6 Secrets of Content Creation You Can't Miss

Content creation is at an all-time high. With the pandemic, content consumption has skyrocketed and is only going to soar. 

Content creation today is heavily bonded with business growth. The uphill it is witnessing defines how every business/brand or individual is indulged in offering free and valuable information to entice their target audience.

For content marketers, bloggers, writers, the idea of content creation is presenting impeccable craftsmanship between a product and the concept. How it gets ideated to how it is received define the complete journey of content creation. 

But how to crack the code to become a good content creator, with the result that the peers in the industry appreciate, your audience would love to have a cup of your opinion?

Saying that, it begins when you are POSITIVE to create your content into gold.

Even if you're working solo or designated to work as a content marketer in the team, the end goal is creating content. Incorporating trendy ideas, curation, delivering it and then waiting for the insights to bloom.

But, it doesn't work without a plan in place. Does it?

That's where content strategy comes in.

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So, what is a content creation strategy?

A content strategy is a plan to make meaningful content to meet business end goals. It involves content ideation, content development, content publication, writing and follow up. 

But before we begin, what is the secret sauce to ace your content creation? Keep in mind whatever you put in, things don't happen overnight. It takes time so that in the meantime, you can polish your skills, get good at it and eventually become the star of content creation.

1. Research about your industry 

Creating content that resonates with your target audience is not a lucky break. It is amalgamating a strategy with actionable content to reap sweet fruits later. 

So, what does successful content creators do in terms of research— 

• Well, they don't read; they scour through the internet
• Stay current with trends 
• Keep their eye on competitors' content 
• Understand audience pain points 

The above-mentioned pointers allow content creators to stay ahead of their peers, ready with the fresh, sizzling content when the target audience wants it most.

Research is where you get an idea of the know-how of the industry; you understand the buyer persona and the perfect way to put in your prospects' shoes. 

For example, if you are a fashion content creator, you must have a fair idea of the latest launches, the ideal fashion trends in the season, the fashion campaign that made the buzz around the globe. In short, stay well-informed to deliver crisp content.

2. Write more

The more you write, the more you gain. It is the art of writing. I get it you might not be at your creative best, struggle with writer's block here and there, and even plain don't continue with the momentum. But successful content creation needs a constant push of writing muscles. 

Whether you are a content creator for social media, content creation business, or doing individually as a solopreneur, you need to WRITE.

Who knows, the nuggets of information can turn down to be a vast, full-fledged essay or a blog? So, the idea is to clear the headspace by jotting it down. 

How to stay motivated in writing?

• Set aside 15-20 minutes every day to write what echoes in your brain.
• Discover your creative hour, be it during the morning or while sipping on coffee.
• Don't aim for the impeccable writing piece at once.

According to HubSpot,

Companies that blog 16x per month get almost 3.5x more traffic than companies that publish 0-4 posts/month.

Commit to content creation as a hustle that you don't do when you're free. It is a pivotal aspect of a content creator to get the words out. 

3. Combine strategy with creativity 

If you are a fresher in content creation, take note, you are at the mercy of your audience. A hard truth, maybe, but this is what it is. So, create content that pleases your target audience. 

There are many content creation platforms; you could churn content for social media, websites, businesses, endless verticals. Ultimately, it is for the audience, be it for business or consumers, hence implement deep research combined with creativity at its best. 

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Sharing enchanting stories infused with a marketing goal makes it all worth it. 

Any content format you are working on should seek the audience's attention to drive engagement and conversion. Strategic alignment with the creative positioning of the content can contribute to paying for your efforts. 

Take note, amidst multiple content formats with universal appeal, find what fits your audience. Be it videos, webinars, blogs, email, social media, or anything, discover how your audience consumes the content, and that's where you can tilt your content with creativity.

Deliver content uniquely 

To set your brand distinct from others:

• Work on the platform of a unique approach.
• Track your content niche and squeeze in the unique approach than anyone else in the industry.
• Execute the trends with a difference and set your unique brand personality.

It helps in generating an authentic audience who would be eagerly waiting for your content. 

This way, you're not filling many content buckets at once and therefore aiming for polished, unique content.

To create content with a unique approach, keep asking these three questions. 

• Could you be the proud owner of these conversations?
• Does your audience show visual interest in these conversations?
• Do you have ample resources to create content of this type continuously?

If yes, then what's stopping you?

4. Storytelling

If you know, brands with a story to tell have a real audience. Convincing stories that make readers act is a robust endeavour in the art of crafting content.

The storytelling format leverages the power of persuasion.

So while you craft your unique stories —

Explore topics that garner your target audience's interest. That includes primary information your audience explicitly looking for.

Fuel your content engine with a creative ideation process to get the most engaging article ideas.

Prioritise your article ideas with a sense of urgency and gauge your insights. It's not every day the article ideas may be the right fit for that specific day, so have a collection handy to post.

Resonate with your audience by transforming ideas into immersive stories. The complete cycle of content creation boils down to the irrevocable act of creating stories. So make yours worth reading.

Spike your writing quality by not only proofreading typos, grammar but also drop an eye for fact-checking. To be high in the audience's eyes, you must capture their trust and therefore don't rip off the content quality at any cost. Proof, test, and fact check every piece of news to deliver it authentically.

5. Offer solutions 

The content craetion cycle is not about commentary. It is about offering solutions that let the audience be glued to your content. There's a reason your audience stick by. Give them ample reasons to stick by for long. 

Starting content creation as a newbie may involve many complexities, but your in-depth research to deliver utmost to your audience needs contributes to making a difference. Based on that, lend your audience the solutions to their pain points.

Tell your audience why the things you know are essential and what they can take away from them? For the audience, it is always exciting to learn meaningful information about the industry or, in fact, something to boost their confidence.

After all, don't you want the content to ink your audience's memory?

6. Network at every step 

Content creation is one part of the journey, while networking is another. You can't be a successful content creator without networking with your peers. 

Steve Jobs said

If you're gonna make connections which are innovative... you have to not have the same bag of experiences as everyone else does.

Unlock the potential opportunity at every step and interact, comment and give suggestions to the content published by the fellow creators.

Remember, you're not here solely for the passion of content creation; you have sailed in here with the motivation you have garnered, success stories you've heard, and more. Content creation is not the end goal; it is the journey to grow and keep learning.

The content creators turn into successful content creators only by soaking to learn and grow.

In conclusion 

Content curation is a field that is bound to offer immense pressure, but it can be all worked out if you keep your resources, strategy in place. For a beginner, it could overwhelm, but once you get the hang of it, there's no stopping by. In a pool of content creation jobs, a burgeoning network of creators, you can be a star only by giving what it takes. And that is unique content.

It all works with the productivity habits you form as a content creator, the small habits that eventually transform your ideas into successful stories, small endeavours into extensive projects, and a target audience interacting with you.