Remember how we used to say “I want to become a doctor when I grow up”? That’s in the past now. Now, the kids have explored their options. One of them is they want to become a digital content creator. To be honest, it’s way more achievable. I’m not saying it’s easy. These kids are still aiming for the stars. After all, nicely curate a piece of content can become viral and bring tons of traffic, thousands of followers, powerful recognition, or 5-star reviews. And let us not forget – Digital goodies everybody wants.
What is the Content Creator?
Before we jump into topics such as trends, strategies, niches, tools, and jobs, let us start with the basics. I’m talking “What on Earth is a content creator?” kind of basic.
You’ve probably heard about the content creator’s way too many times by now. Most probably, on Instagram. A lot of influencers describe themselves as content creators. Like to fashion influencers showing the latest collection of Dior, attending the high-end fashion shows and enjoying luxury life with perfect pouts. Like those digital nomads, you see travelling the world, taking astonishing pictures, drinking cocktails, and producing video content for thousands of followers. Livin’ the dream. La Vida Loca. Soñando con Los Ojos abiertos. Well, I hope you got my point.
To be more precise, a content creator is someone who creates content. It can be anything from copy to social media content to videos and nowadays the popular podcasts – you name it. Content creators can also be called influencers if they can manage to have a major impact on their audience through the medium.
Today, brands need content creators to attract new customers and engage existing ones on the brand’s behalf. Sometimes, content creators work on building their brand, hence all the travelling and delicious 9 AM Margaritas that we see on Instagram. Everyone’s selling something in their posts. To sell, you need attractive content that will attract followers. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Well, not really.
With the Strom of Digital Marketing, the content creators have a major influence on the mass. There is so much competition in the market that it is need of the hour to stand out. This is true for both Creators and Brands. Did you also chicken out because of the scary and uncertain world of being a digital content creation?
We understand– it’s pretty daunting to start doing something that you don’t know will be worth it in the end or not. But the truth is, with the right strategies and mindset, just about anyone can become a successful content creator. Content creators are typically interested in earning an edge on their competition.
Learn from the following tips that I use every time I write content for a client and suggest my fellow creators. Over time, you should build these tips into a routine that will accelerate your content creation processes, boost up your content cadence, and help you become one of the successful content creators. This is not just for the content creators but also for Brands to find suitable content Creators for their brands.
1. Find your niche & voice
Jack of all trades, master of none – this just doesn’t work in content creation. Here’s the deal that you can’t know everything about anything. The good news is that no one expects you to be an omniscient guru. You just need to figure out what ignites the fire in you when you work and what makes you lose track.
For example, the famous YouTuber, PewDiePie started his YouTube channel back in 2010, primarily posting Let’s Play videos of horror and action video games. Over time, his style of content diversified, but he started by creating content that he was genuinely interested in. And now the result is in front of us. He has more than 106 million subscribers now.
For some of you, this may be as clear as looking at your hobbies or interests. For others, it may be something you’ve studied or have experienced in via your job or life. Find the topics that you have experience and passion for. Excelling within content marketing niches can be accomplished in a lot of ways, and the tactics you use are highly customizable to your specific business and its competitors.
2. Pick the Right Platform
After you have an obvious idea of the kind of content you want to create, you’re going to have to pick a platform to share and promote it. Remember suggesting someone when they have a powerful voice to try for Radio. Same goes now for Content Creation. Choose the platform which enhances your Best. For example, if you want to share your photography with the world or the art that you create, you may want to go for Instagram, which is mostly a visual-based platform.
You can also start with one particular and then spread it across keeping one as the main.
For example – Logan Paul started his online career on Vine and transitioned onto YouTube in 2015. Paul is unique in that he has diversified across social media platforms relatively evenly, maintaining equally large audiences on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Whether through posts, Stories, or reels, top social media influencers create and share new and innovative content practically every moment.
3. Understand your Target Audience and Connect with them
“Put yourself in his or her shoes” is the aptest statement I’ve come across in Content Creation. You need to eat, sleep, and breathe as your best prospects would, understand their motivations, reporting relationships, social activities, and to name a few. That’s the only way to understand and address their needs with your content. Don’t make wild assumptions, or you’ll sound like everyone else in your industry. There will be no chance of standing out then.
Take the example of Zoe Sugg—aka Zoella. Her openness and honesty with her fans have arguably contributed too much of her success. Zoella also regularly discusses the issues around like anxiety and mental health in the context of her experiences across platforms.
4. Stay Current
One of the most essential aspects you must do to become a successful content creator is to stay current. You must have a sound knowledge of what’s happening currently in your industry, on your platforms – otherwise, this fast-paced digital world is going to leave you far behind!
Being very up to date with your content can truly help you grow and become a popular content creator, no matter what type of your content is.
Got a food blog? Go ahead and review the new restaurant near you.
Have some gifted vocals? Cover the latest and most popular songs on the charts.
Got makeup skills? Test out that newly launched eye shadow palette on your page and share reviews.
From writing to being a content creator for social media, no matter what type of a creator you are, it’s important to stay in touch with what’s happening in your industry currently and platform.
5. Create Content Regularly
Do you want to write the best converting articles? Well, Write some more. Wish you could take awe-inspiring photos? Put that camera to work. No one was born with outstanding video editing skills either. So practice, and create regularly.
Consistency is the key and no doors are to going open for you if you don’t knock every day. You can’t post once and come back after ages and expect the same feedback from your audience. There are a thousand more sitting like you in the market. You need to keep posting and more precisely posting regularly. Keep your blog/channel/page up to date with new content.
This will not only grow your audience but also give you more chances of getting sponsors and other opportunities to earn revenue. Moreover, posting at set intervals will give something to look forward to for your audience too.
A perfect example is of a famous beauty blogger, Huda Beauty. They post multiple useful blog posts like DIY, beauty hacks and makeup tutorials every single day. And yes, of course, gets a lot of engagement on them too.
On the other hand, posting regularly doesn’t mean you put out sub-standard content. If you don’t have an idea or not getting inspiration for a new post, take some more time to create and post one rather than posting low-quality content for the sake of doing it. One of the examples is of Shane Dawson. He went from making videos every single day to posting once every six months only. But his content is worth the wait for his audience, and that keeps it all going!
6. Do your Research and Analyse
Creating content requires both art and science. Of course, you need to know what type of content to create and how to make it resonate with readers.
Get to know your audience. What questions can you answer that people are looking for? What unique perspective can you add that hasn’t been shared yet? Reach out to your existing networks for their perspectives. In today’s marketing landscape, you also need to make it appealing to search engines.
After that comes the most important step – Analyze. Without it, you won’t know what you should be putting out there! Keep a close check on your Analytics account and use different tools from time to time for improvisation. Try to do more posts revolving around the genres that did well.
Apart from that, you can make a second part of the posts that performed well in the past. Or, you can create a series of posts revolving around the same topic to get the most out of it!
For instance, let’s say, you wrote about how to choose the right shade for your skin tone, and it was very popular amongst your subscribers. Your next post can be how the right shade can enhance your skin. Don’t forget to use similar or the same keywords as in the previous post.
Knowing the tremendous importance of good content, it’s hard not to be a little worried about creating it. When talking to clients new to the process, the best possible of advice I can give them is “think like a prospect.” Doing so puts you in the best position to create content that prospects are more than happy to exchange their contact information for. This is the key to a successfully engaging audience, converting them into leads and, ultimately, turning them into paying customers.
It gets easier, trust me. Once you’ve committed to becoming a content creator and put a process and plan in place, you’ll start to see the returns. Those returns and rewards are however different for each of us but as humans, we are wired for creativity and the benefits are plentiful. So what are you waiting for now – Go forth and create!
