Creating long-term brand value and embracing digital minimalism

It’s time to communicate deliberately; to forge deep connections, create long-term brand value and embrace digital minimalism.

This year I will contribute by creating space, not adding to the noise.

In my work as an intuitive copywriter and content creator for heart-centred, soul-driven entrepreneurs and business owners I will be focusing on supporting people ready to deliberately devote their time and energy to building their brand and sharing their message to create long-term impact and lasting legacy.

It’s time for creating words with purpose and meaning, designing content that has a long lifespan, not simply creating pieces for the sake of a generic marketing strategy.

You’re unique, and your business is too.

If you’re like me, you’ll feel driven by a deep desire to create transformation in people’s lives; to inspire, engage and empower your audience. And when you’re led by the heart in this way, the ‘old-fashioned’ way of doing business, marketing and sales simply won’t feel aligned any more.

You want to create an impact, leave a legacy and most importantly, create value in all you do – whether that’s a 1-1 service for a client or a conversation with a stranger.

You’re not here to make a quick buck and jump straight onto the next trendy thing. You know longevity is the key. You have natural gifts, talents, expertise and experience and you want to share that with the world.

And you definitely don’t want to get stuck on the content creation treadmill – you’ve been there before and you don’t want to be there ever again!

How to show up in 2021

Showing up in 2021 is about bringing value to the table; ensuring your words convey your message, passion and story in a way that empowers your reader and supports them in creating the space they need to be the happiest version of themselves.

After the global pandemic and associated challenges throughout most of 2020, everyone has grown weary of the noise in the online space.

If your inbox is anything like mine, you’ll have noticed a surge of emails over the last 3 weeks as we ushered in a new year.

But here’s the thing…

You have a choice

You have a choice what you choose to allow into your life.

People. House stuff. Digital stuff.

It’s all a choice.

On a recent podcast episode by The Minimalists, someone asked how to stop the clutter coming back into their home after a period of decluttering. And the lighthearted initial response was: ‘Stop going to the store and bringing stuff home!’

This same principle can be applied to the digital space:

If you want to receive fewer emails, start unsubscribing and deleting.
If you want to be interrupted less by your phone (and therefore free up more headspace to get into the ‘flow’ of aligned creative work), turn off notifications, put your phone on silent or airplane mode, or even leave it in another room.
If your energy is dampened by the negative energy of news reports on TV or radio, switch off.

(I haven’t watched the news on TV since about 2013 and it’s honestly been the best thing for my creativity, flow and alignment to my inner truth.)

Creating content with long-term brand value

I love to create content that lasts.

And there’s a beautiful win-win combination here: creating content that people can access over and over again for years to come means that you have the potential to reach a large number of people through one piece of work. So whether you’re selling something or simply sharing information, you’re creating a greater return for the time, effort and money you invested at the outset.

For example, if you’re a home cook, nutritionist or wellness advocate, a recipe eBook may take you a few weeks to put together, but when it’s done you can share it with the world and potentially touch the lives of thousands (or even millions) of people.

(I started writing eBooks back in 2015 in my former life as a food coach and plant-based cooking expert and always do a little happy dance when I make a sale of one of my recipe eBooks through my website.)

connections and collaborations

If 2020 showed us anything, it was the power of human connection. More importantly, the negative effect on our mental health and wellbeing when we’re deprived of meaningful connections with our loved ones.

In the business space, I’ve always felt as if truly magical things are created when experts bring their knowledge, expertise and passion together with a shared high-vibe energy.

In my work as an intuitive copywriter, I’m blessed to be able to birth some incredible pieces of content into the world. Throughout 2020, I completed various projects for a client (a high level coach and self-love and relationship expert) using a technique known as…

repurposing content

Repurposing content is when you take one existing piece you’ve written or produced, and use some of it (or all of it) to convert it into something else of value for your audience.

For example: a Facebook live video could be used to create a blog. The blog could include a ‘top tips’ section. These top tips could then be made into a separate PDF download to be used as a way to attract people to sign up to your email list. All of that from one initial 15 minute live video to your Facebook audience!

Of course, there’s an element of work involved in creating these additional pieces, but the key factor is that you’re not starting from scratch! No staring at a blank screen wondering what to create! (Note: if you are staring at a blank screen and feeling the need to create, go back to the start of this blog and feel back into alignment and flow.)

Investing in professional support

If you’re already maxed out on time in your business (or you’re stuck in lockdown, trying your best to home-school young children, look after the pets, feed everyone snacks at 15 minute intervals and the wifi keeps crashing), then investing in professional copywriting or content creation support to repurpose your content could be one of the best investments you ever make.

With one of my client’s projects last year we started with a very broad brief: To create blogs, social media snippets and a ‘coaching process’ document from four 1-1 coaching case study audio recordings. (All the coaching clients involved gave their permission for the recordings to be used in this way.)

From approximately eight hours of recorded footage, I produced four blogs, four sets of case study notes answering specific questions, multiple ‘Teachables’ that could be used across all social media platforms or as a starting block for future ‘How To’ articles, and a coaching ‘process’ document that showed my client’s incredible expertise in a way that filled her with gratitude and illuminated just how amazing she is at the work she does with 1-1 clients.

In a later project, I wrote 65 short 250 word pieces to accompany small videos which had been edited from a week of Facebook live challenge Q&A sessions. If my client shared one per week, she’d have over a year’s worth of social media content!

This is the power of repurposing content.

I see it as… Repackaging your brilliance!

No more mindless consumption or soulless production

2021 is the start of a global shift in values and mindset.

While many of us have been feeling the positive energy of this new dawn (the Age of Aquarius) since 2012, it’s only now that the energy is truly shifting towards love and human connection.

There’s been an element of competition, hustle and achievement over recent years that has paved the way for a more gentle approach to online business.

It’s time to stop chasing numbers, mindlessly consuming everything in sight (every course, every podcast, every live video…) and producing endless streams of bland content just because you think you ‘should’.

This paradigm shift ignites the need for sustainable business, more self-nurture and kindness, more intuitive connection and meaningful communication.

What we all want now – both as creators and consumers – is less clutter and less noise.

Be part of the solution, not the problem.

Create space for yourself, and in doing so, you’ll create more meaningful content that has the impact and longevity you desire to drive forward your brand while ensuring you spend less time working and more time living life to the full.

Follow your heart, tune into your soul and do what lights you up the most.

With love,

Lorraine xx

I wrote an eBook to support light workers at this time of overwhelm, noise and stress online.

Click here to download your copy of ‘The Light Worker’s Guide to Showing Up Online with Conscious Intention and Love’.

(Choice between two covers so you can download the one you feel most drawn to.)