Creating Content With Value

In my education program back in my English Teacher days, I had a teacher who always reminded us to think about our lessons with a lens of “What’s In It for Me?” or WIIFM meaning any middle schooler could easily figure out how the lesson was going to benefit them.  While I’m no longer pandering to the middle school crowd, I find that WIIFM still holds! 

When planning content on various platforms, I always try to make sure that there is something that a reader/viewer/consumer can take away.  This may seem really daunting, especially as we keep adding on more and more platforms to get hip with, but once you start getting in the habit of thinking about WIIFM, it will start to come more naturally.  Just like everything, consistent practice can go a long way.

Here is a breakdown of some of the ways I add value to my content on various platforms.

Instagram Posts: 

• Posting pictures of what we have in the shop or things that are going to be in the shop lets people know where and how to find things!
• Posting information about behind the scenes gives people an opportunity to see the inner workings of the business
• Posting about myself, the business, or my family allows people to get to know us and trust the humans behind our brand.

Instagram Stories: 

• This is where I do most of my little tutorial tidbits or shop updates.  If people want to get really invested in the inner workings of KTA, this is where they get the inside scoop.

Instagram Reels: 

• I’ve found that the posts that do best are the ones where I show a little bit of my process, but also tell a bit about the business.  

IG Lives: 

• This is where I do my Makers Monday Live videoes which are packed filled with valuable content.  This is where I share all about the inner workings of my business to help other business owners.

IG TV: 

• Here I repost lives and create preview videos for our YouTube Channel so people can get a feel for what our tutorials are like. 

Pinterest:

• We have a digital marketing assistant and her goal in making pins is to connect people to the content that we’ve created.  These are often tutorials, checklists, informational guides etc.

Blog: 

• This is a mix of letting people know about personal updates and business tips.  I always try to include some sort of PDF take away that allows people to learn more or dig deeper if they so choose.

Newsletter:

• This is the best place to find out when new products are dropped, get discount codes, and be up to date on anything new happening at KTA.

YouTube:

• These videos are all about adding value.  We are working on creating a collection of watercolor basics and fun, easy, approachable watercolor tutorials that are accessible to folks of all levels.  We always include a supply list to recreate the image.

These are just a few of the examples of ways in which we add value.  Sometimes adding value can be as simple as showing a pretty picture to brighten up people’s feeds or an inspirational quote.  Since I am trying to work on further positioning myself as an educator and a knowledgeable authority in my field, a lot of my value is focused on teaching and sharing information.  This is in line with our company values.  KTA is all about building community so I also strive to host platforms that can allow folks to connect and learn together. 

If you’re struggling to figure out how to add value to your content, check out this handout with some quick tips!