I Can't Blog !

So you're not you're not comfortable writing blogs?

Maybe you feel you can't tell a story, or don't have the right to tell people what to do?

Maybe you don’t want to "bug" them. You’d rather just get on with doing what you do and let them extol your virtues.

Humility is one thing. Thinking you’ll succeed just by being good at what you do and thinking marketing yourself and what you do isn’t necessary, that’s the very opposite thing.


Which brings us to the second problem..

What if you "can’t do it?" 

What if you feel you’re not good at "marketing" yourself?

You don't have to be.

You just have to start talking.

  • If you're an expert, share the stories about how you came to know.
  • If you’ve done it before, paint a picture of what it'll be like when they get there.
  • If you're a researcher, share what you’ve uncovered and how.
  • If this is your passion, tell them why it matters to you and why it excites you, so they get a taste.

Whatever you do, don’t just give them more information.


If producing content for blogs is still causing distress....


Here are five tips to help  produce content for  blogs more easily.


TIP ONE: Tell stories !

One of the best bits of advice I was ever given about ensuring that my webinars weren't flying away with too much content, was to cut anything that wasn't a story.

It really works. When you're telling stories you're connecting with something very primordial in the human mind.

So, do your best to stop telling information and turn that information into a story that people connect with.

Become the Aesop's Fables of financial planning.


TIP TWO: Keep it short.

Sometimes you are compelled to produce a blog explaining everything you need to know about a particular topic.

Resist the temptation. Great blogs, just like right marketing, is always about just one message.

One thing, one idea, one story, one insight.

If you can get into the habit of just writing short pieces about one or two things then not only will your audience find it easier to consume, but you'll find it much much easier to produce more content.


TIP THREE: Steal like an artist

Austin Kleon's amazing book 'Steal Like an Artist', put into perspective - "stealing" does not mean bank robbery rather culminating the art that you consume. 

The fact that every single piece of artwork ever created ultimately was inspired by someone else. In other words, art itself is stealing other people's work.

I meet planners who feel the need to take an article and rewrite it for the audience. Instead, see yourself as a curator of information.

Share the blog directly. But tell your audience why you think it matters to them, and why you like it.

Summarise the 3 key points. You'll find it much easier to produce content.

In fact, if you get this right, you can produce as little as six personally authored blogs a year and still be communicating with your audience every fortnight.

If you doubt the veracity of this strategy just check out blogs like 'Mamma Mia', and you'll spot that most of the content is Mia Freedman telling other people's stories.

That's the power of, of attributes.


TIP FOUR:  Seed and be real !

If your only goal for blogging or content marketing is to share information,  your biggest competitor is Google.

And that's a fight you'll never win.

The best bloggers are the ones that talk about their lives.

  • They share where they got information from.                                 
  • They talk about what's going on in their world.                             
  • They share how they engage with clients.                                     
  • They share the conversations they have about the services they provide.

And in doing so they do the content marketing equivalent of product placement. They make the audience want some of the same.

Just like when you see James Bond when he is wearing an Omega watch or driving a BMW. 

It plants the idea that that's what certain types of people do.

Your content can draw people closer to understanding your offer without actually having to tell them what your offer is.

This is the power of seeding. Do it often and enjoy the benefits.


TIP FIVE : Stop being a perfectionist.

A lot of people don't put stuff out because they want to get it word for word perfect.Or they want to get the right equipment or the right lighting. 

The truth is, content marketing is not a perfectionist game.

It's all about frequency  and consistency and getting it out there.

If you are spending two days getting your video just right or half a day trying to write the perfect blog then you're missing the point. 

As I sit here writing this, I'm not actually writing, I'm dictating. The idea is the important thing.

  •  The putting it out there matters.                                                   
  •  The putting your own voice into it is key.

Ultimately, this isn't about perfection. This is about giving people the opportunity to get to know what's inside your head, both as an expert but also as someone they will come to trust.



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