My secret to content creation

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Hello and good afternoon. I'm Katie McManus, business strategist and money mindset coach, coming to you live on the Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and on Instagram over here on my phone. So if you see me bounce bouncing back and forth, that's just what I'm doing. Looking at both places. A little housekeeping before we dive into today's topic, which is all about how I source content. Ideas from all over. Really excited to share this with you. Hello, thoughtful wardrobe. Welcome. I always wish I like Instagram would actually show you the person's name instead of just their username. Anyway, just a little housekeeping. Sometimes not all the comments show up when on the Streamyard interface. So if you're commenting From Facebook or LinkedIn, YouTube or Twitter, depending on your privacy settings, I've just learned this. I may or may not see your comments, so I don't want anyone thinking I'm ignoring them. I love these to be interactive. Hi. And also, you know, if I can't see your comment, I can't read it and I can't interact with it. So don't take it personally if I don't shout you out. And if there's anything that. Hello, the Liz Hamlet. Welcome. If there's any questions you have that like I'm not answering because I'm not seeing your comment, then just DM me and I will occasionally bounce into LinkedIn and see if I'm getting questions. Anyway, so I'm talking today about how to create content ideas or how to source them from absolutely anything. And I want to share. You know, when I started using social media to market my business, it was right after the pandemic had hit. I feel like a lot of us extroverts had to do this. We had to pivot from meeting people in person in real. The real world to meeting people online. And for people who are constantly reading the room, constantly reading energy, especially if you have like ADHD and you tend to mirror, it's really hard. Hi, Jason. It's really hard to come up with ideas because you're not able to see. See people's reactions as you throw it out right in a conversation. Like I can throw out, like, hey, you know, I went fishing once and I can like gauge your expression and see if you're at all interested. And then I can either continue with that, that conversation or not right Social media, you have to do it blind. You really do. And it's nerve wracking the first, you know, few months that you're doing it because a, you know, you're concerned with it working. You're concerned with there being return on investment for the time and effort you're putting in. And usually you don't start getting clients until a few months in. Right. It is a long game. All right? You are building relationships with people who are literally like, their only experience of you is through this social media platform. It's going to take them some time to build up that trust and to get to know you. In addition to that, you know, you're constantly concerned with finding the right thing to talk about, which, I mean, like, your brain can very easily convince you that there's like wrong stuff and correct stuff. And like, how are you supposed to determine what's the correct stuff to post about? I want to remind you of the, the Seth Godin belief that like, you, for you to get better at anything, you just have to create it and you have to put it out there. You have to create it and you have to put it out there. You have to create it and put it out there. There's no, like, creating it and then agonizing over it and like worrying about it and then fixing it and then like having people check it. Like, is it good enough? No, just create it and put it out there. Okay. People will either like it and comment on it and become your clients based on it or they won't do anything. Right? Marketing always works, right? So if it works to get you clients, great. If it works and you don't get, I mean, if it doesn't get any reaction, great, then that's, that's a sign that that's not what you should be posting in the future. It's all trial and error. All right? So getting over that for myself. Oh, no, my stream isn't showing up on LinkedIn. Okay, I'm gonna remove it. It's not going to be on LinkedIn anyway. Getting over that for myself, you know, it was a practice. It really was. And I was really, really fortunate that, like, I didn't have kids, like, honestly. And I didn't have really any other responsibilities except for running my business at that time. So I, I say that because I don't want anyone thinking, oh my God, like, how am I supposed to fit that much time of trial and error into my day when I'm not sure it's going to pay off? Like, deep breath, deep breath. Like do this within the confines of your life. Spray and pray. My content strategy. Right on, Jason. Your. Your content is pretty good these days, I have to say. I've been keeping an eye. Anyway, there are a few things, and then of course, there's coming up with ideas, right? Like sitting at your desk and staring at a blank screen, a blank piece of paper, and thinking, like, what the am I supposed to post today? I don't know. Like, that can be super intimidating. I mean, even professional writers struggle with that when they're writing a novel or they're. They're in the middle of a novel. Like, they have to start the next chap and they just do. They can't get through it. So I just want you. I say this because I want to normalize. It's hard. It's something that a lot of people struggle with. Even the pros struggle with that blank, that blank page. Today I'm going to show you, like, my three ways that I source content ideas from all around me, and I share these with you so that, like, you can start seeing the world through this lens. There are things that I'm going to be pointing to that you probably haven't done in your business, like market research, interviews. And if you haven't done that and you feel like you need to do that, then of course, like, I want you to DM me because it's part of what I do with all my clients in my programs. And if you need guidance on it, I'd rather you do it the right way or the way that's going to actually get you useful information than to just trial and error it. Because that's a lot of time and effort to put into something that might not work. I have a start. Stop, technique. Post a lot for a while and then silence. Yeah. You know, a lot of people do. Thank you for sharing. Sharing that. You know, I want to think of it this way. You know, there's like the artist boom and bust cycle, right? So like an artist, like, they'll be broke and they're like, shit, I have to create art. I have to come up with all these pieces and then they. They create, create, create. And then they have all this art and they're still broke, so they have to go out and sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. And they're so busy selling that they're not creating. And then all of a sudden they're out of pieces, but they have a lot of money. And then they have to go back into their studio for a long time and create, create, create. But then they're broke again, right? There's. There's just never that constant. So. So if you're. You find that you're getting stuck into, you're stuck into that start and stop technique where you do it for consistency for a little bit and then die off. Then I actually want you. If you're in those, like, start times where you're creating consistently high rest and relax Boston, I actually want you posting one day and then creating something for your archive the next day, and then posting the next day and then creating something for your archive the next day. So that way, in those times where you're too busy to create content, you have a bank of content that you can just schedule and you can just have that go live. Um, I would rather you do that than to go completely radio silent, because here's the thing. Like, you don't have a marketing problem as a small business owner. You have a memorability problem. All right? You need to make sure that the people in your world remember that you exist, right? Like. Like, that is the bare minimum of. Of getting hired. They have to know that you exist in order to eventually, someday give you money and hire you for your. For your services. If you disappear for a while, they might forget. And then when you pop up again, it's gonna, like, start the whole process all over again. So. I lived in San Francisco for a long time. Let me tell you, dating, especially if you're dating, like, straight men in San Francisco, is miserable. And, like, I remember dating this one guy, and I forget his name. Like, this should tell you something. I don't even remember his name. We dated for, like, six months, but we saw each other, like, once a month. And I remember, like, four months in, I was like, you know, I know you travel a lot and all this stuff, but, like, if we're going to consistently, like, keep hanging out, it has to happen more often. Like, the cadence has to be more often because, like, in between the times that I see you, like, I completely forget that I like you. Like, I'm not able to hold on to that feeling of, oh, he's so nice. He's so cute. He's so charming. Like, it just goes away. So every time I see you again, it's like we're starting fresh. It's like 50 first dates with Drew Barrymore. I think it's a conversion problem, not offering often enough. It drains me. Yeah, you know, it's. There's a lot that goes into that. If you want. I have a link in my bio if you want to Go and book a generate income strategy call. We can talk through exactly what's getting in the way of. Of your content strategy being consistent and sustainable for you. There are a lot of things that happen for people that gets in the way of that. So just know that you're not alone. It happens to a lot of people. And sorry, I was having a moment where I was thinking of that episode of Friends where, you know, Ross and Rachel are having that fight and she. Anyway, it happens. It actually genuinely does happen to a lot of people in this case. Anyway, sorry. My brain is in a million different directions today. The three ways that I create content. I'm going to offer this to you really quickly. Yeah, I know. So the first way, I always love to do this with my groups. And whenever I'm with a client, like, if they're really struggling for content ideas, I literally will have them go and find, like, for five objects in their house. I'll, like, say, go on a little scavenger hunt. Pick five things. The first five things that you see, and that is that right? And they'll come back with a bunch of random shit. Kids toys, you know, you like, things from the kitchen, maybe a Kleenex box, maybe a necklace that was laying on a table. And item by item will go through. And I'll be like, cool. What memory does this item bring to you? Like, what. What feeling does this bring to you? And they'll come up with, like, oh, this reminds me of that time that I did this. And, like, it's usually like, the time they bought it or where they got it from, or a memory that's associated with that thing. And there's always a way to relate that. That back to your ideal clients and what they're struggling with. So I'm gonna actually do this for you right now. My. Okay, my pen back. This says, people I want to meet dogs. This bag, it's made out of, like, like, recycled plastic bags. It's not that fancy. I keep all of my, like, fun colored pens because I love. I love stationery. I'm, like, addicted to it. I can spend so much money on it. Okay, so this bag, when I bought it, I was in Seattle and it was right, like, before my financial crash. Like, I was getting deeper and deeper into debt. And, like, it just felt like there was a guillotine hanging over my neck and. And I was trying so hard to get my business up and running. And I kept going shopping. Like, I kept going out and thinking, okay, well, I'll buy something that's going to help me be better in my business. And I ended up, like, just buying stuff that, like, gave me those little short dopamine hits. Right? And those dopamine hits that, like, you buy it, but then you kind of feel shitty about it afterwards. This is one of the things that I didn't feel shitty about, by the way. It was, like, $7, but it makes me so happy every time I see it. I have a box like this for my coaching props. Yes, exactly. Yeah. And this is. If you're a coach, then this is very similar to balance in the coactive model. You know, where you're going and, like, having, like, different things in the room, have an opinion or offer advice on the thing. But anyway, so, like, I could absolutely, like, take a picture of this post about that feeling of being on the struggle bus in your business and not knowing when, like, the next clients coming through, watching your savings just, like, go down and diminish and diminish and diminish and seeing your credit card balance go up, up, up and up, and, like, how powerless you feel in that moment. And, like, the things that you start to believe about yourself. And you know, what probably led you here, right? Like, this belief. And I could. I could take it a couple different ways. I could take it into, like, the money mindset work that I do with people, or I could take it into, you know, business strategy. And, like, if I had known better what was going to work, like, I could have, like, done away with. With a lot of the work that I was doing that actually wasn't bringing in clients. Right. So there are a few different ways I can turn this into something that, like, proves a point that my clients need to work with me. Right. I can also just make it a personal post. You know, I can let people see that, like, I'm. I'm open to being vulnerable about my own journey and that I'm not holding any shame around it. Because that does something really valuable as well, is it tells people, you know, who are out there and observing you and maybe considering working with you, that if you're not shaming yourself, you're probably not going to shame them for the stuff that they've done. Right. Like, that's one of the things that we're so worried about. Like, oh, my God, I don't want to tell anyone about my financial situation or about how I started my business because I don't want them to judge me for it. You know, if you're open about how you screwed things up in the beginning, you know, you're actually not gonna seem like you're not. You don't know what you're doing. The only people who share, like, when they were shitty about stuff are the people who are better at it. Like every single self help book out there, the for the intro or the first chapter is about how that person completely crashed and burned their lives. Hi, Nor. Welcome. And then they go into, here's how I rebuilt. All right, so don't be afraid to share that stuff. You know, there's this. There's another bag that I got at a store in San Francisco. I remember the worst customer service I got when I bought that bag. Hylia. I could tell a story about that and bring it into, like a sales point. You can find content ideas absolutely anywhere. I mean, even like, my, this is so gross. So I made a smoothie this morning. I bought these straws on Amazon because I really like, like straws for smoothies because I don't like getting the seeds in my teeth. But like. And they're reusable. But like, the problem is you have to like, wash them and they're really annoying to wash. Right? And like, I mean that right there could just be a funny post. It could just be like, who else, you know, struggles to do dishes and like, really finicky things like this? Or who buys thinking it's gonna like their life so much better and then it doesn't. Hello. Hi. So anyway, so just random shit around your house. You can source any content ideas you want. Okay? Endless content ideas. And actually, it doesn't even have to be around your house. Like, if you're. I had a client who's taking the call from the airport the other day and she's sitting in Applebee's and she came up with like three ideas just like that. So start looking around your room. Like, if you're really tapped for ideas one day, just take a walk. Just go and pick up random shit and see, like, what comes up for you when you're looking at it. What memory spark for you? What feelings spark for you. This brings me to my next one. Number two is feelings you can go based off of what you're feeling that day if you're feeling stressed. You know, this is one of my favorite things to do with clients when they're feeling really stressed out or. Or sad or frustrated or something about their business or about their life. Is I asked them, like, if you were a fly on the back of the wall in your brain and you're noticing how this was playing out, you're noticing like, how anxiety builds in your body and like, what you start thinking about people, you know, what would it observe, right? And ultimately, like, you're writing about the process of writing. You're writing about the process of figuring this out. You're writing about, like, what is going on for you in that moment. Now, this is great, especially if your ideal client is basically you two years ago, right? Because, like, how your brain operates now is going to be very similar to how it operated then. You know, you can also tune into, like, feelings of your clients. If you have, like, three client calls that day and they were all, like, super happy about something. Like, they were just elated that they had signed clients, that they had done this thing, that they'd reached this goal, like, that feeling. I want you to take that feeling and start describing how that feeling shows up in your body when you feel that way. You know, what are the things that you start noticing in the world? I mean, that's a beautiful way for you to paint. Like, this is what winning looks like with me when you work with me. So, yeah, you want to go with the feeling. The last one is really research. You know, if you have not done your ideal client research for your business, you know, you're leaving a lot of money on the table. You. You really are. And it's. It's one of the reasons I prioritize this in pretty much all of my programs that teach people how to build businesses, because it's like finding out from the horse's mouth exactly what you need to say in your marketing. Oftentimes when I'm feeling stuck for ideas and, like, I really want to do a promotional post, I'll open up the notes that I took word for word, verbatim, while I was interviewing my ideal clients. And I'll find, like, something that they say that they're frustrated with or something that they feel like they're stuck around or something that they say that they want more than anything and why. And I'll copy like, a. A nondescript sentence that doesn't identify them in any way because it was all, you know, I'm not going to out anyone for what they're going through. And I'll copy and paste that into a post and I'll just explain, like, maybe they're really frustrated that there's so much that they don't know that they don't know, and they keep hitting roadblocks when they try to go and do this thing, and then what that feels like and what other problems pop up and what they're starting to believe about themselves, and then you bring it into a call to action. You know, you can do this from, like, the positive standpoint. You know, if you're also. One of the questions I have my clients ask their ideal clients is, what are five words that you would use to describe yourself? And what are five words that would. You absolutely would not use to describe yourself? You can go and use those five words or, like, a compilation of those five words and talk about, like, how your clients embody those qualities. That's really powerful because, you know, your ideal clients who are reading that post are like, yeah, I'm hardworking. Yeah, I'm ambitious. Yeah, I'm this. Yeah, I'm that. Right? And they're going to align to that and they're going to think, oh, my gosh, this is the right person. I'm in the right spot at the right time, reading the right post, and this is who I need to work with. Now. That's a lot that I just threw at you. I. You can take one of these ideas and write a post today. That is a win. That is a win. I want to take one of these ideas, try it today, write something up, go and post it and see how it feels, see the reactions you get. You know, don't expect, like, just because, like, this is an idea, like, it's gonna, like, get you a client. If it does. Amazing. I want to hear all about it. But this is part of the creative process. This is part of learning how you get to find your voice. Part of learning what, like, talk tracks will attract your sole clients to you. Not just your ideal clients, but your sole clients. There's a difference. And if you're feeling stuck, if you're not really sure, like, how to do market research, if this all just feels super overwhelming to you, then wherever you're watching this, there's a link in my bio. I want you to go and book a generate income strategy. Call with me and we will figure out a plan for you to break down your content strategy. Really understand where you're leading people and understand your niche on a deeper level so that like, anything that you pick up in your room, you can turn into content. Like this plant, right? Oh, God, I just watered it. It's very heavy anyway. But yeah, I hope, I hope this has been super useful for you today. I have a buttload of work today, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet. If you have any questions or if you want to book that call, reach out to me, click the link, find a time. Whatever you need to do, whatever you're comfortable doing. But remember this. You cannot be a secret and a success at the same time. People cannot give you their money if they don't know that you exist. Your only job is to make sure that people remember that you exist. That's it. So, like, if you're posting pictures of ferrets, great job. You still showed up in their awareness today. That works too. Anyway, want to say a big thank you to Citizen J. Kane, Leah Nor. Thought. What is it? Thought. Wardrobe. Oh, I think I misspelled. I mispronounced. I misread your username before. Rest and relax, Boston Jason, the Liz helmet, and anyone else who was watching who didn't comment. Thank you for being here. I hope it was useful and I will be live with you again tomorrow. I'm Katie McManus, business strategist and money mindset coach. Thank you again and I will see you tomorrow. Bye.