Friends, I think we all can feel the struggle and frustration towards content creation am I right? Not only do we want to create content that truly resonates with our people online, but we also have this pressure to create content regularly for so many different platforms. And nothing is more frustrating than spending so much time and energy crafting heartfelt content to serve your audience well, and then having it fall flat! So today, I want to talk through my #1 go-to step to creating content that resonates with your ideal client every single time.

It can be so hard to stay on top of all we need to create to propel our business forward. But I know for many of us, it’s simply knowing what kind of content to share. I mean, we are constantly creating for Instagram, our blogs, Pinterest, newsletters and so much more. You name it and there is a space out there online where we are striving to be seen and heard by our ideal client. And if you are in a current season of your biz where finding your ideal client feels like a unicorn, you can read my four steps on how to find your ideal client online.

My #1 step for getting my content out to the people who need to see it the most is actually pretty simple. So simple, it might not have ever crossed your mind. Or it’ll make you feel like, I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that before! So let’s get your content in front of the people who matter most while propelling your business forward through content marketing, shall we?

MY #1 STEP TO CONTENT CREATION

If you are struggling to figure out how to create content that really speaks to your audience, then I want you to take one step back. Don’t overthink it.

And simply ask your clients what they want from you.

I know, this one can seem very simple, but I promise if you open yourself up to ask your clients what they want to see from you they will be more than happy to share. Asking your audience what they want more of from you can take a few different forms:

THROUGH A PERSONAL EMAIL

First, I think reaching out to ideal clients who you currently work with or have worked with in the past is an amazing way to gain feedback on what they need to see from you during their current season of business. If you have a great relationship with them, asking something like, “Hey, I’m trying to create content that truly speaks to you right now in your season of business. What do you need to see more of from me?”

This should be through a very personal email and is a fantastic opportunity to show up in their inbox and connect with your audience in that way.

THROUGH A SURVEY

Maybe, you are just getting started in your business and aren’t necessarily working with an ideal client at this time or you aren’t comfortable asking your past clients what they need more from you through a personal email. Maybe even, you want to ask more people you consider to be your ideal client and get more insight. That’s when a survey is my go-to solution!

The purpose of a survey is to ask open-ended questions to get your ideal clients to communicate what kind of content they want to see from you. It should be a super quick survey that encourages them to share any and all feedback they have for you. There are a handful of questions you can ask to get to the heart of what your clients need and how you can help them through this journey.

One way I love to do this is to create a quick, fun and easy-to-follow survey in a tool like Google Forms, and then create a shareable link I can add to my Instagram Bio, share in my Instagram stories with the swipe up feature, or email out to people who are part of my list. This is a great way to get inside the heads of your audience to see if you can meet their needs.

PROVIDE AN INCENTIVE

If you are concerned that people will not be interested in taking your survey, then think of something you can offer that would inspire them to participate. Maybe you can offer a free gift or a discount to a service or product you offer to a randomly chosen survey participate. If this is something you offer, then you will want to make sure you include a field in your survey where they put their email address. I would also be sure to let them know that by providing their email address, it’s simply for the prize drawing and that you won’t be sharing it with a third party or adding their name to your email list without their consent. (That would be against the law, but that’s a topic for a different day!)

CONTENT CREATION THAT RESONATES

So if you want to take this idea of creating a survey and asking your audience what they want to see more of from you, but aren’t quite sure where to start, let’s take the guesswork out of things! I’ve whipped together a free guide that walks you through the exact questions I use on my own content surveys so you can immediately implement this approach and begin seeing results today!

You can snag the very same questions I ask my audience on a regular basis to get the heart of what kind of content they want to see from me below:

STAY TRUE TO YOU

Just because people are asking you to create content, doesn’t mean you have to use it or create it.

For example, when I survey my audience, sometimes I get requests for more lifestyle or business content that don’t pertain to the work that I do. Although I appreciate the input and I honor those opinions, just because your audience asks for a certain thing doesn’t mean you need to provide that. I truly do love peppering in more personal and lifestyle posts on the blog or social media. But first and foremost, I am a business and this is my livelihood. It’s my ability to serve and show up well for my clients that pays the mortgage and provides for my family.

While creating lifestyle content is fun and pretty, it’s not necessarily propelling my business forward. I by no means am a fashion or makeup blogger so if I start to dive into that content more it’s ultimately not serving my audience, my business or my family in the best way. Where I excel the most is in areas of branding and strategy of growing a business.

So I want to encourage you sweet friend, that if you get requests from your audience that don’t align with the heart of your life’s work, then it’s absolutely okay for you to thank your audience for their kind feedback, but don’t spend time creating that content. The last thing I want to see you do is taking these survey questions, sending them out to your people, and then writing content to every request you receive.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

Don’t get pulled into so many directions because you are opening up feedback for your business to outside voices. The purpose of a survey like this is to attempt to serve your audience better by asking what they need from you as an effort to meet them right where they are.

Often times, I will receive feedback that doesn’t necessarily answer the question I asked. My audience may share more about who they are, what they love about my brand and give hints to some key pain points they are wrestling with. This is so valuable as it opens my eyes to areas where I can create content and resources that can meet them right where they are, even if they didn’t necessarily come right out and suggest it.

When going through your survey feedback, there is a ton of opportunity to dig a little deeper, read between the lines, and gain a deeper understanding to where your ideal clients are in their journey.

Sweet friend, I hope this was helpful and gives you an idea of how you can reverse engineer to create content that resonates with your audience every single time and enables you to serve them better in the long run. Now, go get your hands on my content survey guide so you can start creating content that your audience wants and needs today!