As I sit here this morning without the fortune of a preplanned topic, I’m forced to ask myself, “Why should I create content? Why should I write something daily? What value is there in this discipline?
The answer isn’t what you might expect, especially from a marketer.
SEO and Selling are secondary reasons for creating content
One of the factors in driving traffic to your website is the regular creation of fresh content. I won’t argue with you about this. One of the factors in getting people to buy your products and services online is to get them to your website. You can see the logic. Create content to drive traffic to your website so you can build a prospect list to sell what you’re selling.
That’s pretty simple, but it isn’t the main reason why I feel compelled to write daily. And it shouldn’t be your reason either. People see through that kind of content anyway. If you’re looking for SEO tips, try this article for SEO beginners.
My top two reasons for Why I should create content
When I ask myself the question, “Why Should I Create Content?” I arrive at two simple and core reasons.
- It helps me process my thoughts and understand what I’m thinking
- It exercises my creativity, strengthening my ability to think better and more strategically
Here is what I mean. It is easy to get very tactical in life and work. I call it “heads-down” action. The tactical is usually definable and measurable, so we tend to jump right into it and stay there all day. But staying in the tactical limits us. We know what it takes to get the tactical done, but that is all we know. And because we spend so much time there, we are unable to spend time thinking about other things. The thoughts that occur to us that don’t apply to the “tactical now” get shoved aside. We never entertain them. We never understand them.
Writing or creating content forces us to look up, think about those random thoughts, process them a little, and understand them. For me, the process of writing helps me slow down and reflect on what I’m thinking about. It helps me understand.
As a result, I’m able to think better and further down the proverbial road. I’m able to look up from the tactical and think about my life and work more strategically or more thoughtfully. And the more I do this disciple of creating content, the stronger my thinking and strategizing skills become.
A bonus is that I feel calmer and more at peace when the creation is complete.
Do you create content regularly? Tell us why in the comments below.