How can I find time to create content for my data consultancy?
I got asked this question on a breakthrough call last night so thought it would be useful to share some insights after 15 years of creating content in the data management space.
Before we get into productivity ideas, let's first explore a common mistake many practitioners fall into - creating content before they've done the hard work of understanding their ideal consumer of the content.
Leave Data at the Door
First, when it comes to content, forget for a moment everything you know about data.
Instead, focus 100% on the pain and 'Aspirational Identity' of your Ideal Client Profile (ICP).
What keeps them up at night?
What is driving them crazy?
What do they need to solve?
What jobs do they need to get done?
What are they measured on?
What type of leader do they want to be?
What initiatives will define their success?
If you don't have an ICP figured out for your data firm then finding the time to create content will be the least of your problems, we should talk.
Many data firms are putting out content that alienates their ICP.
Just because you can write endless tomes on the latest technologies and methodologies rocking your data world, doesn't mean that ideal client of a CFO, VP of Ops or Global Head of HR is interested.
Start with the goal of your content, to educate, inspire, motivate and challenge.
You need to stop your ICP in their tracks and persuade them to listen.
The key to this of course is understanding what messages and content will resonate.
One of the reasons I offer free Breakthrough Calls is so I can understand the pain that specialist data consultancy and software business owners are going through, this helps me create better messaging and more targeted services.
Listening to my target audience helps me stay in tune with macro and micro changes in the sector so that I can adapt my marketing and messaging, in near real-time.
In addition to Breakthrough Calls, I routinly carry out detailed industry research so that I can observe any subtle shifts taking place in the way geographic, demographic, firmographic and psyochgrahic dimensions impact my audience.
If you want to rise to the top of your industry and deliver specialist services that clients crave, you need to understand your audience, better than your competitors,
For example, in a study of the data migration sector carried out for a client (Experian) we discovered a trend that enterprise organisations are now requesting that data migration service providers should provide follow-on data quality assurance, post-migration. It's insights like this that help you innovate and stay ahead of the pack.
So in, short, if you don't know your ICP, don't create content.
It's equivalent to fishing for the wrong fish, in the wrong pool, without any bait.
Once you've got an ICP, and you understand how their problems (pains) and goals (aspirational identity) align to your offering, then you can think about content strategy.
Make Your Client the Centre of Your Content Strategy
Many data consultants follow a predictable pattern when it comes to 'Insight Marketing':
Write about what they know on LinkedIn and their blog
Get bored with the results
Give up
By starting from a client-centric perspective, you're far more likely to observe traction.
This will help motivate you to keep going because this is not an overnight strategy.
Insight Marketing (a.ka. publishing blogs, posts, webinars and videos etc.) should form the backbone of your sales and marketing, until you sell the firm, or retire!
Assuming you've got a clearer picture of what content to create, you're then faced with the biggest challenge of all...
How to Create a Consistent Rhythm of Content Output
The Activity Log
If you can't create consistent content, you'll find it hard to build a following that can be developed over time into a dependable lead source for your data firm.
To crack the consistency problem, first start by creating a log of your typical week:
Where are the gaps that can be exploited for content creation?
What are the most creative times of the day for you? (e.g. Are you an early bird or night owl? Do you crash in the afternoon?
Where could you get creative and find times of the day that could be utilised for content ideation, research, development and promotion?
You may look at your weekly log of activities and come to the conclusion that you're screwed, it's just a sea of booked meetings and travel commitments to your roster of data management clients.
Everyone faces this. You need to get creative.
For example, for solo firms, I advise locking out one day a week for sales and marketing. Ensure this is maintained in any client contracts. Protect this time. It is your yours and non-negotiable.
Ideally, select the same day of the week and stick to it. Aside from getting into a routine with content creation, it makes it far easier to book long term client discovery sales calls, webinars and so on.
Automate, Delegate, Delete
Next, look at what tasks you do that can be deleted, automated or delegated - in that order of preference.
What non-critical tasks can you outsource to a virtual assistant or someone better suited?
Book-keeping? Housekeeping? Ironing!
To Create More Content, Gather More Ideas
Finally, use travel time and any snippets of free time to absorb new ideas and get insights flowing into the top of your 'content hopper'.
I've found that listening to podcasts and Audiobooks on 2x speed allows me to develop new insights and different perspectives that fuel fresh content at a much greater rate.
In addition, keep a store of the questions your current and past clients have asked you. Your responses can provide an endless source of fresh content ideas, and you know it's 'on-target' because it came from your ICP in the first place!
To Get Faster, You Need to Create Faster
Ultimately, you will get exponentially faster at creating content as you go through the pain barrier of creating content for the first time, and then repeating over and over again.
Let go of perfectionism and study what content resonates with your ICP. Then iterate on what works, and drop what doesn't.
For example, content that resonates with my audience (mostly boutique data consulting and software firms) tends to be short LinkedIn posts backed up with the occasional deeper article. That's enough right now to book sufficient clients into my pipeline and I can write these posts in under 30 minutes.
But the only way I got that process down to perfection, was repetition. The more you create, the faster you get.
As you grow, you can scale up content publishing, enabling more opportunities for connections, conversations, conversions and customers.
Another benefit of scaling up your content is that you can observe what problems people share, helping you to gather even more insights and ideas for resonant content.
For that reason, I've got webinar, video and podcast channels coming that draw on the feedback of audience interaction gathered from my posts and breakthrough calls.
The 'format, frequency and form' of the content required by your ideal client may be quite different of course, but the only way you'll know what truly resonates is through a consistent cycle of trial and error until you get it dialled in.
Everyone has the same 24 hours a day
If you want to start achieving the sales and marketing goals of your data firm, start looking at how you can re-design your week to ramp up the output of your expert insights.
There is a lot more to this topic that I'll cover in future posts but hopefully that has given you some practical steps to consider.
Finally, what approaches have you found for creating a more consistent content pipeline for your data business? Why not share in the comments below.
What next?
If you're struggling to piece together a system that works for creating consistent clients to your data consulting or software business, why not book a breakthrough call.
It's free, exclusive to the data sector, and focuses on helping you map out the gaps in your approach, and what you need to course correct for a successful 2020.
Reserve your free Breakthrough Call today (slots are limited):
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