ADVICE
Thinking Like Content Marketers is What Majority of The Writer’s Miss Out
Repeating the mistakes can be unaffordable unless going penniless is not a concern.
Sometimes the most simplistic changes in our approach can bring a significant shift in the outcome. That is also the case applicable with writing content online nowadays. Most of the time, writers keep producing countless content and leave the article’s fate to the heavenly. Instead of sowing the seeds of efforts, the article remains left in the hands of destiny.
Throughout my writing journey and experimenting with different ideas, I observed people being part of the race to produce endless content and hit the viral section. Favoring it is the marketing gurus who propose that producing articles in large quantities will get you through the writing journey. Simply put, quantity is the key. Though, to some extent, it’s true but not entirely.
I am not here to introduce you to a fascinating shortcut or one-hit-wonder that will quickly help you get through the initial writing journey. But yes, certain practices that I adhere to can also benefit you get the paid work and indirectly assist in building your brand value. To advance, one should understand why a Content Writer should develop a mindset complementary to content marketers.
Being visionary aids in the dynamic environment.
We all have visions for the goals aspired. The idea we seek helps in the pursuit of championing our dreams. Besides the great existing careers, the writing stream characterizes with its own set of hurdles. Adapting to a visionary mindset can help overcome the turbulent challenges.
Content marketers are visionary. Besides being artistic, content marketers follow strategic methods that are distinctly marketing-focused. Their analytical approach towards goal attainment helps grabs the audience’s attention, generates leads, builds brand trust, and primarily focuses on consumer needs. In return, the consumers become like the loyal family members that keep supporting throughout. And this strategic mindset can benefit writers to a great extent.
As an academic Engineer, presently a civil service aspirant who also loves to pen down her thoughts, I barely knew about content marketing when I delved into the writing stream. I wrote topics as I desired, not giving a thought about the end-results. I believed in only writing from the heart and publish it at the very moment. I was quite unaware of the marketing mechanism, like presenting content in various formats that cater to the audience’s need. Simultaneously that can benefit the writer as well. The sheer negligence is why we can find that much good writing is unable to climb the success rope.
Although my writings can touch a vast sea of topics, marketing seemed entirely unknown. Perhaps marketing kinds of stuff didn’t remain my prime concern. Nor was I interested in exploring the link of the subject with online writing. Modern times voice their demands on professional fronts compared to previous decades, where the digital presence for goal achievement was inexistent. Neither was mandatory.
While I had my visions promptly set to walk through the writing path, I, however, gasped for breath in the middle of the process. Unaware of how things work in the online writing culture, the ideas didn’t fall in place as I had envisioned them to be. At this sad moment, my younger brother, who is in the digital marketing stream, came as a guide. He helped me understand the marketing basics that, in the present times, add to unlocking the door for writing success.
No doubt that our creative muscles help in interpreting similar concepts differently and present them uniquely. Being visionary and understanding what works and what would go against the needs of the reader's aids in the proper implementation of the creative stuff.
When we present contents online, our ultimate aim is to make our viewers feel satiated. Be that video, audio, or in writing. Through my initial few experiences, I have learned that as a writer, one should periodically think about the newness or uniqueness they can deliver through their content and tailor it smartly as per the audience’s needs.
Cross-promoting the content on various platforms.
It’s hard to find anyone who is not present on social media platforms in the digital age. I, however, came under the exception column. Only during late 2019, Medium, my first ever social media debut, happened to me. Writing on this platform was sheerly recommended by my brother because of its exposure to creating and learning something new every day. He pushed me to go beyond my diary writings and share the creatives with the world.
At the start, I wrestled with him and was quite adamant not to address the world through a social media lens. Though we are social creatures, social media, however, was never my cup of coffee. Also, the nature of my competitive exams demanded me to shut down the online doors. But the modern-day writings are left with no option, unlike the Shakespearean days. Writing exists, but presently, it has transformed from press to digital.
Medium signed in. It was okay until here, as I just wanted my thoughts to get their voice. But soon after, Instagram, Twitter, Quora, and many more in late 2020 followed. These events felt like sudden volcanic eruptions in my life. It made my heart heavy. My life remained constantly churned between the doors of my upcoming examinations, writing articles and poetry, and promoting the content.
Managing multiple things right from the competitive exams to writings felt quite difficult. Multi-tasking along with a high success rate is a road that’s challenging but not impossible. Right now, faith and confidence embrace me and leaves me motivated.
Moreover, it’s like the more you write, the more you feel that responsibilities have doubled. But that’s how life in the real world travels; we need to balance every sphere of life. Continue. Explore. While writing online, my brother introduced me to the concept of cross-promoting strategies that writing requires.
Why tailor your content everywhere?
- It brings about global exposure.
- It gives life to your content by adding on to the views.
- Establishing connections becomes extensively accessible.
- The door to multiple opportunities opens.
- One can measure the content likeness by their audience.
The only difference between content writers and content marketers is that content marketers are strategic while promoting their content on every platform. It is an essential strategy that’s dropped down or often overlooked by many writers, including myself.
However, promoting your content doesn’t mean spamming similar content everywhere. The reason? Because every platform comes with its specific format, like sharing poetry on Instagram through graphics gives more visibility instead of simply pasting the text in the captions.
Similarly, platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc., have different attention spans and likeness for the type of content their audience consumes. Although most audiences vary on every platform, however, they majorly have interests that are quite alike.
For instance, a Medium article on personal growth can be promoted as a short thread on Twitter, presented as short videos on Tik Tok, and Instagram likewise goes with other platforms. Your content remains the same, but the way of displaying it differs. Tailor your content accordingly. When you value your audience, then you gain their trust.
Cross-promoting has graced a few of my articles with great views, shares, and appreciation emails. Though the articles didn’t back me with dividends, they did land me with good opportunities. With that, the appreciation and views leave me motivated to excel further.
Being Writers, we slip away from thinking like marketers. Be it any platform; personal branding requires polishing the hard work into smart work with dedicated hours of consistency. Making money initially through writing and maintaining the continuum of money flow is hard-hitting. One never knows how things may turn out as some people taste early success while the lane is curvy for others.
I feel blessed that my writings on Medium have fetched me good opportunities in the form of services. Sequentially, a personal brand remains the next step for every writer who dreams of one. Although my personal publication, “Ideological Being,” started only a month ago and barely has any followers, almost all the articles remain curated. As such, my eternal purpose of providing unique values indirectly gains momentum.
Though it doesn’t fetch me many views on Medium, promoting it on various platforms graced my publication with increased views and reading time. It adds to the absolute joy where the happiness of the readers leaves a writer feel content.
Despite all, I don’t know what will be my fate as a writer, but in the process, I keep learning, collect the insightful pebbles, and remain hopeful that my efforts might count. But I am not rigidly attached to the end-goals. It’s living in the journey that leaves me smiling. For eternally this was my primary purpose behind writing — to give my thoughts their voice. Meanwhile, I also learned that as a Writer, if we bring a slight shift in thought process like a marketer then it can bring incredible changes.
