Now is the best time to review your content strategy if you’re applying for the Business Champion Awards 2023.

We’re entering into the second half of the year. It’s a powerful time to review your marketing content strategy and plans; what you’ve succeeded in achieving, what’s worked and what definitely hasn’t.

If you’re knee deep in strategy and planning for the next half of the year, ensure that your content strategy and messaging is on point, especially if you’re planning on entering the Business Champion Awards.

As I said in my opening speech on the evening of the grand finale in March 2022, this doesn’t need to be as stressful as you might think.

Honesty is value

My life revolves around stories and it’s always a privilege reading through all of the stories that are shared in the awards process – no two are ever the same. Your honesty during process to share the highs and lows of everyday business life, your dreams and how you’ve turned them into realities are always incredible stories for our esteemed judges to hear.

With all of the copious amounts of content that the media and individuals display, the task of the marketing team, is often, to whittle your businesses story options right down. 

They do so by asking what’s the most value they can share to their consumers. Over the past few years, I’ve seen this process cause quite a bit of head scratching. Yes of course we know that you’re communicating a story with a view to developing a relationship or sale, yet some of the biggest stories that have captured me, have no blatant call to action at the end, they are simply the stories of entrepreneurs forging forwards against all odds.

So next time you’re in your marketing meeting: don’t forget, that if they’re your stories, they’re original. There’s a beauty in their honesty.

Share decisions when it’s right for you

Over the past twenty years I’ve found that it doesn’t matter which aspect of journalism I write about, I always end up gravitating back to covering business stories and I think it’s because I’m always curious to find out – why you. Why, out of all of the business ideas that have been created within your industry sector, why has yours succeeded. What’s been the defining principles, methods and moments that have led to your success? 

Your business being what it is, your role, your journey, your findings, how you get through the everyday, days, the Business Champion Awards are absolute proof that that story is good enough. You just don’t know who is out there going through the same thing who will be inspired to keep going just by reading it.

Let’s face it, if you’re still in business after the past few years, then ‘being you’ has been pretty successful this far.

Consistency is key

When it comes down to planning your content strategy, take your tone of voice document that covers your brand and plan it out the same way that magazines do. Struggling on where to start? Use the following as an example to plan out four blogs a month to then share across your social media:

1. Think of regular features in your industry that could realistically provide you with one story each month. 
2. Profile a member of your team each month and do it as an interview format
3. Show innovation with your products/services in the form of a case study with a good testimonial from the client
4. Run with a piece of company news – this can anything from a status update to a new key hire or milestone reached.

These are all pieces of bona fide content that profile your business in its best light.

Don’t freak out and overthink

If you’ve got a tiny team or it’s just you, then write an honest blog post about an aspect of business that surprises you, that you enjoy or how you’ve adapted to overcome a hardship. Think about your company values and write about them and why you chose them. Research what other people in your industry are saying and see if you agree with it, if so why … 

Make sure your content strategy makes sense for you

Look at what you want to promote, when and why. Look at your pieces of prospective content and position them in an order that lends itself to you discussing your new product or service. Link back to it and share it as much as you can.

Do this now so when it gets to January 2023 when the judges are looking over your website, you look engaged and proactive.

Never forget that your everyday story is good enough, it could just be a story of a champion …