Writing about your work can not be a year-round August. Let December set in and reap the benefits in January.
“December is traditionally a bad month for writing. It is a month of Mondays.” – Anne Lamott
Many professionals, writers and experts have shared the same symptoms with me:
Lack of motivation. Lack of ideas. Slower rhythm than usual. Just don’t feel like it.
As author Anne Lamott put it: the darkest month of the year, at least here in the Northern hemisphere, is not the most inspired season for creating quality content.
And you know what? That’s perfectly fine! Just like plump raspberries and blindingly green courgettes aren’t in season all year round, neither does your content need to be.
As service business owners, consultants and leaders, we aren’t bound by the annual rhythms nor are we at the mercy of the ever-fickle weather. (As a farmer’s daughter, I’m grateful for that!)
Still, we often expect of ourselves, our teams, and our clients, a never-slowing flow of content, offers and interest.
What if you approached your business and professional content seasonally, instead of maintaining yourself and your team to the same standards all throughout the year?
Plant the seeds for audience growth
Let’s look at what a seasonal approach to writing and content marketing could look like.
The farmers start their year in early spring by working the ground and planting the seeds. For an online entrepreneur or knowledge worker, this means laying the foundation for content marketing: building an audience.
If we don’t consistently grow our audience and connect with new people to write to, there won’t be much to harvest in August, will there?
That is why a successful writing strategy includes an audience growth strategy: a set of repeatable and consistent measures that help new people find your writing and content.
Nurture the relations through strategic content
When the land is tilled and the seeds planted, it’s time to nurture the seedlings.
Instead of fertilising and watering, savvy content creators and professionals create valuable content to keep the relationship with their newly acquired audience lively and well.
But attention: we’re not talking about any content here! In order to work like a fertiliser, your content needs to be strategic.
Spray it with strategic calls to action (organic or pesticides – I let you decide!) that guide people towards the harvest season: invitations to download a free resource, join an event or book a call.
Harvest with successful launches
The harvest season is when we collect the fruits of our labour. It’s when we sell a new offer and onboard new clients or reap the interviews and meetings that lead to our next professional challenge.
If you’ve planted the seeds carefully and taken care of them skillfully, your content is getting ready for the next step: Launching the promotion and enjoying the fruits of your labour!
Promotion and sales writing requires slightly different strategies than writing for nurturing: Be even clearer with your calls to action, and remember that some repetition is often needed. Test different strategies and launches over time to find the combinations that work the best for you.
The year doesn’t end at harvest
Hey, wait a moment! The year hasn’t ended yet!
After harvesting, the farmers let the ground rest, and hopefully, take some time to rest and recharge as well.
For writers, this can mean taking a writing break and not publishing much content. Or it can mean posting only when you feel like it, whatever you feel like writing about! It can also mean banking and scheduling a lot of content in advance, while you take time off or focus on other things in your business and career.
Whichever form it takes, this change of pace is an important creativity revitaliser!
Seasons or spurts?
But can farming and writing be compared to one another this easily?
Despite the similarities, there are differences between running a farm and building a brand through words. (Having participated in both activities, I should know.)
First of all, a knowledge worker’s year doesn’t need to align with the calendar year. Plan your launch periods at times that work for you and your clients, not when the pumpkins are ready.
Your marketing year can also be much shorter than an actual year, as long as you reserve space for all seasons at regular intervals. Seasons can also vary in length: maybe your winter is only a couple of weeks, as is autumn, and the rest of the cycle is spent under the sunny spring and summer skies.
What does your writing and marketing year look like? Which season do you prefer? Share in the comments or join the conversation on LinkedIn!
P.S. Plan for a productive January!
Join me in the January Thought Leadership Kick-off! This week of free events helps you crystallise your strategy and make a head start on creating fabulous content that gets your expertise across.
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