Have you ever felt stuck when you were creating content for your members/customers? Creating content with membership value can be a difficult task sometimes.
We’ve all been there when we have to get past some type of writer’s or creative block.
What helps me in those types of situations is to go through a checklist of questions to get my juices flowing.
You may be thinking, “Another thing to do on my already full ‘To Do’ list.” But please hear me out. Going through one or a handful of items from this list will probably take you 15 minutes.
Think about all of the time we waste in a day …
Scrolling social media …
Playing a video game …
Going down the rabbit trail in a meeting
Fifteen minutes is a realistic and relatively small investment to make when it comes to making your content better to deliver greater member value.
Don’t forget the definition of member value that Sarah Sladek so thoughtfully describes in her book, The End of Membership As We Know It:
Member Value is either …
- Making our member’s/customer’s job easier OR
- Making our member’s/customer’s life better
Your content needs to strive for one of those two goals.
Having a checklist will hopefully save you some time, energy and maybe even a few brain cells.
Here’s my checklist for getting unstuck with your content creation process, leading to greater member value.
✅ What problem did our association/business solve for my members/customers last week with our content?
If you solved a problem, that’s huge! You created value.
If not, talk to your members about what they are struggling with or a business challenge they have overcome lately.
Sample conversation starters could be …
What was your biggest win last week and why?
What’s a real struggle for you right now that makes your job harder?
Have them fill in the blank:
A good week for me is when ______________________.
A bad week for me is when _______________________.
✅ What is one new thing I learned about my member/customer that can help me serve them better this week through our content?
If you learned something, great! How can you apply that knowledge to make your next piece of content even better? Details enrich your member stories.
If you didn’t learn anything about your members, either touch base with a member or two with some of the above conversation starters and see what you can learn or see Do You Know Your Association’s Ideal Members?
✅ Is there a piece of content (blog, webinar, popular session at Annual Meeting) that I could repurpose into a different format?
For example, can you turn that blog post into a video?
How about doing a podcast on all of the key takeaways from a keynote speech?
Can you repurpose content items from your newsletter into social media posts?
✅ What are my latest analytics? Review your recent email campaigns, social media stats or when was the last time you reviewed your Google Analytics from your website(s)?
I bet you’ll be surprised at what you learn and glean.
Whether you tackle one or all of the above questions, it’s important to remember your organization’s content is a powerful resource for building member value. Knowing how to get unstuck and get past your content creation block can keep you on the road to creating great content that your members will appreciate and value year after year.
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