It's not just content, it's your legacy
When you post content online, you’re doing much more than just going through the motions…
You’re sharing valuable, intellectual property that will long outlast your days on this Planet…
…so, make it count!
When I worked in the television production business, all I cared about was getting the work done that lie ahead of me for that day, producing it well, and get my ass out the door to head home.
I never thought about the impact of what I was creating, or how it reflected on my time spent on this Earth. It’s not that I didn’t respect or appreciate what I was doing - far from that - but, I simply framed my time working in TV as creating “mind candy” for people - a short and sweet burst of entertainment that had a very short, shelf life.
All that changed the moment I committed to serving speakers, authors and coaches.
I was introduced to a world of people who not only serve others by helping them get past the hurdles holding them back in their businesses and lives, but also, they created a long-lasting, body of valuable work that lives on social media and blogs in perpetuity.
Think about all of the books written by the thought leaders and change agents of the past that contribute to your specific thought leadership today.
It’s a long ass list, isn’t it?
This “Oooooh Shit!” moment, if you will, was an absolute game-changer for me, and, it completely re-shaped my approach to creating content for my audience.
For the first few years running my business, I created content just to check the boxes and get it done. I posted randomly, inconsistently, and without much purpose beyond saying I did something on social.
I now take a much more serious and focused approach to it because the people who read it rely on it.
For me, it’s not just about executing a marketing strategy - I mean, don’t get me wrong, there is a marketing strategy in play here, and ultimately, the goal is to create visibility to book more clients - but, it’s also about the body of work that I’m leaving behind that represents what I did with the professional side of my life.
When I approach my content with this mindset, I find that my sense of purpose is significantly strengthened, and, as a result, the content is more targeted to the specific types of pain that my clients have regarding image content and their challenges with being in front of a camera.
In addition, I also find myself bitching and moaning less about the amount of content that I create because I’ve placed a higher level of expectation and importance on what I’m sharing with the world.
By placing that higher level of context on what I’m producing, that ultimately elevates the level of the work and the insights shared within it. It also motivates me to constantly revisit the work I’ve already created and build upon that in a valuable and memorable way.
When you serve growth minded individuals who have dedicated their businesses to serving others, that’s the level required to keep up with them.
And when you take into account the fact that this body of work has the potential to inspire others for generations down the line, that raises the bar even higher, which, I’ve found to be an amazing motivator to get off my ass and keep creating work that will serve as a stepping stone for someone to truly leverage their image content in a way that will move the needle for those they serve.
Is this approach adding a bit of pressure to those posts that you write and share with your audience?
Hell yeah it is.
But, it’s an amazing type of mindset that forces you to think and create on a level that you didn’t even know you had in you. Last time I checked, there is nothing wrong with forcing yourself to step up your game, :)
At least, that’s been the case for me, and for some of my colleagues that I’ve discussed this topic with at length.
Regardless of the various spaces in which we work, the consensus among each of us is that the juice is more than worth the squeeze in this case.
Keep that in mind the next time you start to moan and groan about sitting down to create your social media and blog content - hopefully it provides you a jolt of motivation in the same way it does for me and my colleagues, :)
PS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you, because I care, :)