Mala McAlpin What to do when you have so much to say but don’t know how to say it.
From what we hear, despite the endless amounts of potential topics at our disposal, business owners throughout our industry are finding it difficult to produce their own content (such as blog posts) because they ‘aren’t writers’. We understand that this can be frustrating for business owners, who have so much to say but simply can’t find the words to eloquently deliver it. After all, this is your business, your skillset, your team and your passion that you’re representing – you want to get it right.
So what can business owners and practitioners do to produce the quality content they’re hoping for without having to be the world’s best writer? As writers (and members of the industry!) ourselves, here are some tips to get you through.
Build up your branding
Branding exercises could help you a lot when it comes to creating your content, whether it be blogs, the copy on your website, or your social media. By coming up with a high volume of words that encompass your branding, you are essentially building a vocabulary that reflects who you are as a practitioner or business, and once you have this, you can simply select words from this and build whole sentences around them.
Ask your team
You could consider sharing any blogging opportunities with your team – perhaps you have a secret gifted writer among you! While it can often be hard to delegate these types of projects where you have something to say and want to ensure it is delivered properly in your own voice, there is always a chance that someone on your team understands exactly what you’re trying to achieve, and delivers it even more accurately than you could yourself! You could also have a crack at writing or blogging yourself, and then pass it onto your team for final edits, clean-ups and/or feedback. Chances are your team will love simply having the opportunity to be involved.
Ask your brands
If you want to write about treatments involving certain products or devices you use, ask your brands for material. They have dedicated marketing and copywriting professionals whose job it is to put together beautiful material that reflects the products in the best way possible. Ask your brand reps for product or device brochures to get you in the right frame of mind, give you some direction, and provide a platform to start on.
Contribute to media
Contributing to media (like SPA+CLINIC!) can be a great way to get your information out there, and receive some gorgeous finished material back once it’s published. We here at SPA+CLINIC often receive practitioners’ quotes back with the closing sentence – “I hope this is ok” or “sorry I’m not a writer!” This is completely fine – it’s our job to understand what you’re trying to say and make you sound fabulous while saying it. Once you have contributed to a media feature, ask their permission and (once received) share it via your own platforms. This is a wonderful way to both increase your exposure and get your voice heard – eloquently!
Practise, practise, practise!
It’s a cliché for a reason – practise does make perfect. If you want to share more content, start writing as much as possible, and don’t be ashamed of your work. Remember all of the other many things you are incredible at. You don’t have to share your musings right away, you can hoard them for a time in the future when you’re more confident and you’ve found your voice.
Be yourself
Speaking of voice, this can be a helpful tool when creating content. Don’t try too hard to be funny, witty or clever, to write a best-seller, or to create something with the goal of ‘impressing readers’ in mind. Remember – your goal is to educate – you don’t have to be a comedian or a literary genius in the process! Be authentic, and over time once you find your own unique voice, the extra style and flair will eventuate.
We’re always looking for practitioners and industry leaders to work alongside – if you have any news or stories you would like to discuss with us, please feel free to email us at editorial@3.106.143.225
