Content Queen Mariah

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222: We are all creators

Mariah MacInnes

We are all creators.

Equally, we are all creative.

So - how can you find your way in marketing and content creation as a business owner?

Let's explore this more.

If you LOVED the episode, make sure you share this on your Instagram stories and tag us @contentqueenmariah.

✨ BUILD YOUR CONTENT STRATEGY NOW - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GET BOOTCAMP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS 👇

  • How to love creating content

  • How to find what you love and don't love about content creation

  • The mindset blockers holding you back

SHOW RESOURCES 👇

If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @contentqueenmariah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Other than that, enjoy - chat next week 💕

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

This is episode 222, and I'm talking all about this concept that yes, we're business owners, we're entrepreneurs, but we are also creators and you can write.  Welcome to the Content Queen podcast. I'm your host, Mariah, entrepreneur, storyteller, digital nomad, creator of Content Brew Camp and founder of Content Queen.

I'm here to teach you how to share your unique story, create content and market your business with strategy through the channels that work for you.  Each week I'll deliver a story to help you connect to a powerful strategy around marketing, business and content creation. I'll also be joined by amazing souls and entrepreneurs who are here to share their own journey along with actual steps to help you take your business to a whole new level through amazing  storytelling, powerful line marketing and content strategy.

Let's do it! Hello all! Hello gang! This is the last podcast recorded in South America. For the time being.  Yes, we are heading back to Australia for the next episode. Well, actually the next episode is an interview and I did that in South America, but  yes, we're leaving. We're in Chile. I got the visa. I successfully made it here.

They did ask for my visa upon arrival, which I was excited for because I went through hell and back to get this.  But anyway, we really only spent a couple of days in Chile and, um, it's been really nice, but we are excited to get home. Next episode.  Stay tuned for more podcasts recorded in wardrobes and all the things rather than Airbnbs.

So  I want to share something  because  we're business owners, we're entrepreneurs, but what happens when we, when we start these businesses and we start on social media and we start marketing is we become content creators. Now

I know you didn't start your business to become a content creator. I'm very well aware of that.  I understand that some of us don't always love it. And to be honest, marketers and content creators don't always love creating content either.  But there's this mindset blocker that we're not creative or we're not writers.

And this is incorrect,  totally incorrect. So I want to give you the confidence and the steps to really embrace this side of you that is a creator, that is this business owner who can be creative online,  and to find a way that works for you. Now,  back in 2021,  I created a quiz because I found that a question I got a lot was what channel should I be up, be showing up on?

And I could arguably say any channel because  Our clients are on a lot of different channels,  but I really wanted to help them identify where they should focus based off their own energy.  And I found this interesting because I always come to the conclusion that people hated writing  and people don't like to write.

That's why I've been busy for so long. So I have had consistent business for so long.  But in the quiz, in fact, 51 percent of the people that took it, and I've had quite a few people take this quiz,  long form or blog writing was the answer.  And this was amazing for me because I know I hear a lot of people say that they don't write  or they don't like to write.

And I don't think that's true.  I just think we have this mindset block on how we think things should be.  And  it's all about creativity. It's like a piece of art. It's like artwork.  You could go to a gallery  and a piece of art could really speak to you and the person next to you can be like, I don't understand it.

It's the same, right? And I think The best thing to do is two things work out what you really love and work out what resonates with your audience.  And generally they're kind of much of the same because you would be really connected to your audience, especially as an entrepreneur and a small business owner.

Like you created your product or service based off a pain point based off probably your own pain point. So you're already a little bit ahead on that. So when you find out how you like to create content, then you don't have to worry  about. what everyone else is doing or  what's the latest trend. You don't have to be in this hamster wheel all the time.

Yes, it's good to learn what's working, what isn't, what's out there in the market, but it's really important to connect back within how you create. And  it's interesting because  even I've had chats with entrepreneurs who think they're not creative,  but yet here they are creating offers, programs.  fun branding, all these things.

And they say, Oh, well, I'm not a creator.  I'm not creative, but it's wrong.  And something has in fact blocked them into thinking that. So hopefully this episode helps.  So as I mentioned, based off the stat of this quiz, 51 percent of people  got the answer long form content or blog.  And I've also got another quiz.

And based off that quiz, a lot of you are storytellers.  So that tells me that there's this sense of mindset that's how holding us back from thinking that we are truly creative people or that we are that we have this ability to create something creative  and I want you to trust yourself more  to trust yourself to know and understand  what is  creative  and what you can create it's going to connect with your audience  Because in fact,  going against the grain  in content,  it's not a bad thing.

Content creation is not a process of, I have to follow the rules and a formula, no matter what people say. It doesn't exist.  And the people that do well with their content  enjoy it a lot,  but they also understand what their audience enjoys a lot too. If you can get that balance right,  That's the winning quote unquote formula.

So the next thing like, you know, trust yourself, back yourself, think of a way that you can gain this level of confidence.  Is it affirmations, you know, telling yourself when, is it a ritual, something that you do before you start to create marketing for your business  that helps you step into this?  Is it finding days in which you are creative, which I've talked about a lot.

Or periods of time in the month.  I've been reading on that, actually. Very interesting.  When are you creative, and how can you harness that when you are?  So then it's about finding your own style.  So, thinking about what you like to consume. Maybe for the next week.  You know, wherever you consume, however you consume.

What is it that you like about it?  And it's not using someone else's content and copying it. It's just understanding why you like it.  And what keeps you there  and how you could,  you know, emulate something similar in your own content.  Then start thinking about what you like to create. Like, you know, what is fun for you?

And if you say nothing, there's something cause we are all very creative beings, whether we think so or not.  What do you like to create? Are you  more of a video person? Do you like to write? Is it a mixture of both? Like, what do you like to create? What do you like the idea of?  You know, at the start, don't worry about how long it's going to take you because systems will allow you to make that quicker in the future anyway.

And it could be something you still out, you outsource down the track,  but just find what you like. It's so interesting. Like people come, come to me like on Instagram or I speak to them  They know what kind of content they like to create and they just always need that reminder. I had this one woman  She's told me so many times.

She loves video  and then  We had a conversation  And after that conversation, she just started to youtube. She's like i'm just gonna do it  You know regardless of you know  How good it is how long it takes me i'm just gonna start  and that was so cool to see She's still doing a lot of videos actually  So play around with this.

Remember, it's not going to be perfect the first time.  Remember, it's probably going to take you double the amount of time than you would like it to.  But start learning to like the process because unfortunately it's not really going anywhere.  You wouldn't be listening to this podcast if you didn't think that they're like, it was an important part of your business.

Because if you can get it to a point where you are generating interest in your business, then of course you can invest more money in other areas or this area to outsource in the future. That's the goal, right?  But you can't get there until you learn what's working. Like, if you're like, okay,  once I have enough income coming to my business, I will hire a VA or a marketer.

But if you're not doing the things that are going to help you bring in the people to bring in then the sales and the conversion,  then you're going to be in this cycle of always dreaming about it rather than it actually happening.  All we have to do is just get started.  You can take that quiz. It's going to be in the show notes.

Every, when you take the quiz, you get a guide on like, how to get started on this channel or what to do next.  Just make it happen. I think, you know, the amount of people that say, Oh yeah, I really want to start a blog.  I'm going to do it. And it just doesn't happen.  Because there's never a right moment for it to happen.

So you just kind of have to,  Work out what you like to consume, work out what you like to create,  and then just make it happen and know that it's going to be quicker with time.

And the third thing is  work out what you like and what you don't like. So  kind of going off that, you know, thinking about what you like to create,  this comes after the creation. So you have to actually start doing things to learn, okay, what is taking me the most time? What do I not really need to do?  And what don't I like?

Cause, because what happens is right, same,  you want to outsell something in your business,  but you might not actually know what it is until you're doing it. So say you go, okay, I am going to do my blog. I'm going to set a blog. I'm going to set a podcast.  And actually you really enjoy the editing, The things  so i'm not going to outsource that but i really don't like the posting it to social media and repurposing it  Or with my blog, I actually don't like putting it up on the page like it kind of annoys me Then you can be really specific about what you need when you're hiring.

You know how amazing it is when you when you know  Someone comes to you be like these are things I need  And then and then you can work. Okay, who do I actually need do I need? strategy in content marketing, or do I just need a VA to begin with? Someone to help with repurposing. So once you're doing it, you start to work out what  you don't really need to do and what you could potentially outsource, and then who you need to outsource it to, in what budget, in what category do they sit in, and how can you then actively find that person?

Or, what can be automated? Like, can there be things that.  You don't you don't necessarily have to do you can like take steps out or Also on that like what is working and what is it? What does your audience like and what don't they like?  Because you could be like spending a lot of time on a certain area to make something happen But then it doesn't really make a difference in the grand scheme of things You know, so you could kind of cut that out of your process  or you're creating like some content or Something that takes you a long time.

That's not actually what's landing or resonating so you can  not do it anymore.  You know, I think there's a lot of power and knowledge that comes from  like  testing and trialing because if there's one thing that I know about small business owners, entrepreneurs, all of us is measurement is really hard and  tracking and looking at the numbers is uneven for me.

Like  the end of each month, I I have to do it for all my clients. I send them an email with everything. Then I have to do it for myself.  And I usually, it usually takes me quite a while to get through it because  yeah, it's just like, Oh, I'll look at numbers for a little bit and then I need a break.  But at the end of the day, this is what's going to tell us the story and make our lives easier for the future.

And I know I harp on about it a lot, but  when you're in it and when you're creating it and you're not, you're spending all this time, like getting it to where you want it,  You know, whether it like you can automate the process, systemize it, make it easier in the future, outsource it, all those things.

You're still  invested quite a bit of time into getting all that up and running. And then you just don't check if it works or you just don't look at it.  And it's super interesting too, because like, you know, there's so many misconceptions with, you know, Content creation and different things like blogging, for example, like all of us say, Oh, I'm not a writer.

51 percent of you guys are, according to my quiz. Um, but you know, I had someone saying like, Oh, no one reads blogs anymore.  Yeah, well,  they kind of do because  Nearly every one of my clients, the number one traffic source to their website is organic search and a lot of it comes through their blogs and blogs we've created years ago.

Like I'm not talking like consistently creating blogs. Like  it's not like social media where one post is gone within five seconds and it's probably taken you ages. Like blogging is sustainable as  So there's just like, there's so many misconceptions with content. We just assume because we're posting on social media that we're going to get clients.

We just, we make all of these assumptions, but we have to test them. Like we have to actually say like, okay, I've made this assumption that like Instagram is going to get me heaps of clients because people have told me, but do I know that? Like, am I looking at this? Like, do I actually know? And there's always interesting thing that comes up when I ask the question, like, where do you think most of your traffic comes from?

Some will say. Instagram. Why do you think that? Oh, cause I'm on it all the time. And then we look at the numbers and it's like, it's not actually suggesting that.  It's not saying that Instagram or a social media platform isn't like the best option. Like I have one client where most of the leads come through Instagram.

So it is, it was like, everyone is so different. And if you are spending the time investing in learning about content marketing and  learning about how you can connect with your audience,  It makes sense to invest time in actually looking if it works. So I really wanted the point of this was to really share that  whilst we're business owners, we're marketers, we're, you know, tax agents, I don't know, we're all the things in our business, that's just how it is.

Embracing that creative side of you with writing, with. content creation. That's the fun part. And I think if we just remember that and we make it fun and we make it enjoyable, that's where actually the energy and the results come from.  So while she might say, Oh, I'm not a writer, I'm not a content creator, I'm just a business owner, or I'm just this, or I'm just that, like, or, you know, I'm just a in certain niche here.

If you can learn to embrace that like creative side of you  show up in that space.  You're more than that and you'll learn that. And it's super interesting. It's like how a lot of content creators become like mega famous influencers. Like  they didn't think that, that like there's a woman on TikTok that's like a divorce lawyer and she's now a TikToker and like,  she doesn't like polish her video.

She just felt like.  She doesn't even edit that bit out where you grab the camera and you like, stop recording. Like, she just posts, she doesn't put captions, like, she doesn't do any of the things that, you know, we're being told we should do.  She's now a content creator.  And she's creative in her own way.

Like, her level of creativity is so different to another creator that might do transitions and all these different things. It's like, creativity is not  a certain way.  Like you have to embrace your own creativity and you are creative. So I just really wanted to emphasize that because there are a lot of people that are like, I'm not a writer.

I'm not this. I'm not. You are though.  Like you are, you're just in your own unique way. If you learn to embrace that, if you learn to love it, then it shows in the content.  Mix that with connecting with your audience and understanding what they love.  Mix that with. understanding what you love and like to consume, then measure the process.

Like,  that's kind of all you need, right?  So  this all did come from as well, a, um,  a post I saw on TikTok actually from an influencer  who was sort of sharing there, like, Oh, I got all these packages. And she's like, it's actually crazy though. Like that I get 30 packages a day, like from. various brands from like high end luxury brands, you know, to, I don't know, maybe a small business.

And she's saying like,  I never thought this was going to happen.  And this is like for everyone, like you might be creating lots of videos and things don't work and you just have to keep going. Some days things are just not going to land  and some days they are.  And  yes, you can learn the more things that land and build on that as well.

But it really is finding a way to love it and continue to love it. But there will be days you don't. The days you don't can still show up or you can have a break.  But it is about finding your own way. And that's what she was sort of saying, like you've gotta find your own way, your own uniqueness, your own flair.

And I can't tell you what that is.  I could look at your account like, oh my God, look at this video. This is dah, dah, dah. I can audit your page, you can get a page or whatever. Like you can get someone to do that.  But you know what you like and what works because I have conversations like, Oh, you know, like, Oh, and if I ask you a couple of questions, you're going to know it.

So just like, trust that, like, trust that, you know, like, even though you're not a quote unquote marketer, you might not be, you might be  a content creator. You are though,  you know, what's best for your business. You know your business and you know your audience.  So, trust you. Yourself. Like, just trust yourself.

That's all I'm asking you to do. And if you're unsure, like, okay, where do I begin from here? Because I'm like, I'm kind of motivated now. Take the quiz, see what channel you get.  Get the emails that I sent through and just start something.  Just start something.  And don't feel like you have to copy, like, The latest trending sound or this or that.

Like just stay in your lane and  be you like, and  that's like what people want to see now. Like I'm so sick of scrolling reels and seeing the same shit every day. So just like try something different  and keep trying something different, but that's like business, right? Like you just, you just keep trying until something's landed and they stopped landing.

So then you've got to move on to something else. That's just, I think that's life as well.  So just, just keep going and  find what you love. That's what it's about and be a content queen or king. And remember that developing your strategy and story develops your business.  Thank you so much for joining me today.

And please don't forget to share this with all your business and entrepreneurial friends can do this by adding it to your Insta stories or tagging us at content queen Mariah. Just simply tell them about it if you're having a cheeky chat.  If you do rate and review on whatever platform you listen to this on, it does really help me get more guests on the show.

And continue to show up and deliver content.  And I love to hear what you want to hear. Follow me on Instagram or TikTok and yeah, send me a message. Let's connect.  We have an amazing campaign coming back. It is I Am We Are Content Queen, kicking off next week. We're going with Queen Bee. We're talking repurposing.

So get ready to start learning the gift of repurposing and how it can really help you and your business, especially, you know, save time, build your digital footprint, create an ecosystem, all the things. Campaign starts  next week. I'm very excited. Make sure you tune in for that. Bye! 

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