Imagine this…
You decide to add a new ongoing project to your content marketing plate every quarter.
In the first quarter, you’d start podcasting.
After that, you’d start writing in-depth guides and asking influencers to promote your content.
By the third quarter, you’d create monthly webinars.
And on and on.
Sounds easy, right? You’re creating a strategic content campaign that reaches people across various touch points.
But let’s stretch the timeline out a bit. By the second year, you’d have eight ongoing content projects — all requiring strategy, time, and mental bandwidth.
And you’d be adding something new every quarter.
Suddenly, the “strategic content campaign” is a recipe for burnout and shoddy work. You’re so busy feeding the content monster that you don’t have time to relax and charge your creative brain — a necessity if you want to keep creating and writing.
Is it any wonder why a recent study found that 24 percent of content marketers were “very or extremely stressed?”
It’s because we’re trying to do much work in too little time — and not realizing the toll it’s taking on our mental health.
I bring this up because Andrew Davis wrote a fantastic article about “killing your content to save yourself.” He said:
“We might wake up each morning with a full tank of creative gas, but every added task burns some of the fuel. Posting a witty tweet might use only a drop. Writing a blog post might empty the entire tank.
We get cranky when we’re running on fumes and even more stressed, burned out, and exhausted when we’re pressed to keep working when the tank is totally dry.”
Sound familiar?
His solution — and it could be considered radical by some people — is to kill at least two content projects before starting one.
That gives him the bandwidth (plus extra) to take on the new task with creativity and zest.
Granted, some companies may take umbrage about canceling a content marketing play, especially if it’s well-established.
It could come down to ego. Or stubbornness. Or fear of looking “weak” by letting something go.
At the same time, I’m willing to guess that some of those “necessary” content marketing tasks aren’t driving traffic or making money.
They’re just things they automatically do.
This content conundrum is something I’m factoring into my own business. Now that I’ve started a new brand, I’m experimenting with new marketing channels (hello, Instagram — you can find me at @thatswhatheathersaid).
I’m also creating video posts that I’m uploading to YouTube (which is probably AMAZING to long-term readers who knew I was resistant to video for years!).
That’s cool and all, but those additional tasks take time. I’ve had to consider what I should eliminate or scale back so I can give my new business ALL the ****.
Killing my content babies has been a challenge. At the same time, I know I have to do it. I’ve done it before.
So how do you decide which SEO content tasks to delete?
Ask yourself…
- Does the content drive traffic and profits?
- Does it fit with where your company/brand is going now?
- Do customers or prospects mention how much they like it?
- Does it tend to position well or see lots of social ****?
- Are you writing it “for Google?” without considering your target audience?
And my personal favorite…
Do you enjoy creating the content, or is it like pulling teeth every time you sit down to write?
After all, why create your own hell and do something you don’t enjoy over and over and over?
Get rid of it. Life is too short.
So, consider if there are areas where you can streamline your content campaign and let things go — even if the only reason is that “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
You will feel so much better if you do.
What do you think?
If you had to eliminate a content task RIGHT NOW, what would you kick to the content curb? Leave a comment or head over to the Facebook group and let me know!
