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success

How Writing Leads to Success

I had no intention of building a successful writing business when I started out. Even though I created a lucrative business, back then it was a stepping stone: An in-between to another corporate job. As an introvert who does not have the energy to make small talk in an office every day, writing became my big talk.

Have you heard of big talk? Me neither until now.

Big talk is what happens when you work virtually and have the bandwidth to make an impact: You can write about high-level, visionary ideas because you’re not letting the small talk of an office setting drain you and take you away from your core work.

You can research, write, and edit more effectively. In essence, you communicate in a quiet way that makes a huge impact — not just for your business but also for your clients.

Writing is how I built a successful online business.

Flashback to 2012: After reading about SXSW for years, I finally had the guts to hop on a flight to Austin for SXSW. I had recently moved back to my hometown in New Jersey. I was without a job and had all of the time in the world.

The only problem was that I had 1) no cash flow and 2) no clients. How did I turn my world around and build a successful online business?

I didn’t let anything stop me.

Instead of focusing on what I didn’t have at the time (like money and clients), I doubled down on my positivity, passion, and extreme enthusiasm.

Photo by Leio McLaren (@leiomclaren) on Unsplash

I took the cheapest flights possible (which meant lots of layovers).

As I stood in line to board a flight with other SXSW attendees, the guy in front of me (let’s call him Brian) turns around and asks me what I do. Even though I spent time, money, and resources to get to SXSW, I didn’t have any “Services” to sell to potential clients at the time.

But I didn’t care.

I told Brian I was a writer and that I wrote about the intersection of technology, marketing, and business on my blog. I told him he could check out my website to see samples of my writing. I didn’t think much about our conversation, so when an email from him popped into my inbox a week later, I was thrilled.

Real people were reading my words on the web! It turns out that Brian actually read my words. At the time, the only person who read my words was my mom. My Google Analytics back then looked promising, but it was merely numbers. They weren’t real people, were they?!

He cc’d his colleague and mentioned that the content that I created fit with what they were doing at his company. When I followed up for more details, I learned that they were serious about hiring me: They wanted me to write twice a week for their blog in my voice.

Say what?

Not only did they comp my website hosting for jessicaannmedia.com, they also paid me per article at a frequency of 2x a week. After we signed our contract, I got busy delivering articles, communicating, and keeping them a happy client. They renewed our contract for four years. When they were ready to say goodbye, I helped to train their employees on how to write, create, and distribute content.

I priced for profit

Even though I didn’t have any clients at the time, I believed in the value of the product I was offering (content marketing).

I quickly got business savvy: I read every blog on pricing and how to deliver the ultimate customer experience. I did not price for cheap. Instead, I priced for profit so that I could grow a profitable business.

I took risks.

Photo by Leio McLaren (@leiomclaren) on Unsplash

I could have stayed at home back then and not made it to one of the top industry events. But I took a risk as a brand new business owner and went out of my comfort zone. The most random interactions turned into one of my most loyal, long-term clients.

You never know where your next client will come from.

I still keep in contact with this client today and express my gratitude for believing in the value of my work. While many businesses were staying status quo with traditional marketing, the most innovative companies were finding ways to connect with their customers through emotions and story.

Content marketing changes company culture

Content is the best catalyst for cultural change. Whether you run a small agency or a Fortune 500, the content that you create can change your entire culture. For example, the content that I contributed to Getty Images for their #Repictureit campaign aimed around the concept of breaking misconceptions and stereotypes through visuals.

They reached out to me to shed light on what these concepts mean. Getty’s goal was to reshape how people think about important issues (I.e. Innovation, leadership, love, friendship, family, etc).

They not only shaped how people think about issues – they shaped how people perceive their company. They collaborated with leaders like Sheryl Sandberg, and they ultimately became seen as a visionary for the content that they created (I wrote a blog series for Getty Images on the importance of visually appealing to your customers. You can read it here).

78% of CMO’s agree that custom content is the future of marketing. High-quality content that drives meaningful engagement can portray your business as innovative — which in turn, brings in more business.

Six years ago, this was a radical idea (even today it’s still pretty extreme). The idea that blog posts can make more of an impact on your bottom line than having employees in an actual office is unconventional. But I’ve seen how useful it is for my clients over the years. Plus, it’s less overhead.

Content marketing allows for reverse-engineering the sales cycles so that you can connect with your customers in a human way.

Mitch Joel revealed that this is how he grew his business too in Episode 29 of The Art of Humanity:

what do John Mayer, Mitch Joel, and Seth Godin have in common? (hint: bikinis may or may not be involved) 👙😆🙈 find out in the latest episode of my podcast! listen at the link in profile or subscribe on iTunes!

A post shared by j e s s i c a a n n (@itsjessicann) on Mar 1, 2018 at 11:33am PST

Writing works for my business model

I recently wrote about the intersection of minimalism and speaking — and why I’m eliminating speaking from my business model. For me, it’s not always about the “hustle’ and “getting out there.” I’m grateful for the opportunities (like standing on stage at Google in NYC!) but it’s important to reassess what’s working//what’s not while removing all attempts to chase my own ego.

I love to write.

I’m now more publicly sharing about my experience in case other business owners (and hopeful speakers) are going through something similar. I’m excited to refocus on other opportunities that are better aligned with how I move through the world (e.g., podcasting, book writing).

Over the years, I’ve learned that writing words on the web make a big impact. And it doesn’t matter who you think you are – it matters how you show up in a world that takes you away from being yourself.

In a world that’s loud and intrusive, writing words on the web are how we can connect in a meaningful way. Your words don’t have to scream (or even speak). But if they’re making an impact in the way that you’d like, your writing will (eventually) lead to success.

Learn more about how you can work with me here.

July 22, 2018 0 comment

Blog

Reality Creation through Content Creation

Over my career I’ve been an academic, a journalist, a marketer. But each one of these roles felt limiting in its own way. The one aspect of all of these roles that seamlessly aligned with my heart and mind was the concept of reality creation.

Stay with me here:

Fourteen years ago I saw the documentary “What the Bleep Do We Know?” It was the only movie I’ve ever gone to alone. I remember sitting in the back row feeling self-conscious that I didn’t have a date or anyone to sit next to me.

I craved popcorn. But I didn’t get any because I thought I’d choke on a popcorn kernel and die alone in the back of the theater. If I was alone, who would give me the Heimlich? I had severe social anxiety at the time. The fact that I went out in public by myself was a miracle.

But that wasn’t the only miracle.

The gist of the documentary was how emotional and existential obstacles are a part of the individual and group consciousness, which influences the material world. Suddenly, the world of quantum physics and consciousness illuminated my existence. I shed some of the core beliefs that kept me hostage inside of my own identity. Instead of having an endless existential crisis, I started to use my struggles as an opportunity to evolve.

I shifted my core beliefs about myself and how I fit into the world.

I learned about epigenetics which is the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. Factors like what you eat, where you live, who you interact with, when you sleep, and how you exercise all cause chemical modifications around the genes that will turn these genes on or off over time.

Genes turning on and off? I needed to know more about this weird world.

“We are not victims of our genes, but masters of our fates, able to create lives overflowing with peace, happiness, and love.” — Bruce Lipton.

My identity shifted because I formed a new lens of reality. My reality transformed as a result.

Core beliefs structure your identity.

But it’s not easy to get out of the Matrix. We’re fed advertisements to make us feel like we’re never good enough. We feel like we need to buy the right clothes, drive the coolest car, and live in the biggest home. When we realize that these are all lies meant to keep us distracted from doing the deep inner self-work, we start to wake up.

I started to focus on basic self-care like turning off the news, yoga, and meditation. This helps you to achieve a different frame of reference, one that’s bathed in positivity, self-love, and gratitude.

What the Bleep Do We Know?

The documentary that I watched 14-years ago reveals the cellular, molecular and quantum worlds that are beneath everything. After the movie, I had to learn more.

I walked across the street to the bookstore to peruse the books, seeking more knowledge about these deep, metaphysical concepts. Exploring the cosmos, consciousness, and how our thoughts become things became my obsession.

I found nothing.

While there were a few books that looked interesting, the self-help section looked like Chicken Soup for the Soul and the stereotypical, cliched material. Nothing excited me. Everything seemed trite. Banal. Pointless. I needed a book that explained the meaning of our existence. I needed a “How To” manual for life.

I walked home without a book. But I set the intention to find a book — any book — about this topic so that I could absorb the concepts in the written word.

The next day my wish came true

The next day I walked in the door at my job to a package in the shape of — you guessed it — a book! I peeled the cardboard wrapping off and I laughed to myself. It was the book that explained more about the concepts that I was seeking the night before: Coming to Our Senses by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

This example may seem like happenstance. But it’s one of the many synchronistic events that transpired after my perspective shifted.

Be the CEO of your life.

I may be the CEO of a content marketing business. But to me, CEO stands for Creative Emotional Officer. An executive is someone that “has the power to put plans, actions, or laws into effect” but all of that “executing” is meaningless without creativity, soul and emotion behind your brand.

Alignment is beyond the mind.

When you temporarily suspend the outdated beliefs that are fed to you through an external force (like the media), your awareness opens to a new perspective. This is not hippie hype. It’s leading-edge science and research that I incorporate into my own life. For example, last month I spent six days off-the-grid in the middle of the Navajo desert (I’ll be sharing more about this experience in Season 4 of my podcast).

in the land where cosmic mystery meets sacred simplicity coexisting with history seeking what’s true. let's inhale time and space create a portal into a distant place where solitude needs no applause. no. you don’t need a scream or a ceremony to speak the language of Truth. doesn’t the sun rise every morning in solitude? yes. Devotion can speak as a quiet light. when we remember that a soundless star still lights up the night. #zeropointreset

A post shared by j e s s i c a a n n (@itsjessicann) on May 12, 2018 at 5:08pm PDT

Instead of forcing my emotions to go away, I tap into them to amplify something even more significant than myself.

There’s content for just about every emotion:

Sad? Write poetry.
Ambitious? Write business blogs for clients (I do content marketing)
Happy? Write Instagram posts to share your joy with the world.

Reality creation happens through content creation

When I write, I’m me. I’m not a journalist who needs to follow the rules or an academic who requires big words to impress the Dean.

I’m human.

My writing is driven by my passion as well as my intuition. My creativity is derived from a lifetime of study. And in my journey of where consciousness meets content marketing, I’m starting to reach a point of saturation.

We need a new way to exist in this world.

And my findings indicate that we’re at the edge of this new paradigm where it’s better on an experiential, practical, and scientific level. But the only way to be a content guru is to be you (I write more about this here).

Content creates your reality — but our experiences need to be embodied first and foremost.

We forget our bodies when we are glued to the screen too much. Our body is also constantly communicating to us just like Nature and the Divine. When we are caught in head-centric living we do not “hear” nor feel the messages and guidance within and around us — we are cut off from our intuition. — Bernhard Guenther

(I interview Bernhard in my podcast, The Art of Humanity, here).

Creating content catapults you into a different vibration. But you actually need to create content to be a reality creator.

The intersection of content and consciousness is relatively new.

In the book, How Real is Real? author Paul Watzlawick argues that we’re often quite alone with our seemingly subjective perception of what’s “real.” I would take his notion one step further and say that our consciousness is only a mere perception — that is until we create content with it!

If content marketing is the tactic, is consciousness is the strategy?

The Internet is evolving our human consciousness. We are the raw material for the next phase in consciousness – and we’re at a saturation point that’s never existed before in history. I believe that we can all make collective choices that influence the future of humanity. We can either be leveraged by corporations or we can consciously optimize our human potential to positively impact humanity.

How do you want to exist?

July 8, 2018 1 comment

Blog

How to Create Minimalist Content

In a world where everyone is screaming at everyone to turn on notifications, and “like” each other to death, where is the love for less? We’re screaming “more” without truly knowing what’s at our core. As a society, we need to break identifications with power and status. But it’s hard to do when we’re living for likes. So why would you want to create something like “minimalist content” when the status quo is “more”? Minimalist content is one of the best ways to cut corners so that you focus on what feels good on you. It also allows you to remove life’s excess so that you can own your strengths in a way that works. Here are some tips to create minimalist content:

minimalist4 (3)

Be concise.

Good writing is concise.

Notice the above sentence. I could have said it with:

7 words: “This means that most words are unnecessary.”

6 words: “The majority of words are unnecessary.”

5 words: “Most words are not needed.”

But the same idea was described with less.

More words do not mean more understanding. When you remove the unnecessary, you can discover the crux of the content: This is power.

This concept goes hand-in-hand with the amount of blogging you’re doing. Many marketers are approaching the problem of “more” by…doing more. A recent study shows that 76% of B2B companies say they are going to create more content over the next year.

Content overwhelm is a thing.

But when you focus your time and energy around creating minimalist content that you love, you reframe your narrative so that you can do less. And doing less means that you’ll slowly…

2. Become ageless

The ethereal essence that pours out of you when you communicate the core of who you are is maddening, terrifying, beautiful, real.

And it’s ageless.

The paradox is that it can take years to become ageless, especially if you’re distracting and detaching yourself from your shadows. We live in a society that wants us to be “happy and positive” and to spread “love and light” but that’s not where humanity is – at least not yet. To create content with grace, we need to accept the parts of ourselves that make us uncomfortable. It’s how we grow both personally and professionally.

If you get mentally stuck in a certain age from your past, remember that the best ideas don’t age. So neither should you (or your content).

If this sounds weird, think of it this way: Our business brains are wired to show you that the world is outside of us. It’s this feeling of separation that makes things feel scary or just out of reach. But when we learn to become ageless with our work in the world, we can dance to the depth within our own dichotomy {click to tweet!}

photo originally posted to Instagram

3. Find your Truth

Some people may tell you that you need to have a “persona” so that you can “blast” the marketing lies that you believe about yourself. This is dangerous territory. Once you start believing your own lies, you won’t know what’s true.

You’re a person – not a “persona.” You’re a living, breathing human who is endlessly evolving. You’re not living to “maximize ROI.” You’re living for Truth. Meaning. Art. Passion. Adventure.

But the idea of having a “persona” is central to how society operates. So we get obsessed with figuring out our facades for so long that we forget to examine whether or not we really need to. What if the idea of having one identity has all been a myth, and we’re simply here to find different variations of our Truth? How liberating does this feel?

Science and Buddhism both agree that there is no “you” there, anyway.

Sure, it’s still important to think about your customer’s inner motivations and how your product or service helps them. But it can come across as empty if you’re not connecting with your experiences and emotions.

4. Think with your heart

Successful people spend 10 hours a week just thinking.

It’s just that saying what you’re thinking is not really marketing (especially if you’re thinking with your head). But here’s the thing: when you think with your heart, you authentically “market” how you move through the world.

The best ideas come from nurturing what’s inside your wild heart – and then using your mind as the medium to transmute your ideas.

5. Get honest with yourself

Opportunity awaits when we’re honest with ourselves about what we want – and more importantly why we want it. This allows you to create content with an ease that brings in business (aka content marketing).

One of the best ways to get honest with yourself is to create content with clarity. But how do you get clarity? You write. When you write, you not only reveal your own inner desires, but you unleash your creativity to the world.

But you don’t just want more creativity (although creativity is always good for business). You want more: impact, influence, and sales (in a way that doesn’t feel slimy).

Honesty is the hotbed of creativity. When we open into the concept (and practice!) of being honest, we can create from a place of connection and authenticity. Maybe then we can create things from our heart that we didn’t know existed before.

May 2, 2016 0 comment

Blog

What is “Quality” Content?

Quality over quantity always wins. But what exactly is “quality” content?

It’s the elusive golden word tossed around at least 20 times a day.

If you’re the type of human being who refuses to roll with a mediocre definition of “quality” you probably came here to define and learn what makes something “quality.”

Quality: The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something.

The thing is, quality content is entirely subjective.

But there are a few objective and scientifically proven traits that make quality content, well, quality. Here are some tips on how to make your content full of quality:

1. Credibility

Let’ go into an alternate universe and pretend that this post was about dogs that dig deep-dish pizza (bare with me here). It’s a great post, and you found yourself devouring the content so readily that you forget to check out the credibility of the author. You do a quick Google search and discover something shocking: The author is a cat lover who is allergic to pizza. The credibility of the author would immediately take a nosedive, wouldn’t it? (for the record, this writer you’re reading is a dog lover who loves pizza).

this is my dog, Karma. (She loves pizza too!)

This example demonstrates the need for credibility in your content. But for better or worse, credibility almost never has a tell. It just is, and it’s up to the readers whether they believe it to be credible. The easiest way to do this is by doing your own research.

Here are some ways to make sure your credibility is on point:

Writer. It’s the writer’s job to keep the content honest, real and relevant.

Tone. This means a balance between serious information and voice. Let’s be honest: Most online content is way too serious. Whether your natural writer voice is funny, frank or motivating, you should use it freely when you write. Your voice adds authenticity, which easily translates to credibility.

Subject matter. Make your content meaningful to your readers. Always offer value in a clear way. Whether you’re giving career advice or supporting a controversial viewpoint about cats (who eat pizza), you need to come across as an expert about your subject matter without sounding condescending.

Unique perspective. If you’re rehashing the same material as everyone else in your industry, your content may not be perceived as quality because nothing sets you apart. Instead, infuse your content with your personal or professional perspective. When you integrate your personal experiences with your professional perspective, you can create content gold.

2. Virtuosity

Virtuosity is an appreciation for fine objects of art. So what in the world does it have to do with content?

Well, like art, content creates conversation and connections, both of which lead to business. And since I believe that marketing your business is an art form, virtuosity is the path to connect.

Some ways to determine if your content has virtuosity:

Design. Your content should live on a website that has a simple, stunning design. High-quality images (that you create yourself) always help too. You don’t always need flashy colors (or God forbid, flash) to make your web design stand out. You just need simplicity. Let your words be the focus of your site.

Grammar. Grammar is a staple of quality content. Just keep in mind that some of the best writers follow in the footsteps of Pablo Picasso, who encouraged learning the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. You don’t always have to worry about misplaced commas when writing for readers of the web but please, please avoid lazy, purposeless typos.

Story. If design is the heart of quality content and grammar is the mind, then stories are the soul. Just like a good movie or book, stories reveal the invisible lines that tie your content’s purpose together. Regardless of content format, be clear about your story before you write a single word, or design a color palette.

3. Engagement

Raise your hand if you like engagement. Now, raise your hand if you raised your hand.

If you just raised your hand at any point, great news! We’re engaged. Not in the sense of if you like it, put a ring on it kind of way, but rather the we’re actively getting to know one another sense of the word.

Image credit: Thinkstock

Engagement is one of the most crucial aspects of quality content because it’s the main method for adding context. In other words, when you create a piece of content, you’ve got the content itself and then everything else that makes it high quality and shareable. Engagement is the everything else.

Here are a few tips to engage with your audience on the most popular distribution platforms:

Blog Content. There are a million reasons to start a blog. You’re a whip-smart human, so you may already know this: One of the easiest ways to engage on your blog is to allow comments. This builds a two-way connection with your readers, where comments allow the writer to see the reader and vice versa. (Just make sure the writer of the article replies and interacts with the commenters).

Facebook. Facebook is one of the noisiest platforms, so create a value plan before you publish anything. Don’t just post a link to an article. Rather, create context for everything you share. Make a bold statement or ask a question. Whatever you do, don’t push the publish button until you have clarity around your message, and you know what action you want to incite.

Twitter. Twitter is a fantastic tool to make an impact in the world. But it’s a tough nut to crack if you’re just getting started. So here are some basic tips: When sharing an article on Twitter, tag the author. If the article is relevant to certain influencers, tag them, too. This increases engagement and lets the author know that youâ€™re reading and sharing his or her work.

Instagram. Instagram has a whopping 300 million engaged users each month. To engage on this platform, you have to be selective about what you share. Only post high-quality images, and be sure to target your desired audience by utilizing hashtags and trending conversations.

Pinterest. On Pinterest, each article that you create must have a beautiful image to go with it. Consider using a plug-in like the Pinterest Pin It Button for Images, which allows readers to pin your images onto one of their boards using a single click.

Now that we know the objective aspects of quality content, is there anything to be done about the inherent subjectivity of quality content? Well, for better or worse, it will probably always be just that: subjective. But by laying an objectively high-quality foundation, you can feel free to have fun and experiment knowing that its quality will shine.

October 30, 2015 0 comment

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How to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy

Let’s face it: You’re either a right-brained or left-brained content marketer. If you’re a right-brained marketer, then the term audience data probably makes you squirm uncomfortably. But if you’re a left-brained content marketer, you eat things like audience data for breakfast. You can always take your content marketing strategy a step further with psychoanalysis of your brain.

Here’s the thing: Right-brained marketers generally depend upon intuition to solve problems and process information, while left-brained marketers process information in a data-driven way.

It’s important to know your brain’s direction because, for better or worse, your brain decides without you. If you become more aware of how your brain naturally wants to work, you more easily connect audience data to content marketing strategy. (If you’re not sure which brain you have, here’s a helpful infographic from Marketo.)

Right-brained marketers: I feel you. I am you. But we must understand how to land our flying-unicorn perspective on earth to find practical ways to translate audience data. It may not be as fun as flying that unicorn, but when you see how easy and seamless the data can come together you’ll realize why logic is sometimes the only way to get creative.

Left-brained marketers: You’re grounded in solid footing. You love analyzing the applicability of ideas. But don’t let all of your logic go to your head. It’s important to let your heart and intuition do a little work, too even when it comes to data analysis.

Regardless of your brain orientation, incorporating audience data into your content marketing strategy is crucial. For example, if I was only writing for fellow right-brained marketers, I would simply post an emotional photo with a link to a Craigslist ad, not bothering with all of the important facts.

But since I know that you’re all super-smart, logical marketers who thrive on research and facts, I better make sure you know how to find the right audience data by the end of this article. This, in turn, will help you to start a blog with a solid content marketing strategy that brings in more customers.

Step 1 (left brain): Set up Google Analytics to grow your blog

You’re a smart marketer, so I feel silly even telling you this. But if you don’t have Google Analytics, head over there pronto.

Because, hear this: Once you get Google Analytics going, you won’t be able to stop. It may become a minor obsession to get nerdy with the new vs returning behaviors of your readers. By studying these patterns, you can learn more about audience behavior, how to acquire new readers, and what makes your current ones tick. (Full disclosure: You may go down a few rabbit holes, such as “Why are 611 people from Malaysia currently reading my website?”)

Here are a few other ways to measure success with Google Analytics: time spent on your page, referral traffic, and conversions. Referral traffic can inform your content marketing strategy by showing you where you’re winning on social.

You may think you’re doing awesome on social media. But you don’t know for sure. (That’s OK. We won’t tell.) It’s often hard to know what filtering photos on Instagram do for your business (other than provide some fun). To get a solid sense of how to measure success on social media through Google Analytics, click the Acquisition tab. You’ll know if your promotional efforts or social media marketing is working if you see a lot of social media sites under Source. If you see that you have a ton of referral traffic from Facebook, but barely any from Google Plus, you’ll know where to focus your future efforts. You also can use other analytics from social media sites, such as this robust analytics tool from Pinterest.

Soak in the knowledge of your acquisitions, absorb the information, and then slowly step away so that you can simultaneously execute Step 2.

Step 2 (right brain): Listen on social networks

Successful content marketing requires intention and purpose behind everything you post. The best ways to hone these things? Listening on social media (it’s not as creepy as it sounds).

Here are some ideas for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram:

Facebook

Folks from all over the world come together in Facebook Groups to discuss the various aspects of running a business. If you listen to what these business owners are saying, you can get some qualitative insights into their needs “ you can use this information to build a solid (yet intuitive) data-based strategy.

The Interests page on LinkedIn makes it easy for you to see what your favorite people are posting. For example, if you go to the Pulse tab under Interests you can follow your particular interests and receive personalized insights from within LinkedIn. If you come across an article, company, or a person that piques your interest, just hit the Follow button so that you can keep listening to their updates. LinkedIn also uses its own algorithm to share a Recommended for You feature.

Twitter

Create a Private List on Twitter for potential customers. The people on this list won’t know that you added them, but you can see what they’re tweeting. It’s a solid way to learn more about prospects while preventing information overload. Here are some things to look for in potential customers tweets:

What are they saying?
What are they feeling? (i.e., overwhelmed, confident)
How are they acting? (i.e., silly, happy, confused)
What are they eating? (No, seriously. What people eat says a lot about them).

Mining this data can help you use those same words and emotions to create content with the energy that speaks to these potential customers.

Instagram

Use hashtags to make you and your business more human. If you’re selling a product or service, you can take it a step further by doing keyword research to find the most popular Instagram hashtags around your product or service categories.

Despite their seeming overuse, hashtags are a powerful audience data point that can inform your Instagram strategy. If you think of a hashtag as a simple search tool, your strategy can be a success.

For example, if you run a creative digital agency, regularly follow the hashtag #creative or #creativity to find other businesses that are in the creative field or business owners who are trying to be creative (and may need your help). The hashtag is the entry point for the communication to happen. After you find Instagram pages for businesses that are into creativity, you can like their photos or leave a comment. This starts the conversation with potential customers in a fun (and #creative) way. I do this for my business and absolutely love connecting with other passionate business owners on Instagram. You can follow me on Instagram here.

Just make sure to use a targeted approach. You can take a look at the optimization section of the Google Analytics of Instagram, Iconosquare, to get an analysis of your posting history vs. engagement. This will tell you the best times to post so that you maximize engagement.

Step 3 (right and left brain): Focus on a holistic experience

Now it’s time to get creative on both sides of your brain. Combine what you learned in the first two steps to create a holistic experience driven by data.

For example, let’s say Google Analytics shows you that the article that gets the most reads on your blog is about visual content. You also see your customers tweeting about visual content regularly. I write more about the Importance of Visually Appealing to Your Customers the Getty images blog here.

You can now turn these insights into components of your content marketing strategy. For example, post more (or start an account) on a visual platform like Instagram where you strategically use hashtags. Consider publishing blog posts on visual content. Maybe commission some gated visual content while you’re at it.

Once you’ve got a list of possible content types, make sure that your objectives are aligned with meaningful experiences and outcomes correlated with your company brand voice.

Whether you’re right- or left-brained, you can translate your audience data into something that makes sense. When you entertain and inform your customers with content that has intent and purpose, you can then sharpen your strategy with data-backed insights.

Want more tips? You can purchase my book, Humanize Your Brand, on Amazon here.

Are you more of an audiobook listener? You can buy it out on Audible here.

This post originally appeared on the Content Marketing Institute.

July 24, 2015 0 comment

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