Over it and need a refresh?

How to freshen up your Content for the upcoming year!

New clothes, new hair, new shoes… Or new Content?

We all need a little upgrade every so often, whether it’s hanging a new painting or re-orging.

And our Content, and biz, love a little refresh too.

You can start out the new year feeling fresh and excited about Content again with some super simple strategies.

Here are 4 Questions to help you hit the “Refresh” WITHOUT having to do a ton of new work.

#1 — Re-Evaluate what exists in the Library.

If you don’t already have a Content Library, or a repository of your best Content, this is a GREAT time to begin collecting. 

If you DO have one going already — Well done!  Now is a great time to peep through it for consistency, weeding out old, irrelevant material, and checking for alignment.

Is the material still aligned with the core messages you’re wanting to get out?  Are there pieces you’re just tired of and want to toss?

You can scan through and see if there are missing pieces (which can become fodder for new content), or stuff you just want GONE.

#2 — Check on your Content Pillars.

Usually there are a few (3-4) key themes or messages our Content continuously circles around. 

Your Content Pillars help ensure your message is consistent and not confusing, so check your material for that cohesion.

Can the folks at home follow along?  Are you happy with those Pillars, or do you want to make any changes to your key themes?

By having that cohesion with a few central themes, you prevent yourself from going up, down and all around with a bazillion topics that don’t actually tie together or make sense in conjunction with your offers.

Annnnd the important part is, in addition to making the experience less of a rollercoaster for your audience, it also makes it easier on YOU.

#3 — How was Engagement with each piece?  

Do you have any material that was a giant HIT? If so, how can you replicate that success?

If you have some clear winners, make sure to take a look at how you can incorporate that magic into some new work.

Was it the topic?  Was it the delivery mode or timing?  Was it a particularly inspired bit of writing that just hit home?

So often we focus on what didn’t work, and forget to celebrate the success.  But even more, we forget to evaluate how to do it again.  We might figure it was a fluke.

But it wasn’t — Something resonated there and it’s well worth reflecting a bit on your most popular items to see how to bring that forward and even amplify it.

#4 — What’s ONE thing that would make it more FUN?

You can be playful with your work, and find ways to make it even more enjoyable, especially the hard parts.

Why do you think we give kids adorable toothbrushes with cartoons on them when we want them to develop that habit?  We want to make it feel more fun, so they’ll WANT to do it consistently.

Are we really so different?

What is your grown-up version of a “cartoon toothbrush” for your tasks?

Actually, as I glance around my Hello-Kitty-infested workspace (H.K. pens, notepad, calculator!), I take that back — Cartoons are perrrrfectly acceptable in themselves!  LOL.

Is there a fun thing you want to try?  Fun Fonts for Social Media?  A series of short, sharp posts to see if you can?  How succinct can you be?

Whatever will make it fun, inspiring, silly, funny, or just enjoyable to play with — By all means, DO IT!!!!

How can you be creative with this?

What other ideas can you add?  

Freebie for You…

If you want to learn more about how to develop a Content Library to make your content process EASIER, you might enjoy this special freebie.

Grab it here!