A content crisis
Over the last few weeks I’ve been going through what could only be described as a content crisis.
Questioning whether I had anything to say.
Feeling uncertain about what to post where.
Hovering over the post button before deleting it 2 minutes later.
Sound familiar?
Whilst I wish being an expert in the area would make me able to avoid such a crisis, it’s been very real in my business over the last few weeks. And knowing that I’m definitely not the one (my job wouldn’t exist if I was) I want to break it down for you.
So let me start by acknowledging two things.
It’s normal - we cannot expect to be constantly excited about, tuned into and clear on our content. Our marketing should shift as our business does and when we have constantly evolving businesses… that’s a lot of shifting! So don’t see a crisis as a red flag - see it is an opportunity to level things up.
It’s OK to worry about it - marketing is the voice of your business, it’s what allows you to get your name and message out there. Therefore, you should be a little concerned when that voice gets lost or even just foggy. You’re not silly for laying awake at night thinking about Instagram captions!
Now the key is not to let it stop you in your tracks. My tendency when I’m in a content crisis is to be so overwhelmed by my lack of clarity and confidence that I stop taking action.
But let me tell you, that is the worst thing you can do here.
You can’t wait your way out of a content crisis. You also can’t talk yourself out of one. And you definitely can’t think yourself out of it either.
You’ve got to walk your way out of it.
For me this looks slightly different depending on the cause of the crisis, but there are three main things that help. So in case you’re in a crisis of yourself or want to save this email for when you are, let me break them down...
TAKE IT BACK TO BASICS / REMIND YOURSELF WHAT MATTERS
A content crisis often feels like a practical problem like ‘I don’t know what to post on Instagram’ or ‘there’s no traction behind my blog anymore’. But it very rarely is.
To walk your way out of the crisis you need to first understand the root of the problem. I see the root showing up in three ways - you’re not clear on the purpose, you’re not clear on your message, you’re not clear on your strategy.
When the foundations of your marketing are unclear, it’s natural that anything practical put on top of that will feel out of alignment. So take it back to basics. Ask yourself...
Purpose - What does your online presence exist to do? How does it serve the business?
Message - What is your message? What value are you adding to your audience?
Strategy - Where are you showing up? How does that message translate into content?
I can bet that as you work through those areas at least one section will flag up. Give yourself time to sit with it, look at the evidence you already have and allow yourself permission to have a new answer - it feels like vague work but I can promise that when the foundations feel solid, the practical begins to slot into place.
For me recently it was the strategy arm - I wasn’t clear on how each of my platforms were playing separate roles but working towards the same purpose.
STOP LOOKING AT OTHER PEOPLE / TRUST THAT YOU KNOW WHAT’S BEST
I frequently see the cause of a content criss being our good old friend - comparison. We feel OK with what we’re doing until we look left and right, see what others are doing and suddenly question our own approach. Or perhaps we hear an ‘expert’ tell us that we NEED to be on a certain platform or doing things a certain way and that causes us to stop trusting our methods.
Now I’m not saying the approaches and opinions of others don’t have value to us - they absolutely can - but I do want to remind you that you know your business best. And with marketing sitting so close to the business, you likely know that best too.
Sure, you may require the expertise and support of others to help level it up (hello my whole job) but don’t question your ability to market your business in the right way for you.
Marketing is so unique. There are 84032 ways to grow a business online. What works for you and aligns with your values will look wildly different to everyone else - that’s OK. So when you feel a crisis is coming along or you’re walking your way out of it, limit your exposure to the content which makes you question yourself.
(Comparison feels V much in the air right now! I recorded a video on how I don’t let it stop me from taking action if that feels like something you’re in need of).
FLEX THE MUSCLE / VALUE TAKING ACTION OVER GETTING ENGAGEMENT
So you’ve taken it back to basics and limited your exposure to the noise of others - now it’s time to take action. Uncomfortable, public, awkward action.
You see, just like your actual voice, creating and sharing content is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets and ultimately, the easier it gets to use it.
At this stage the most important thing is that you’re using it. Now I know it’s easier said than done - I’m embarrassed by how many posts I’ve deleted over the last week after they didn’t get ‘enough’ likes in 5 minutes and were therefore awful - but you may want to lower (or if you can, remove) your expectations for the response something will get.
Value the fact that you're taking action over the engagement it gets.
If you wait until you feel ‘ready’ to share again you’ll be waiting a long time. So start using that voice and trust that the rest will come.
This is absolutely something I’m still walking my way through but I hope that if you’re feeling a similar way, this helps you to turn it from overwhelm to action.