Here’s the thing about content marketing… it just doesn’t get results overnight. Which is precisely the reason why so many don’t do it consistently.
In this “quick fix” world, we want results… yesterday.
But that doesn’t eliminate the need for creating content if you own a business.
Creating content stretches us and gets our creative juices flowing. Content tells a story that otherwise most likely gets lost.
Content allows you to make your voice heard above the noise to the people you want to attract. Content demonstrates your expertise in a particular field.
We hear the term “content marketing” all the time, but what exactly does it mean? Marketing expert Neil Patel offers a helpful definition in terms we all can understand, ”Content marketing is a long-term strategy, based on building a strong relationship with your target audience, by giving them high-quality content that is very relevant to them on a consistent basis.”
Those phrases in bold are key:
Long-term strategy,
building a strong relationship,
high-quality content,
that is relevant,
consistently.
Now, more than ever, people are “putting it out there” with videos, quotes, blog posts, Facebook posts, #tbt’s, Instagram pics, you name it. Never before has it been easier to join the chorus of content because with social media, the barrier to entry is lower than ever.
So, have you joined the crowds? Are you consistently posting content, and establishing your expertise?
Or, are you like many we’ve talked with who only publish content once (maybe twice) a month. To them, creating content feels like a huge hurdle to overcome. An all too common statement we hear, “I know I ’should’, but I can’t seem to get started.”
Creating content doesn’t have to be a task that paralyzes you. You just need to start. And then develop the rhythm of consistency.
To get you started, we’ve come up with a list of different content creation ideas to help your creative juices flow:
- Tell your members stories. Believe it or not, you are not the hero of your business’ story. Your customers are (or should be) the hero. Do you know what really makes your clients tick? Where they’ve come from? Why they’ve chosen to make a life change now? The things that really interest them outside of your four walls? Start asking questions, really listen, and begin to unearth the golden nuggets that are right in front of you. Celebrate. Enter in. And publish. As you begin to tell their stories, your business will take on a personal feel that will be infectious.
- Capture a quick video of a coach or member. You don’t have to professionalize these videos. Often, the more raw, the better. There are many options for these videos – demonstrating a movement, celebrating a PR, introducing a new member or coach, highlighting an event… the sky’s the limit. Think outside the box.
- Answer questions. Start a list on your computer or phone of all the questions the people you impact (and those you’d like to impact) might want to know about. Whatever comes to mind, jot it down. There are no wrong topics. Take 20 minutes and try to write down 50. Then just continue to add to the list as things come to mind. If easier, you can write big categories (nutrition, health, fitness, community, etc.) then break those down into topics. Once you have a good list, step away from it for a bit, then come back to it and choose the ones that stand out. You were new to CrossFit once. Think of the questions you had back then.
- Use hashtags. If you don’t already have one, create a gym hashtag and then start using it all the time, on everything. Also, as your members to start using the hashtag and tagging you when they do any posts that relate to their health and fitness. You can use the app Repost to share and celebrate the things your members are interested and involved in.
- Take (and share) lots of pictures. Capture the essence of the kind of business you want to build through pictures. Do you have a gym dog? Is there a place where most congregate? Are there close-up face shots of people mid-workout that you can shoot? Is there a piece of equipment that everyone dreads? Caption these images with sayings your people can connect with.
- Pay attention. Start taking notice of things around you. If you are living a life “aware”, you will begin to see blog post after blog post beginning to take shape in your mind. These posts don’t have to be long, just capture what you see to inspire others.
- Use Canva to create motivational quotes with images. Everybody loves a little motivational nugget every now and then. Make it good, and it’ll get shared.
- Write about you. Certainly not all the time, but if you’re the leader, people do want to know you. They want to be let into your world – to know what makes you happy, to know what your struggles are. To know that you are a real person with real feelings. Let your personality shine through. Sprinkle this into your content calendar like a spice – not too much, but enough to give good flavor.
The key to this is to do something. Start small. Make a plan and stick to it. Again, consistency is key.
Content creation is an incredible, inexpensive way to expand your reach. Use it as a tool in your toolbox to build something people are proud to be a part of.
Our focus this month in Hub is all about Social Media & Content Marketing. We’ve got video courses in Hub that teach you how to maximize your content creation efforts so that you’re continuing to establish your expertise in your corner of this world. Check out a month of Hub for only $10!
Also… if you haven’t registered yet for the 1st Annual Gym Owner’s Growth Summit, do so today!! It’s FREE and it’s 3 days of content from some of the greatest minds in our industry!!
