What 5 Years of Content Marketing Has Taught Me

I can’t believe that 5 years ago, I started this little blog in the hopes of promoting myself (back then) as a digital ad sales consultant.

Fast-forward to the present and I am now a full-time B2B content marketer who has worked with brands like the Canadian Digital Media Network, TELUS, Influitive and Shopify.

And I’m proud to say that they are all Canadian brands that I am thrilled to support.

Never in a million years did I think this is what I’d be doing when I started by own business.

But I am so glad that I am exactly where I am today.

So, to celebrate my love of writing and working with customers to tell their brand story, I thought I’d share a few of the hard lessons on blogging and content marketing that I have learned over the years.

1. Never stop writing and never stop learning

   Even if I am not constantly writing on my own blog, I write at least 3 posts a week (in addition to working on ebooks, case studies, etc.).

   So, I keep trying to perfect my craft. Likewise, I read at least 10 blog posts a day from other writers who I admire.

   There is always room to improve, so I want to see what the pros are doing try to incorporate it into my own writing style.

2. Only write for brands that you believe in

   Although I also do a lot of ghost writing for companies, I choose to only write for industries and brands that I am passionate about.

   That’s because I only want to put my name on something that I am proud of and I believe that passion is a huge motivator.

   Why bother writing about something you aren’t passionate about? If you aren’t passionate, it will certainly show through in your writing.

3. Case studies: The customer is always the hero in the story

   This is something I’ve learned over the past few years in writing case studies for clients.

   It’s not the client/software solution that needs to be the protagonist in a story, it’s the customer who has been through some sort of struggle, which led them to that solution, that needs to shine as the hero.

   Basically, the customer is the rock star and the software solution is the roady or sound technician behind the scenes who makes them shine on stage.

4. Have coffee with your target audience

   Ok, so it doesn’t have to be coffee, but you need to speak (in person) with the people who are likely to read the blog, ebook, whitepaper, etc. for which you are writing.

   You need to understand their pain points and what messages might resonate with them or get them to move from the awareness phase to the consideration phase of the purchase funnel. And that takes some time and experimentation with your content as well.

5. Let the trolls keep on trolling

   I think I’ve said this before but you can’t please everyone with your writing. Ultimately, if you get more positive comments than negative ones, you are doing just fine.

   That being said, you can always learn something from what the haters are hating on – even if it’s just how to be the opposite of what they are as a human being.

   But sometimes there is a shred of truth to what is being said and you can always use that information to improve for the next piece that you write. Just don’t let the negativity get you down for too long.

   Thanks for continuing to follow my blog and I look forward to share more of what I have learned in the years to come.

   Have a question about blogging or content marketing? Please share in the comments below.

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