I know what you’re thinking, this is total bullshit. We attract clients by giving them content they want, right? It’s always about the client. There isn’t a day that goes by when the client doesn’t come before everything: your own child (in my case, dog), your personal safety – in essence, your actual life. “Bitch, don’t … Continued
I know what you’re thinking, this is total bullshit. We attract clients by giving them content they want, right?
It’s always about the client. There isn’t a day that goes by when the client doesn’t come before everything: your own child (in my case, dog), your personal safety – in essence, your actual life.
“Bitch, don’t you dare deviate from your client-centric purpose”
I read a lot of posts that talk about this (I don’t ever finish the posts because I’m usually so fucked off by them). One post in particular got me a little bent out of shape. The author was repeating the standard marketing party line:
“Create content that your clients want to consume”
How can you possibly know what ALL your clients want to consume?
But marketers say that, and as a content writer, I’ve said it – up to a point. And that point is my own fulfilment. I often wonder if some digital marketing types actually believe the stuff they peddle but that’s for another post.
I have a keen sense of self. I revel in my own autonomy and I have no problem creating boundaries, or saying no. I have established all of those good habits despite enmeshment family relationships.
You weren’t expecting a little psychobabble from me but I find that stuff fascinating and often, harrowing.
I don’t accept that the client always comes first, in the same way, I don’t think the customer is always right. It’s only after you build a decent relationship with your client that you value them and they, you but before that happens, it’s all about me – sorry, you. No one wants pretend empathy, the obsession with putting potential clients (strangers) before your own desires is weird.
But…
I do talk about writing from their perspective. I babble on about solving problems and talking to them like a human. However, the way I do all of that starts with what I enjoy.
In the context of the content I put out for my business, my first thought is always, is it worth me getting out of bed for? If I only think about what my audience wants, and not what I like to create, what incentive do I have to carry on doing it? We all know that marketing needs a consistent approach, that’s another thing we hear on repeat. I’m not some selfless, altruistic person when it comes to how I make my living. Who am I kidding – I’m not like that in life!
If I’m just doing what my prospects want, what’s in it for me?
When I create the content that I would like to engage with, my audience doesn’t disappear, they don’t fuck off because they’re upset that I’m enjoying myself. They’re not sending me angry DMs stating that I didn’t put them first. Some of them are enjoying it too.
If your ideal client works in cybersecurity, you’re probably banging out tailored content on that subject. Let’s suppose the medium you use, is the one you like. Sadly some of that audience won’t engage with it. That’s because everyone is different, including people in your niche. If your media is primarily video, there will be a few Katrinas and Ahmeds in cybersecurity that hate video content.
So what do you do, stop creating video content because some of your target audience hate it?
You could vary your media to try and grab more of that audience. Ultimately it’s up to you but you could carry on doing what brings you joy and accept that you can’t please everyone. You’re lucky if you please a fraction of your audience, but pleasing yourself is always a good place to start.
You don’t have to pick one thing, experiment, the point is to find something you like to do. I write, so it’s no surprise that I like text posts but I also like to make videos, and they’re often not business-related. And the reason I make those videos is because it’s fun. They make some people laugh believe it or not and I get a kick out of that.
I’m actually giving some of my audience what they want but I’d stop pretty soon if it was a chore to do it. Once you create content you like, you will then be in the best place to bring your message to your audience. We all want to give our clients something useful, and of value, it’s up to you to decide how you do that.
I am really opening up a can of worms with this one.
Value is another overused word that has been stripped of its meaning
Again, value is perceived differently by different people. Free tips and resources are valuable, making someone laugh is valuable. Your audience aren’t going to agree. Not only does it change per person, each one of those individuals will see value differently within the context of each product or service they buy. You’ll never be able to provide blanket value for your entire demographic.
The content you like to consume is a great guide when you’re creating your own material because if you like it, chances are others will too.
We are all someone’s audience. You’re more than qualified to know how to create engaging, valuable content.
If you’ve been following me for any length of time you know that I promote the freedom to just be. Yes there is best practice, especially when it comes to things like SEO. You can’t just do what you fancy with organic traffic but your content should have fluidity. If you’re rigid about marketing practices you’ll end up sounding like everyone else, you’ll be using words like ‘authentic’, ‘mindset’, ‘entrepreneurship’, and ending your posts with ‘agree?’.
If you don’t break out from the marketing crowd you’ll forego your individuality, and we need that now more than ever. So, do what you want first, your audience will follow.
