Content creation, just as the name implies, involves creating various kinds of content in form of text as in newsletters or blogs, videos, images, or audios as in podcasts. The possible goals of content creation are many, it could be to inform, educate, entertain etc. As a content creator, you might decide to do it part-time, just for the fun of it, or you might be a full-time content creator aiming to earn from it.
Everything around you can be made into content. For example, on Allcreate you can find users that enjoy making lifestyle videos, tutorials in their area of expertise, dancers showcasing their talents and so on. This is to show you that nothing is too little or too big to be made into content. If you decide to take content creation seriously, you could be earning enough to leave that 9-5 job and stick to what you love and are able to do effortlessly, which is being creative.
Many people start content creation on the wrong foot and end up stopping halfway. Usually, when you want to start a career or set yourself on a new path, you need to be well-informed so as to equip yourself for the journey ahead. That’s why we have decided to show you 5 keys that are important to start content creation and develop yourself in it successfully.
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5 KEYS TO CONTENT CREATION IN 2022:
1. BE CONSISTENT
This means, not cultivating the habit of making your followers wait an eternity long before you give them content. It’s not a bad idea to make them anticipate your next post, but don’t overdo it. Consistently putting your content in their faces makes you stick in their memory. However, you don’t want to have an ”out of sight, out of mind“ case, where your followers are over-saturated with your content.
On Youtube, there are 720,000 hours of video content posted daily, you need to work to stay in the conversation. If your newsletter drops in their mailboxes biweekly, make sure to keep it up. Once you flutter, you can make a brief explanation as to why there was a delay. Communicate with your audience in the best way possible to keep them abreast of whatever you might be going through. It makes them feel like they’re an important part of your life and that you do not take them for granted.
If you’ve been able to successfully pick a niche for yourself, you shouldn’t have a problem with consistency. It might be hard to keep up, especially if you’re not a full-time content creator. However, let your audience be the right motivation for you to stay consistent. If your content is top-notch, you’ll get all the encouragement you need from your followers.
2. UNDERSTAND YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Your content serves as a connection between you and your audience. If the kind of content you put out doesn’t connect with your audience, you might not get the results you want. You have to understand your ideal target audience by finding out what platforms they use the most, what kind of content gets their best reaction etc. You can do this by carrying out user research just to build an ideal user persona that represents the majority of your target audience, or you can follow competitor brands to see what they are doing. A lot of brands use the latter option, and it’s not a crime if you gain insight into what your competitors do to make their followers connect with them.
Knowledge about the platforms used by your target audience and competitors will also go a long way in understanding your followers. If the majority of your target audience uses platforms like Allcreate or Snapchat to watch videos from their favourite content creators, it won’t be ideal for you to use other platforms, because you might not get the expected results. It is wiser to navigate your content to platforms where you have the majority of people interested in your content.
3. IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS ON A DAILY
How can you serve your audience if you don’t improve on the skills you have? The world is evolving in terms of technology, ideas, etc. and if you’re not ready to join the train, you’d be left behind.
Have you ever wondered why there is no skill without a course, guideline, or training? It just goes to show that you have to grow and improve your skills in order to retain your audience. If you have knowledge about just one type of dance that you consistently use in your video content, there will come a time when your audience wants more from you. They’d get tired of the same, old, boring routine. Why don’t you take dance lessons, go to a dancing academy, watch youtube videos or learn from your competitors? In no time, you’d learn various dance moves that will entertain your audience and eventually retain them for the longest time.
One of the advantages of improving your skills as a full-time content creator is that you can decide to start monetizing your skills with the promise of providing your audience more value than when it was free. For example, you can create exclusive content from the skills you’ve gained and make it available to only those who pay for it. Many content creation platforms allow people to subscribe to exclusive content from you.
4. FIND YOUR BRAND VOICE/PERSONALITY
If you want to be very honest with yourself, you’d agree that you’re not the only person in your industry that has chosen to focus on the same niche you’re creating content for. There are a lot of people that are creating content on the same topics, promoting it on the same platforms and basically doing it in the same form that you are. If you want to stand out, you need to create a brand voice for yourself.
A brand voice/personality sets you apart from your competitors, as it’s one of the major ways to keep your audience glued to your content. When people watch, read or listen to your content, they most likely have come across similar content before but your presentation and personality retains them. They’re not only there for your content, they want to feel like they have a personal contact with whoever is the content creator. They want to attribute a particular personality to your brand.
There are a lot of brands like HP, Coca-Cola, and Nike who have successfully differentiated themselves from their competitor brands because of their content and how they project their brand personality. As a content creator, you can also have a brand voice by having something very unique to your content. The way you make your videos, and the way you write your newsletters can have a special tone that only your audience identifies you with. Every content creator needs to have a brand identity because, as mentioned earlier, it helps you connect with your audience on a deeper level anywhere — on a streaming platform like Allcreate or an article based content platform like Medium.
NETWORKING
“No man is an island”, you’ve heard this saying many times but how many times have you applied it in your content creation journey? If you think you can go solo as a content creator, you’ve got it all wrong. Creating content most of the time might require you to start connecting with those in your industry. You need to reach out to people in your field, make research on the leading creators that have gained insight into your area of expertise and then start threading their path. It’s not to say that you should connect with every Tom, Dick and Harry. Make useful connections that can move you closer to your content creation goal instead. There are many scenarios online in which networking literally helped change people’s lives.
Make friends with your colleagues and offer to make collaborative content. By collaborating, you’d be gaining the audience of your collaborator and vice versa. It’s safe to say that online platforms aren’t the only ways to connect or network with people. There might be parties, live events or hangouts organized to foster a good relationship amongst content creators like yourself. If it’s convenient and you’re ready to invest your time, you can attend such events and make friends.
You might never know which connection would create an opportunity for you in content creation. Especially if you’re a start-up, you need to make yourself accessible and open to building new relationships. This will make you grow quickly in your content creation journey.
IN A NUTSHELL…
These tips will assist you in gaining ground in content creation. If you’re not sure about where to start as a video content creator, at Allcreate, we are dedicated to help set you on the right path. We help content creators showcase and monetize their talents to be at the top of their game. If you have passion, it’s not enough. You need to consistently connect with your audience and not just any, but your ideal target audience, creating a supportive community. With improved skills, meaningful relationships and a unique brand personality, you will, in no time, make headway as a successful content creator.
