. Millions.

You’re telling me pre-Angelina Brad Pitt and Edward Norton and kick-ass director David Fincher couldn’t put butts in seats? In 1999 – when people actually still went to the movies for less than $50? What is this world coming to?

I broke the #1 rule of Fight Club for this reason:

If you feel you’re failing marketing yourself or your business, you’re not. It’s more likely that you haven’t found your way to the heart of your target market.

“But how do I do that?!” you’re likely asking yourself.

One question at a time, friends.

No seriously, that’s my answer.

One question at a time.

Everything you create – content, products, emails, chatbots, web site copy – should speak the language of your customer. And the best way to learn the language of your customer?

Ask them questions.

We’ll touch on this a lot in our conversations – but I’m going to take it easy on you this time.

I’m going to start with the FIRST question you should be asking.

Hey man! What’s your problem?

Except ask it nicer than that because asking it that way may get you a face punch.

But yea – start by finding out the exact problems they have.

If you can ask enough of your ideal clients this question (or know the places to look where they’re talking about their problems in public) – you will start to see some themes emerge.

These themes will shed light on how to design your products + services + messaging better.

These themes will literally spell out your content for you.

These themes will save you hours, upon hours, of headbanging, editing, ‘gramming, and face-palming.

In short, these themes, these questions, these answers – will save your life. And the life of your business.

Start a Google doc, an Evernote file, a bullet journal, whatever … just start collecting the answers.

You want their actual answers. The answers they tell you in their emails, on their Instagrams, in the online forum, in conversations at Starbucks.

Get a running list going, and then start to see the themes that emerge.

Start incorporating solutions to those, in snackable sizes, into your content. And watch the magic happen.

I’ll be rooting for you,

Nikki

[PS] Are you loving the place where pop culture meets marketing advice? Sign up for our weekly MemoRandom – and get content + marketing advice dropped straight into your inbox.

Jan 16 2019

Dear small business owner…

A little about you:

You had a big dream when you started your business or personal brand.

You put every ounce of yourself into developing it and putting it out into the world.

You thought about the style. You thought about reserving that website name. You thought about setting up those social feeds. You wrote out your business plan, customer segments, and budget. And because this business is a reflection of you, you will not let it fail.

But what you didn’t realize?

Just how much time + effort would go into creating content.

You now spend hours trying to get the wording just right on your newsletter or email campaign. And don’t even ask you about the long-term strategy behind them.

You are guilty of ‘random acts of content’ on your social media feeds because you just have zero clue as to what to post. (And possibly worse, you’re sharing the exact same content on every feed.)

You update your website every time something changes in your business, but now the whole thing just feels like a disconnected, inauthentic business card that isn’t solving your customer’s problems.

Sound familiar?

But it’s not a reflection of you your customers want to see in your brand’s content. It’s a reflection of them. They want your content to solve their problems.

So here’s a really important question:

Is your content bringing you the right customers while you’re playing with your kids, while you’re journaling your next big idea, while you’re sipping wine in front of the fireplace, while you’re sleeping?

If you scoffed, did a shoulder shrug or shook your head with an emphatic no at the paragraph above… you might need help in the content department.

If your mind is blown on that concept, I can drop even more ‘truth bombs’ during our Connection Call. Chat soon?

Nov 19 2018

3 ways to tell your brand story on a bootstrap budget

Are you guilty of using this stock photo?*

Seriously, are you?

Let me tell you why I’m asking this question:

I’ve seen it in no less than 10 different posts in my social feeds as either as a sponsored ad (looking at you Cat Howell’s FATC course), random photography to go along side an otherwise great article (this is a Forbes go-to) and on websites showing the diversity of services offered (I won’t name names here but if you check my Facebook friends list there are at least 3 offenders).

Stock photography isn’t bad. But for the love of Pete, be careful.

Maybe you’re not using this exact photo – maybe you just have the tiniest addiction to Canva or Unsplash. The first step is admitting you’re powerless over your addiction.

Are you ready to say goodbye to your stock photo habit, and hello to an authentic brand? Here are my thoughts on how to get started.

#1. Stock Photos: Things + Places good, Faces bad.

The average person can recognize over 5,000 faces. FIVE THOUSAND. So when you use stock photography, and every other small business or brand is accessing that same free and low-cost photo site, there’s only so many ways you can type “millennial professional” or “diverse friends.”

Social Feeds: Social scrollers stop on photos that are related to them, or look like something they should be interested in. They don’t click on the bright shiny things (ad alert!), they click on the every day things (this fits here). Using iPhone generated photography with the faces of your customers + brand (and even your products) are perfectly fine to use here – and 9 times out of 10 will get you more engagement!

Website: Your website should speak to your customers. If you can’t invest in the brand photography that makes you or your product relatable, or gets your actual audiences on the screen, then step away from the Download Now button when it comes to using faces in stock photography. I’ll say it again, things + places good, faces bad.

#2. No money, mo’ problems

What did you say? You can’t afford a brand photographer? Psssh. Put on your creative pants and let’s get to work, friend.

Ways to get some brand photography on a budget:

Find a photographer who’s just starting out (or looking to add commercial work to their services). Their prices are likely lower, or they may even be open to giving you a free session to grab a certain type of photos (think commercial, product, environmental portraiture) for their portfolio of services.
Up for bartering? In my opinion, bartering is a lost art. For example: you are a marketing pro but lacking on brand photography, and a local photographer takes great photos, but could use some help in the marketing department. Ask them if they’d be open to swapping services under a mutually beneficial agreement. She comes to your house and shoots 5 hours of photos + editing; and you hook her up with 5 hours of marketing help. Each of you should get something concrete out of the deal that both of you need.
Sign up for a low-cost headshot event in your immediate area. Not only do you usually get a workshop full of awesome education, but you walk away with fresh, updated headshots.
Public speaking. Oh, stop shaking in your boots! More often than not, if you’re speaking for an organization, or at a workshop or event, someone will be taking pictures at the event. Speak to the photographer separately and ask if they can take a few extra shots of you doing your thing (or with your product, or with a group of folks) and get specific about the kind of shot you’re looking for.

#3. The customers you have now shape the customers you have in the future.

Why use “fake people” talking about your product or service, when you can use real people talking about your product or service? That’s right, folks. I’m talking testimonials. I’m talking user-generated content.

Testimonials: Your future customers want to hear from + relate to your previous customers. What problem did they come to you with? What problem did you solve for them? They want to see or link to real people – not be subjected to a stock photo of the 66-year old Baby Boomer ‘celebrating life.’

User-generated content: Have you heard of social listening? Social listening means you’re keeping an ear out for what people are saying about you on the interwebs. If you have a specific hashtag, or are getting tagged in posts, it may be an opportunity for user-generated content. You can also run promotions asking for specific type of content, but remember, the more authentic place it’s coming from, the better.

****

Nikki James Zellner is the owner + content director of Where Content Connects, a boutique content consultancy helping brands connect the dots between customers and content. *Note: I am guilty of using this stock photo purely for the sake of proving a point 🙂