How do I find the time to create content for my business and what do I write about?

Wondering what to write about to attract clients and even if you know, how do you find the time to actually do it with all the client work? Ask Rezzz is being taken over by Kim Doyal today.

So excited for today’s episode, because today will be the Ask Kim show.

Kim Doyal is all about content. I’ve known her from the WordPress space for years but she’s since pivoted her business to focus more on helping business with their content and the Content Creators Community.

How would you feel if your content marketing was driving traffic and sales? Not after the fact, but before you hit publish? Get the Content Creators Planner

She’s coined the phrase “Everything is Content” and since I know that you struggle with finding the time to and figuring out what to write about, I thought no better person to answer this than Kim.

Just like you plan your projects, plan for your business, you want to also plan for your content and Kim has the strategies to help you.

She’s going to share with you 2 strategies for making the time and then 2 easy strategies to get your content rolling.

Transcription

Making time: Accountability and Constraints

Kim: This is one I struggled with when I was doing client work. For myself, the first thing I had to do with the time was I made a commitment and I had someone hold me accountable to it too, but I did not do any client work before noon, because I knew that if I need to create content my brain does not work the same way in the evening and I was much better in the morning.

Kim: So I just ... I promised myself, period, and ... So there's no client work before noon and I was ... It was a lot easier to do task oriented work in the afternoon, or even evening if I felt like it. But when it came to being creative, I just had to set a guideline for myself. Coming up with or doing something specific that kind of relies on consistency, which for me it was the podcast.

Kim: But, truthfully, it's like oh, my God, I've got to publish another episode. It's kind of ... It's there, like you got to get it out, you got to get it out. So I think those two things are ... Accountability and coming up with something that you're almost publicly holding yourself accountable for works really, really well.

Kim: And, to your point, you know we were talking earlier, is you just do it. You're not always going to feel like doing it. I don't know if you've ever listened to Mel Robbins. She has that Five Second Rule about you're not always going to feel like doing it. Five, four, three, two, one, just do it, right? And so there come a point where you have to sort of parent yourself and say I need to do this because I actually want to be in business at the end of the year, so I need to make time for this.

Type of content: Talk about your clients to potential clients

Kim: You know, and the content piece, it's really interesting because having been in the WordPress space for a long time, which I've pivoted, but I find a lot of WordPress people that do ... Whether they're developers or they're WordPress site builders, they tend to write more for their peers than for their clients.

Kim: So there's a lot of how to do this with WordPress, and that is helpful for DIYers, but that's not necessarily a potential client down the road, because, trust me as someone who built a list of freebie seekers, it can totally backfire on you.

Kim: If I were going to start work today, or if I had clients, that would be my primary focus for content, is I would do case studies and I would talk about the business and I would highlight them, and maybe even email four or five questions, but come up with their entire project and just do a case study story. Tell the story of what you did, why you did it, because it's kind of, well, twofold.

Kim: One is that if you're using let's say ... I don't know why this came to me, maybe because I just ate a bagel, but a bakery, right? So let's say there's a local bakery and you've got them to increase gift certificates 36%.

Kim: Like one of the last local sites I ever did was a local spa, and I knew the owner and we bartered, which is awesome, because I had like a year and a half of massages. But there was ... He said their gift certificate sales went up 76% the first month the site went live because I put that damn button everywhere and the site was responsive and all that stuff, and so I would do that.

How to leverage a project case study and highlight them

Kim: Every site or every project would be a really good piece of content, and you're going to talk about before or after get the client to share it, because then the other piece of that, more than likely I would then take the post, do really simple email copy, and if your client has an email list, if the bakery has an email list, let them know we featured you on our site. Let the local newspaper know you featured ... Those just few little steps.

Kim: Even if you did one of those a month you could create really, really good content. So that would be my core strategy truly as a business, because locally you're going to get recognized ... Not recognized, but people are going to look and to you and go, oh, I love this bakery, and talk about your clients socially, like oh, we just did this project and I love this.

Kim: Then do more than tell about the project, but I love the cinnamon rolls. I don't know what's up with a food thing. But from that piece, you know, it's like they're going to be so appreciative of that, who do you think is going to be their first referral for that?

Kim: The other angle you could take with this is simply to create content about local businesses, period, if you're doing local. If you're not, here's an ... And I don't remember where I heard this example, but I thought it was kind of brilliant.

Create a podcast to serve your customers where they are

Kim: I think it was like a doctor or a plastic surgeon, and they created a podcast for golfers. So obviously their ideal client needs to have some disposable income. Golfers probably tend to have disposable income. So you could also create content that serves your customers, your potential customers, where they are.

Kim: So it's finding that balance, and obviously you're not going to take a ... Like let's say you're an agency or development where you do websites, digital marketing, whatever. You're not going to do a super random niche thing, but you could talk about something that serves your ideal client, and maybe do a separate site for it. I mean there's no reason you couldn't do a separate site in a separate podcast.

Kim: I really think just telling the stories of what you're doing, how it's working, highlighting other people, is the easiest way to start getting the content machine working.

What if a client doesn’t want to be a case study?

Jason: I love that. Yeah. I mean highlighting your clients, I think a lot of people are like skeptical of doing that because they don't want to feel like they're airing their dirty laundry, so to speak, or like, you know, hey, this company had this problem and I came in and solved it kind of thing.

Jason: I think a lot of people struggle with that like tug-of-war kind of thing, where they don't want to expose the warts of their own customers, but at the same time you are solving their problem. You're essentially promoting them.

Kim: Well, yeah. And don't you think that there's a way ... Like think of ... God, the most random stories are popping into my head today, sorry Jason, but like you think of like makeover shows, right? For the most part, when someone is nominated for a makeover, let's say, it's like okay, you see them, and forget whether or not they look like a schlep before, right?

Kim: Most people are so giddy for how the person feels after the makeover, and like you can see and feel that energy from that person who just was like, oh, wow, I have a whole lot of life left in me. I don't look as bad as I thought, and I never thought of wearing my hair this length, or whatever it is.

Kim: So you think about it, and I would approach it from a look, this business has so much to give that they deserve their website or they deserve this to represent who they truly are, and the bottom line is, they were busy focusing on their business. That's why we're here, to help them take that further.

Kim: So it totally takes practice in being able to reframe it in a way that says look, we love you. And I think it's a simple way to just tell your client are you comfortable with this? We like to share the stories of our clients. We're going to highlight you. We're going to feature you. We love what you're doing. Who's going to say no to that?

Kim: Just be respectful. It's kind of, you know, basics. And I understand that “uh-oh” fear, but try and do it more from a storytelling perspective versus a before and after portfolio. This is supposed to serve people who are digging for the right person to partner with as opposed to okay, you can make stuff look pretty, but can you help me make money?

Jason: Totally on point. So everybody listening, go check out Kim's Content Creator's Planner. She's got basically the recipe book for how to plan out your content. This thing is awesome. If you're struggling with content, what to write. At least this allows you to kind of see it in black and white as you start to jot down ideas.

Jason: It actually walks you through all of the steps. If you're writing a blog post, these are the things you need to do. If you're creating a podcast, these are the things you need to create to make that podcast.

Jason: So go ahead, check that out. I'll link that up in the show notes. Kim, thank you very much for sharing your insights in here. Aside from the Planner, where can folks reach out and say thanks?

Kim: At kimdoyal.com, and it's D-O-Y-A-L. I always have to spell that. Kimdoyal.com, the best place to find me.

Jason: Great. Thanks Kim.

Kim: Thanks so much Jason.