Critical Steps Needed Before You Start Creating Content
As someone who specializes in personal brand photography and strategy, clients frequently ask me for help in producing quality content and an effective content strategy.
I always emphasize that before they embark on any content creation, they must take critical steps beforehand. It all starts with crafting a solid personal brand and content strategy. By taking these crucial initial steps, clients can set themselves up for success in creating high-quality content and executing a successful content strategy.
Where to Begin When Creating Your Personal Brand
All too often, we complicate the process of trying to communicate who we are and what we do. But the truth is that brand clarity comes from knowing who you are, what you do, and for whom. And then, be consistent about how you show up.
This all takes strategy and planning, and when you have this nailed down and have patience - because branding is a long game - your message will attract the right audience. Remember: consistency breeds confidence, and confidence sells.
But what exactly is a Personal Brand?
We all have a personal brand, whether we are business owners or work for a company. Your Personal Brand is your reputation and impression on the people you engage with personally and professionally.
Developing a strong personal brand requires more than just creating a logo or a website. Although those visual elements are essential, they are only parts of a more significant process. Crafting your personal brand involves written, verbal, and visual messaging to communicate who you are, what you do, and what you value. This all entails brand strategy.
Brand Strategy
Before you start any marketing and content creation, you need to have a solid brand foundation, and you build this by following the steps of Brand Strategy. They are:
Know your mission, vision, and goals.
What is your brand personality and voice - ex. Fun, serious, sarcastic, playful, academic.
What differentiates you from the competition – what makes you unique? This will help you position yourself in the market.
Who is your ideal client, and what problem are you solving for them?
What are your business goals?
The Benefits of Personal Branding
Visibility: Being known and remembered in your field can lead to job opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships that wouldn't otherwise be available.
Credibility: A consistent personal brand can position you as an expert in your niche, opening doors to
Speaking engagements, interviews, and thought leadership opportunities.
Connection: In a digital age, authenticity matters. A genuine personal brand can foster deeper connections with peers, customers, and industry leaders.
Legacy: Your personal brand is also your legacy. It's the footprint you leave in the digital sand, shaping how current and future generations perceive you.
Opportunity: A robust personal brand often leads to opportunities beyond one's immediate industry or profession, including consulting gigs, book deals, and more.
Content Strategy
Now that you have your brand identity in place, you can start your content strategy. This entails determining the right kind of content to create. To do this properly, you will need to think about the following items:
You have identified your ideal client, but now you need to dig deeper - who are they, and what problems are you solving for them? What do they want/need from you?
Where does your target audience hang out - Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn?
Define your business goals - do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or establish thought leadership? You will want to align your content with these goals.
Brainstorm content ideas and create content pillars – think of content pillars as the 3-5 topics on which all your content should focus. This helps you to stay on-brand, speak to your ideal client, and stay consistent.
Decide what type of content you will create – blog posts, email newsletters, articles, podcasts, videos, social media reels and posts, etc. You want to ensure that you create educational, entertaining, and valuable content that resonates with your ideal audience.
Plan – how often can you realistically create content and post
Measure your results to see what is working and what needs tweaking.
Defining your Brand Identity to create your Content Strategy is worth the time investment - in fact, it’s a must. You cannot skip these steps because if you don’t know who you are and who you are talking to, you are essentially talking to no one and, unfortunately, wasting your time.
When people skip these critical steps, they flounder, get frustrated, and wonder why they don’t see any results. This doesn’t need to happen! These steps will keep you focused and give you the ammunition you need to build a strong and successful personal brand. You’ve got this!
If you want my Personal Branding Workbook to help guide you, enter your email below and download workbook immediately.
