Content strategy is about creating a story. It’s a story like any other good story. There is a protagonist who meets an obstacle, and with some help from a guide, overcomes that obstacle.
You may think that the story is about you and your business. But really, it’s about your customer.
Note that you, the entrepreneur, are not the hero of the story. You are the guide. You are the counsel. You are the one who helps your customer become the hero. You are a critical player in the story, but it’s not your story. It’s hard for entrepreneurs to grasp this. I think it’s partially because you get so immersed in building your product that it can take over your life. And it doesn’t help that there’s a hero-worship culture around titans of tech like Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg. Both of these factors together can warp your perception, and even get in the way of making good decisions.
So, assuming that you accept your role, how do you get to be the Guide? You have to know your customer better than anyone else. You have to study her, research her, try to help her. You have to fail, learn some more, and try again until you get it right. How do you know you’ve succeeded? What changes do you see in your customer?
When your customer can’t take her next breath without you, you have succeeded. And you succeed because she does.
What is it that your customer can do now that she couldn’t without your help?
Let’s look at the elements of your story.
- The Protagonist. Your future customer. Who is she? What is her story line before you arrive? What is the story that she tells herself about herself? What is her world view? How strongly does she hold onto that belief system?
- The Obstacle. Is your customer aware of the problem? (Don’t laugh—though it may be obvious to you, it may not be to her). How large is the problem? Is it a huge obstacle, or a small one? Is she actively seeking a solution? Does she have a makeshift solution in place already? Does she cobble something together to solve the problem? If she is not aware of the problem, it doesn’t matter how brilliant your solution is. She will have a hard time matching your solution to the problem.
- The Guide. Here’s where you come in. You enter the scene with the genuine intent of helping. You are her counsel. Her inspiration. You can see things that she can’t, but you can show her the way. You light the path, you provide the tools. Your product or service combats the Obstacle. The tension of the story at this point is whether or not the Protagonist and the Guide connect or not. How does she know she’s looking for you? How do you find her or how does she find you? And when you do, are you able to convince her that she can use your help?
- The Solution. You have arrived just in time. You have resolved the problem. Your counsel is invaluable, your product hits the mark. The Hero is successful, and the story resolves. There is a ceremony of success. The hero bestows upon you glory and riches, or at least attention and/or social capital. Better yet, The Hero knows other Heroes who need a Guide, too. She is now Counsel to them, recommending you. This recommendation is powerful. It shortens the cycle for you immensely. The story begins again, but the cycle shortens each time. With each cycle, you get better and better at finding solutions. More efficient, a better product, a better story.
Do you think you can do any of this without a story?
—
This piece is a part of a series called Content Strategy for Entrepreneurs. If you need specific help in building a content strategy for your business, please see http://michaelboezi.com/entrepreneurs.
If you like this post, please sign up for my mailing list!
—
Photo credit: “Hallye – leap” by Emily Abrams is licensed under CC BY 2.0.