5 things to do

Lorrie Thomas Ross, CEO of Web Marketing Therapy and Wild Web Women, recommends regular entrepreneurial wellness check-ins focused on marketing for your content business.

Here are five things to do at your next self check-in (schedule as soon as you can):

1. Do I demonstrate credibility? Credibility is the act of getting people to know, love, and trust you. “That is everything,” Lorrie says.

Should I update my headshot or logo to keep it current?
How does my business show up in a Google search?
Do I share my back story and why I create this content?

2. Is my content user friendly? Frustrated fans can be quick to leave if navigating your website or social media makes it impossible to find the content they want.

Is my content easy to read and pleasing to the eye? Do I follow best practices for engaging with visitors who are turned off by big chunks of text?
Is what I am selling – my top content, merch, or latest online course – front and center and easy to find even for a new follower?
Is the load time on the website so slow that people will leave without looking at it?

3. How visible is my brand? You could create the best content in the world, but it doesn’t matter if people don’t know about it.

Are my website, landing pages, and social media profiles optimized?
How well do I build connections with other creators or influencers in my niche?
Do I share and promote my content on multiple channels and more than once?

4. How well have I prepared to sell? While you should promote your content products, you also should promote yourself and the business’ success. “You can’t assume that someone’s going to know how awesome you are or that you offer something,” Lorrie says.

Do I have case studies or testimonials from people who have taken my courses or engaged with my content about what they learned and how they benefited?
Am I pulling out juicy factoids about my area of expertise and sharing them across my platforms?
Am I regularly sharing with my audience why I am the person to help them or entertain them?

5. Am I ready to scale the business? “Scalability is investing versus spending,” Lorrie says. “If the quality is not there, and there’s just a lot of quantity, it falls on deaf ears.” That’s why you should always put your best foot forward.

Is it time to hire a photographer or a video editor, for example, to boost the quality of my content?
Would it be best to work with a virtual assistant or pay for a software subscription to ease the burden of some administrative tasks, so I can focus on content creation?
Is my current team providing the support I and the business need today? What should change?

Schedule these entrepreneur marketing wellness check-ins at least every quarter, even if it’s just you. By designating time on the calendar, you’re more likely to do it. Feel free to customize the check-in questions to fit your needs and business – and definitely include questions that relate to your known weak spots.

Resource: Easy General Marketing Checkup

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5 things from the tilt

It’s IRL for people and events this year. Our LinkedIn survey found 88% plan to attend more than one in-person event and 4% plan to go to one.
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Joe and Robert debate Substack Investors: Baller Move or Desperation Play? [This Old Marketing podcast]
Joe talks about how sometimes you fail in your content creation, but that failure could be an opportunity. (Content Inc. podcast)
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5 things to know

Money

Fortnite Fortune: Epic will pay 40% of Fortnite’s net revenue to creators based on how much players engage with their islands. That could easily be $400M. But Epic-created islands also get a share of that creator revenue, too. (The Verge)
Tilt Take: Though the shine diminishes given Epic’s creator take, it’s a better opportunity than exists now for Fortnite creators. And it should push creators to ramp up marketing of their islands.
Revenue conversions: Content creators, like artists, can diversify their revenue with multiple streams, including subscriptions, community memberships, ticket sales (NFTs), crowdfunding, and social media tipping. (Forbes Council)
Tilt Take: Distinguish between revenue streams and investor streams. Crowdfunding often includes a stake in the business or a share of some product. If you can build a business without investors, do it.

Audiences

Global viewers: Demand for non-English digital originals grew from 5.9% of total demand for streaming original shows in Q1 2020 to 8.5% at the end of 2022. (The Wrap)
Tilt Take: Think now about how to translate your content to grow your audience who don’t speak the language in the original creations.

Tech and Tools

Swooping in: Adobe launched its AI image-creation tool – Firefly – that will integrate into Express, PhotoShop, and Illustrator. Text prompts will lead to high-quality images and text effects. Creators who don’t want their content used by Firefly can tag it “Do Not Train.” (Lindsey Gamble)
Tilt Take: We like that Adobe ensures the metadata discloses that it is an AI-created image.

And Finally

Golden move: Twitter plans to launch a gold checkmark for businesses that pay $1K. It includes the standard Twitter Blue features, plus it allows the business to verify its affiliates for $50 per user. (Future Social)
Tilt Take: Though we’re still not sure checkmarks will be valued by the audience, it’s an interesting twist to show your network of affiliates, partners, etc.

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the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Pam Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony.

Market Ready – March 31, 2023