You’re sitting at your desk, the laptop screen in front of you.
You flip back through your journal or idea book for ideas for this week’s blog post, and you’re drawing a blank.
Maybe you have so much to say, it’s hard to narrow it down.
Or perhaps maybe you worry what you have to say isn’t relevant to your audience. Or that it’s all being said already by so many other people. You think to yourself: What do I have to add?
You’re stuck, and it feels thick and heavy.
Creating Meaningful Articles
Creating a meaningful article sometimes feels a bit like trying to buy a present for someone you don’t know and haven’t met before.
You just don’t know for sure what they’d like. With a bit of research, suggestion gathering from friends or relatives, some intuition work and planning, you can make the process easier though. And have a better chance ensuring your gift will be appreciated.
It’s the same thing with your marketing content. Coming up with what to write about for your audience can feel intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. One of the best approaches to combat this is to create a content strategy - one that’s robust and reflects the types of information your ideal clients are looking for.
Developing a content strategy is part of having a strong marketing plan and keeps your messaging consistent and relevant. And, importantly, you’re not left looking for topics to write about every week, which makes writing a whole lot easier. It does take a bit of time and planning and is something I help clients with as a marketing mentor.
But what if you’re stuck right now? As in today or tomorrow, and you need to get that post written?
I’m going to share with you a lovely process to help you get started, one that taps into and uses your own inner wisdom as a guide.
Writing as the doorway
Even though you do have to write the article, writing itself can also act as a portal to your creative spirit. You can use writing, in particular a process called reflective writing, to help you identify a topic to share with your potential clients. And doing it this way helps ensure your idea is something uniquely your own, something that will let your readers see your own unique point of view.
Get started by following these four simple steps.
1. Get Quiet
As always, tapping into our own inner guidance system requires you to quiet your mind and settle into yourself. So, take a few minutes to breathe deeply and ground.
2. Start with an Intention
Next, close your eyes and sink into your desire to write something that will help you ideal clients. Picture one person in particular, either a client you’ve worked with in the past or someone you know that you believe would really benefit from your services.
3. Ask, Then Wait
Next, reflect, and ask yourself, what do I want to tell this one person?
Don’t ask from your mind, but from your heart-center. Ask, and then wait. Wait for something to come you to. You may see an image, hear sounds or words and phrases. You may sense an image. You may get a perception of something. You may get a sense of knowing, that’s not entirely discernible. You may have a whisper of something you can’t quite put your finger on.
Example: Let’s say you help women reconnect with their natural creativity. After you get grounded and picture an ideal client, you ask yourself “What do I want to tell her?”
4. Write
First, staying present, put your pen to the page and write what just came to you. Write it down, no matter what you may think of it or if you can’t see any obvious connection between what came to you and your business.
Example: a leaf. I see a leaf, and some branches tossed along a path
Then, once you’ve written down what came to you, let curiosity take over and explore it on the page. You do this by creating a stream of consciousness dialogue that starts with a question:
So, what is it about this (insert your image, perception, etc.) that can help my ideal clients?
Example: Well, the leaf looked like one I found along that trail I walked along last week. The trees were so tall, when I looked up I felt this sense of awe and openness. I completely shifted out of my earlier state of mind, which was when I’d had a kind of upsetting conversation with my insurance provider. I remember the trees instantly made me feel connected, and part of something bigger. Like somehow stepping outside was a way I could literally step into a different world. That’s it! I can write about times when they may be feeling constricted and blocked and how stepping outside into nature, even for a few minutes can give them a completely new perspective.
Setting up a content strategy can help alleviate the pressure of trying to find relevant topics to write about on a consistent basis; for those times you’re feeling stuck and need to come up with something right then, you can access your own inner wisdom for guidance.
If you take a few minutes to get still, ask what you should write about, stay open to whatever you receive and then explore that in writing on the page, you’ll find something to share with your audience. The best part will be is that it’ll be born of your own inner wisdom, fresh and uniquely your own.
Stay tuned
Creating valuable content is the key to building an audience. If you liked this article, stay tuned! In the next few weeks, I’ll be releasing my new eBook on how to make sure you’re creating content that is truly valuable for your potential clients.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash