If you’ve been in the online business arena for more than a second, then you know it is soul-sucking to be on a content creation treadmill to nowhere. Being stuck in the day-to-day creation cycle without knowing if it’s making a difference for your brand makes most business owners dread content marketing. 

So what’s an entrepreneur to do with so little time and such a large demand for content? In this article, I’ll share proven tools, techniques, and habits for creating better content, faster. 

For example, if you own a pet store, you might create categories such as "pet care tips", "fun pet facts", "new pet products", and so on. Then, anytime you see an article, video, or other piece of content that fits into one of those categories, add it to your content bank.

Before you know it, you'll have a wealth of content to choose from when it's time to create your next social media post. And best of all, you'll be able to do it in a fraction of the time it would take to start from scratch.

Pro Tip: A disorganized content bank is almost like having no content bank at all (trust me, sigh) 

As you collect your content, you’ll want to organize all the different pieces so you can access them effectively and efficiently. You can use platforms like Dropbox or Google Drive to create swipe files for your content bank. This allows you to divide the files into folders with appropriate titles so they can easily be pulled for future use (i.e. Headlines, Subject Lines, Articles, Ads, Images, Quotes)

3. Rewrite Headlines

Writing quality content is crucial, but to make sure your audience reads it, you’ll want a headline that’ll grab their attention – this might be the most crucial piece of your copy.  Whether you’re writing a blog, email campaign, or Instagram post, take your time to generate as many headlines for one piece of content as possible. This way, you can get many ideas and options in front of your eyes.  

RELATED: HOW TO WRITE KILLER INSTAGRAM HEADLINES

Dive Deeper Into Common Pain Points 

You'll connect more deeply with customers when you write with their motivations in mind. It’s why you often hear the advice to use emotional words in your marketing copy. The goal is to see the problem or desire from the audience’s perspective — and make them say, “Wow, you really get me.” 

Think about it this way: Dad isn't buying a new pool slide, he's buying his kids awesome summer. 

In his book, A Self-Help Guide For Copywriters, Dan Nelken teaches to find the benefit of the benefit of your offer. He gives this example of a benefit of a benefit for a hypothetical Internet service company promoting high speed WiFi. 

• “You won’t get a frozen face on video calls.”

• “You won’t have to spend time waiting for your streaming shows to load.”

These are situations someone searching for a new Internet provider could definitely relate to. 

Working backward can ensure the right content is used to make your intended point.

What’s another useful tool to work backward? Templates, or pre-written outlines that guide your writing! Templates can be have fill-in boxes that allow you to identify your target audience, address the different products or services that you want evaluated, and conceptualize the desired end-goal of your content. 

7. Batch Content

If you’ve never batched your content before, get ready because this will help free up some of your schedule! Right now, you’re likely creating content on the fly and hurriedly making the graphics to accompany it.

But with batching, you set aside time every month to get these tasks done ahead of time.  

One day may be dedicated to strategizing. One day may focus on writing the content. Another day may consist of graphic creation, and another day may be for scheduling.

By batching this work ahead of time, you’re not allowing the to-do’s of your day to rush you into making content that you’re either not happy with or that doesn’t land well with your audience. Instead, you’re spending dedicated time creating the best content you can and getting it out there as efficiently as possible.  

Transformation-based content strategies are tops for attracting buyers who need, desire, and can benefit from your product or service.

In short, the transformations you deliver are your expertise. You are the expert in the transformations you deliver. Once you can voice those transformations succinctly, you’ll be able to come up with an endless stream of content ideas and, more importantly, attract people who truly resonate with your brand.

Happy Creating! 

Cyndi, Owner of Ascent StoryCraft

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