Deepening the conversation around ideal client personas
I have been mulling over something new, but not-new: that when we create content, there is an intended audience. And the more we know about the intended audience, the easier it becomes to create content for them.
That makes sense, in practical terms, and creative ones. When we write something that will go out into the world as content, it is helpful to write with someone in mind. We can develop a persona whom we write to (mine is named Alison, BTW), keep that person in our mind when we’re writing, and tailor our message to that person. I get it; the ideal client persona is a useful construct.
But lately I’ve been thinking, what if it’s more than that, and the content doesn’t even come alive until there is a reader?
Words on a page with no reader are like trees falling in the forest without anyone hearing. Pretty existential stuff.
I think this is why it can be so hard to get into creating content on a regular basis, especially as a solopreneur, and especially as a solopreneur without much of an audience. Because of isolation. Crickets. Social media content engagement can seem akin to a tumbleweed rolling through the lonely desert. How do you know it’s making any impact unless you get some engagement?
It would be easy to just give up. Forget the whole thing. Get a regular job.
But I don’t. I keep coming back for more, and that’s what got me thinking about the idea of content-creation as community-building.
My writing craves connections with others, and writing content is a way of reaching out, an invitation for deeper relationships. It’s personal. If you entertain the woo at all, you can see content as a conduit, and reaching out with it is a way of expressing your unique energetic signature in the world…and drawing like-minded individuals towards you.
Suddenly, posting content isn’t just about posting for the almighty algorithm:
I create content because I want to be part of a community.
What kind of community I develop depends on the type of content I am creating, so it becomes more important that I get it “right”.
What do I mean by right?
- Content that puts connection with people first, by providing quality of work over quantity of posts
- Content that expresses what I believe to be true, even if it goes against the grain (maybe especially if it does, right Rebecca vanDamm?)
- Content that has soul (as Kat Coroy would say, “brand soul essence”)
- Content that doesn’t have all the answers, but invites discourse
The added bonus to seeing content creation in this way is that it is much easier to create, because it is a true expression of me as a creator and a person. It is authentic, not contrived.
What if I do all that, and there are still only crickets?
Remember what I said about your content being like an energetic signal calling out to like-minded folks? It takes time to refine it.
There are so many social cues that tell us to write a certain way, think a certain way, and produce content at a certain volume. I think many of us try to fit ourselves into a box that is often too small, built for someone with a different set of values. It takes time and practice to get our unique voice to come through all that conditioning. The only way to do it is to keep doing it!
Be brave, trust yourself.
Want to do some creative work on your ideal client persona? I made a video on “ideal client visualizing” as part of a larger course on About Pages…you can watch it here.
If what I’ve said resonates with you, comment below, reach out, let’s connect!