What's Missing is Already There

The best parts of my job are the conversations, which give me the opportunity to hear some great stories. Stories about past work experiences, career aspirations and personal epiphanies are the gems that make what I do not only fun, but necessary.

The key to great content is in listening, not writing. We all have stories to tell, so there should be no problem finding them. Most of our stories, we believe, don't add to the conversation. When talking to others - professionally or personally - we de-emphasize seemingly small details because we assume that no one would care or that they wouldn't matter.

I recently worked on a brand narrative for a client of mine - a multi-talented personal chef and caterer, and an even better person. The near-finished product reflected all the values that we had discussed in conversation, but it felt like something was missing. During our review, she mentioned a detail about her mother safeguarding certain recipes and her very personal relationship with food. This was brought up as a complete aside while we reviewed.

Something clicked. This insight, while not specifically included in the final product, reframed the whole narrative. The client's main objective is to make their culinary experience better, but there's an underlying dichotomy there. How does a chef's quest for personalization also build community, which she clearly had among her most loyal followers? This is a breeding ground for new stories, along with a different dynamic that her clients experience when they visit her site.

These are the stories that you must bring to the page and to the stage. The tattoo on your ankle that no one ever sees, the times when you pretended to sing into your hairbrush, or even that embarrassing flub from your first job interview are all experiences that are the foundation of great storytelling. More importantly, they're all interwoven, creating the tapestry of your complete experience.

The more authenticity you bring to the stage - experiences you can call your own - the more rewarding it will be for you and your audience.

Revisiting Success

Simply Google the word "success", and you'll find multiple variations on a theme: what it is, how one can attain it, how those who had it lost it, and much more.

The idea of success is something which I've given much thought and consideration lately - both for myself and for my clients. Therefore, at the risk of adding even more confusion to the already cloudy, Google-query filled waters, here's my own interpretation.

My good friend, Dave Kelly, recently launched a new e-mail newsletter, 5-Minute Tips. The inaugural edition was sent on Monday morning, and it featured a great tip from Hubspot's User Acquisition Lead, Scott Tousley: "Your effort is controllable, but the outcome isn't". As a content creator that helps brands and individuals better tell their stories, this is an interesting paradigm.

Everyone wants their content to achieve specific goals, of course. Whether it's generating leads, creating buzz for your brand or garnering conversions, your content has to say something first. The best place to start is with what is in your heart or what inspired you to start your business in the first place.

No amount of SEO, keyword density or ideal anchor text can substitute for a story well told. While these are important tools, they are essentially add-ons that enhance the quality of content, not the fundamentals on which good content is created. In other words, you can spend time making sure that your content is "optimized", but there's an inherent risk that the core message may not be received.

The bottom line: take the time to understand yourself, your brand and your audience, and work from there. It will be well worth the effort.

Crafting Identities vs. Building Brands

Aside from the cheer, good eats and great music, holiday parties are also an excellent forum for conversation. As part of a great Toastmasters club here in New York City, I look forward to these discussions because my fellow members are diverse, intelligent and thoughtful. This year, spontaneously, one such conversation focused on the change in how people viewed themselves in the context of their work.

My grandfather was a loyal, decades-deep veteran of a well-known insurance company up to the day he retired. He still speaks fondly of his time there. While the ambition to "get ahead" has not changed over the years, how professionals conducted themselves in that process has definitely changed since my grandfather was a "company man". In his day, I'm fairly certain that personal brands were not discussed as anything more than theory; now they are considered by many to be vital to professional success.

There is a lot of solid thinking that goes into this concept (not to mention, actual results). However, your content is an extension of your brand, not the brand itself. Does that mean that it doesn't have to be consistent? Of course it does. Does that mean that it shouldn't reinforce your brand's values? I think it would be silly if it didn't.

Content and content creation are in service of an identity. For example, when you're on stage, it's not enough to simply read the words on the page, you have to make the audience believe that you believe what you're saying. How you achieve this is going to be unique to you, but it starts with genuine belief.

Serving an identity requires you to interpret your content correctly. For example, Pharrell Williams has made music with dozens of big names over the course of his career, and while some sounds and techniques are in common, the songs he produces for Jay-Z sound very different than the work he does for his own band, N.E.R.D. This helps build his identity: someone that can fit many styles, rather than settling for impresario status over just one genre while sacrificing musical range.

You are an individual. You have an identity, and you have something to say. Let the brand be consistent, but for the good of the brand, let your identity be dynamic. Your content will thank you.