February 17, 2016 Guest Post: 5 Basics for Fresh Content
This guest blog post comes from Kate Leibfried, president of Click Clack Writing. Click Clack is comprised of a team of writers and editors who create quality content for businesses. Enjoy! –Margaret
Feel like your content is stale? Having trouble keeping your website or social media up-to-date? Here are 5 handy tips that will boost you above the competition:
1. Develop a schedule
Okay, okay. This sounds totally boring and tedious, but it is THE number one thing you can do when it comes to creating fresh content. Set aside a chunk of time every day (whether it’s a half hour in the morning, a few minutes during lunch, or whatever) and dedicate that time to freshening up your content. Surf the web, create a list of handy articles you find, and post them to your website or social media platforms. Try to dedicate at least one day per week to creating your own content in the form of a blog post or newsletter.
Look to steps 2-5 for great content creation shortcuts.
2. Subscribe to Google Alerts
Get daily (or weekly) alerts delivered to your inbox about the subjects that matter most to YOU. Do you care about fashion, photography, ice skating? Does your business revolve around career coaching? Diversity training? Security systems? Subscribe to Google Alerts and find interesting new content to share with your audience.
Alternatively, use your favorite RSS feed reader to get updates from your favorite websites.
3. Cross-Pollinate
If you’re attempting to keep up your website, multiple social media platforms, and a blog, it can all feel a little overwhelming at times. That’s where cross-pollination comes into play. You can link many of your platforms together so that your content is disseminated across multiple areas. For instance, you can schedule an automatic tweet/Facebook post/LinkedIn update when you publish a blog post. You can also put a Twitter or Facebook feed on your website so that any site visitors can easily see your recent activity (and the website will always seem fresh). You can link your Instagram account to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. so that your snazzy photo will be shared across all your social platforms.
With cross-pollination, you can ease the burden of trying to be everywhere at once. Focus on what you love and let your content spread through your linked accounts.
4. Post Evergreen Content
What is evergreen content? That’s the stuff that stays fresh and relevant, no matter the original posting date. Maybe you’re a construction company and you’ve written a blog post about winterizing your home–that’s evergreen. It will be relevant year after year for homeowners.
Take advantage of that longevity. Feel free to repost evergreen items every once in a while to your audience.
What’s NOT evergreen? Promotions, holiday greetings, event reminders…anything that will become irrelevant after a given time period.
5. Don’t Get Hung Up on #Trends
It can feel like a social media rat race when you try to tweet or post about whatever topic is trending at the moment. Unless you love being on the daily pulse (or truly have something to say about a hot issue), don’t work yourself into a frenzy trying to keep up with the latest trending topic. Instead, focus on your business and your personal area of expertise. Concentrate on what’s relevant in your industry and what will REMAIN relevant to your audience in the foreseeable future.
Keep in mind: your contention creation is NOT about you. It’s about your audience. Do them a service by relaying quality advice, tips, or professional opinions. Give them information that they can use. Make yourself (and your company) a value resource to them, and they’ll keep coming back.
BONUS TIP: Hire Help
If you’re up to your ears with work, don’t be afraid to hire help. While we encourage you to at least attempt to create your own content for a while (this helps you develop a genuine voice and build an understanding of your audience), we understand that not everyone has the time or inclination. Hire an expert (or several) to either get you going or maintain the content creation work that you’ve already started. Companies like Click Clack Writing specialize in content creation for businesses. Other companies like Tena.cious specialize in social media marketing and can help set you up with a comprehensive social media strategy. Whatever your needs may be, there are companies out there that can help. By hiring outside help, you can get back to the work you really love.
Good luck with creating fresh, interesting content! If you need further help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us today.
–Kate & the Click Clack Team
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM
Tags: basic content creation, Click Clack Writing, create fresh content, evergreen content, guest blog post, improve contention creation, small business content creation
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- Posted under Better Business, Guest post, Social Media
February 10, 2016 Go Ahead! Apply for a Position that Doesn’t Exist
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Have you ever considered sending your resume to a company that wasn’t hiring? Or applying for a position that didn’t have any current openings? It may sound crazy, or even like a waste of time, but applying for your dream position—whether it exists or not—shows courage that other job-seekers don’t have. When taking the initiative to send an unsolicited resume, you convey the message that you’re not just looking for a job and a paycheck, but rather a career with a company that excites and interests you. If you take this plunge, here are a few things to know…
Use the Element of Surprise to Your Advantage
Your email to the company’s HR department or recruiter should explain why you’re contacting them, what you know about the company, and how you would fit into their current operation. Research the company and learn about their strengths and potential challenges they face. Show them how your skills and experience could remedy, or even prevent, future issues. For those reviewing resumes, seeing something like this can be a refreshing and welcomed surprise, and that can create a lasting impression.
Don’t Hold Your Breath, But Do Cross Your Fingers
When you invest your time and energy into submitting an unsolicited resume, know that you may not receive a response right away, if at all. Don’t take it personally. If the company has current job openings that you aren’t applying for, recruiters or hiring committees must fill those positions first. Follow up a few weeks later, but don’t be too discouraged if nothing comes of it.
When you submit your resume, send it to a real person, not just the generic catch-all email for the company. Don’t be afraid to drop off or mail a copy of your resume, too. Call their office to follow up. Since it’s so easy to email your resume without much thought, you can distinguish yourself by putting your face or voice to the name they see.
Think of This as an Investment in Your Future
When a job opening does occur, that recruiter may have a spark of recognition when they see your name among the other applicants. Better yet, he or she may contact you to let you know that a position is opening up. Perhaps you may be considered to take on some freelance work or they may contact you down the line for a job your talents are more aligned with.
In the end, putting your name out there and trying to make new connections is not going to hurt.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM
Tags: apply for job that doesn't exist, apply for nonexistent position, career coach Margaret Smith, connect with HR, contact HR, Minneapolis career coach, risk taking in the job hunt, send in your resume
February 3, 2016 Forgiveness Helps Us Grow
Fist image (without text) courtesy of Teerapun at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Every day we are given opportunities to forgive. Whether we’re faced with a driver that cuts us off on the freeway, a rude comment from a coworker, or our own lack of preparation for a work presentation, it is often best to let go and learn from our experiences.
It’s tempting to hold onto anger and sadness as protection—to make sure we never feel a certain way again, or to hold as collateral for an apology. But like the analogy of holding a hot coal with the intention of throwing it, we only hurt ourselves when holding onto these negative feelings.
Forgiveness is not forgetting. Practicing forgiveness does not mean you’re a pushover, and it doesn’t mean you accept negative behavior in others. There is a difference between forgiving someone, and opening yourself up to the same hurt in the future.
We can all hope that offenders realize their mistake and feel remorse, but this isn’t always the case. Some people may never apologize, and we’re left harboring ill-will. Forgiveness is for your well being.
Imagine this scenario:
You’re at the office. It’s a busy time of year, and your schedule is packed, but you decide to cut your lunch break short so you can meet with a new client for the first time. You finish your lunch and do some busywork while waiting for her to arrive. Forty-five minutes pass, and you finally see her pull into the parking lot. Right now your breathing is shallow, your fists are clenched and sweaty, your posture is hunched, and you’re angry—angry at her for not respecting your time, angry at yourself for scheduling too much in one day, and suddenly angry at your co-workers for not taking more meetings so you wouldn’t have to. This client may or may not apologize upon entering the room, but you can still practice forgiveness in order to take away a lesson from this experience, while releasing tension and stress.
Forgiveness requires intention and practice, but by lowering stress you are also lowering your chances of a high heart rate, high blood pressure, body aches, depression, and fatigue.
And don’t forget: mistakes are what make us human. Mistakes help us improve: our products, our processes, and our attitudes. Without forgiveness we would still be holding onto hurts from long ago—forgiveness helps us grow.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM
Tags: advice from a career coach, career coach Margaret Smith, forgive for your health, forgiveness and a hot coal, forgiveness and growth, forgiveness at work, practice forgiveness
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- Posted under Advice from a Life Coach, Changing Your Life, Thrive at Work
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