Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Did you make any resolutions this year? Are they new ones or ones you’ve made before? And how’s it going?
If you’re struggling, then don’t panic. Today is Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day, as apparently it’s the day that most resolutions get broken.
And that’s ok.
Who wanted to eat kale every day anyway?
What’s this got to do with creating content?
You can make resolutions for all kinds of things with regards to growing followers, increasing engagement, making more conversions. But there are really only a few things that truly matter.
Show up
You can’t do anything if you don’t create content. People have short memories. If they don’t hear from you, or see anything from you, then sooner or later they’ll replace you. Not intentionally perhaps, but someone else will come along with new stories, things that catch their attention and their interest.
If you don’t show up, then neither will they.
Be consistent
6pm on a Sunday means it’s time for the High Street Delicatessen newsletter. Week in, week out, same time. But not the same stuff. New stuff every week, interesting stuff, intriguing stuff.
Whatever schedule you adopt, make it one that you can keep to. If you can post every day then do, but don’t start and get 10 days in and stop. Better to turn up every two weeks, and do it every two weeks for the whole year, so people know when to expect you.
Be authentic
What’s your brand story? What have you decided is the essence of what you do? For example, if you’ve decided that you’re all about science and hard facts, then you’re probably not going to tell stories of fairies and dragons in your content.
If you’ve decided that wit is a key value, then don’t go writing long, dry, serious stuff.
You and your business can be whatever you want to be. Tell your stories, your way. Don’t try to be the same as anyone else. You are your own story. Don’t try and tell it any other way. You don’t have to be the Tinder of footwear or the Uber of pickles. You are your own thing, not a version of something else.
Be original
Really running off the back of being authentic, but don’t copy someone else’s work. Yes, keep stuff that inspires you, but don’t just replicate it. You can’t build a valuable brand by being a pale imitation of someone else. You can’t make compelling content by being somewhat like someone else.
Simple really.
No need for a lengthy list of resolutions. Nothing too difficult to keep up. It really doesn’t matter when you make resolutions like this. And if you break one of them, just pick it up and go again. Don’t wait till 1st January to start again. If you want to get your content working for you this year, then see how you can keep those four things going.
So, maybe ditch the resolution around the kale and running 10km a day, and try these four on for size from today onwards. Can you keep these up?
