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Women life coaches and business owners tend to agonize when they don’t feel as though they’ve created perfect marketing content.

If you’ve read my blogs before, you won’t be surprised. I love having conversations with women on all the marketing, content-ish things they do, so they can connect with clients they love.

I also love reading novels by the esteemed author Ann Patchett…more on that later.

Back to the juicy convos: When the topic of putting content out there comes up, it breaks my heart when new coaches say…

I’m afraid of: sending an email to my list…sharing my message…publishing my blog post to “the masses”.

These caring entrepreneurs go on to explain how perfectionism (and it’s cousin self-doubt) combine to gum up their content creation efforts:  

How do I know if my content is good enough to post?

I’m not confident about what is going to be valuable to my people.

I don’t know where to even start with content.

I don’t create content because I’m not sure what to talk about.

Can you relate to these feelings that show up like perfectionist syndrome? Did I just make that syndrome up?

Anyhoo, I can relate 100%. That’s where I was when I started out.

 

True confession of a recovering perfectionist

 

Can I tell you something? As a content writer posting online, who also coaches other women for a living, I struggle with my inner mean girl. All. The. Time. 

She says to me, 

• Are you kidding…this is what you’re going to post?
• You don’t write as well as [insert great blogger’s name].
• Shouldn’t you spend another day/week/month perfecting this article?

 

In the past, my inner mean girl’s caused me to agonize over every sentence I write. Before I learned to manage it, my fear of not writing a perfect blog post or email resulted in lots of procrastination.

I hope your inner mean girl is kinder. In case she’s not, here are 4 practical reminders about how to forgive yourself for not creating what you think is, perfect marketing content.

 

4 Anti-Perfection Content Reminders 

 

 

#1) Your marketing, your content isn’t about you 

 

Getting a handle on who is the focus of our content and marketing, is a ginormous hurdle for both new and seasoned coaches / business owners.

In the beginning of starting a business, we’re super excited. We’ve created services, packages, and launched the first version of our website. And it seems that our clients are going to be as thrilled with our brand new set of services as we are.

I’ve gotten a boatload of emails landing in my inbox that say just that…

”We’re happy to announce the launch of our brand new ABC Company. We offer blah, blah, and blah services. Go here to set up a call with us.”

Here’s the problem with this approach: ABC Leadership Coaching has done zero to “give first”. 

They have not made an effort to build a relationship with me. Heck, many times I don’t know them and haven’t even opted in their list! (Thank you, LinkedIn and various email address scraping services.)

The newbie coach at ABC Leadership Coaching hasn’t shared a link to a helpful blog post. She’s missed the opportunity to  share valuable tidbits I may not know about Leadership Coaching in the time of remote work.

ABC Leadership Coaching has not provided any content that makes me inclined to be interested in who they are. Why am I not inclined to learn about them? Because all they’ve done is *announce* their new business.

Don’t be that newbie business owner. Creating and sharing your valuable, educational marketing content is about being of service to your future clients. The giant bonus to creating content to be of service is…

…your inner perfectionist isn’t going to be chattering in your ear so much. 

If it helps, put a sticky note on your computer: “My content is in service of my future clients.”

Is your content helping you build relationships?

 

The purpose of content you create (and publish online) is to help you connect with potential clients who need you. That means your content only has to:

• Talk about your dream clients’ urgent problems or biggest dreams.
• Offer baby-step solutions.
• Come from your heart, your gut.
• Share your unique viewpoint, experience, expertise.
• Give insights about what it would be like to work with you.
• Serve as a relationship-building bridge with future clients.

Notice, the list doesn’t include your content being a perfect piece of writing / recording!

 

#2) Your marketing content isn’t for ‘everybody’

 

It’s not even for everyone with the problems you help solve.

Your marketing content is meant for your ideal, dream clients. You create for the clients you know you can help. The ones you want to serve.

Plenty of folks have the problems you’re expert at helping solve, but they don’t all fit your dream client description, right?! 

You’re not writing perfect marketing content for a Yankee-stadium-size crowd. You’re writing to The One. Your one dream client. Picture her face as you create. If you do so, you’ll begin to improve your skills for creating the perfect marketing content for her.

You can get freaking close to what-passes-for-perfect when you focus on writing to one person. I promise you.

Related: If you want more about writing to The One, here’s a popular post about creating content that aligns with your dream clients’ needs. 

 

#3) While your content doesn’t have to be perfect…it must represent you

 

Instead of going for perfection, when you create marketing content, give the first draft your best shot.

Now, put it away overnight. Then, review it. If your inner perfectionist starts talking to you, ask yourself:

> > > Does this content say what I’d say if my dream client was sitting next to me?

> > > Did I say what’s true from my experience?

> > > Is this piece generous? Does it share snippets of my expertise?

Finally, check your work for typos and grammar. 

You know the drill. Publish it. Post it on your website. Hit send in your email system. 

Lastly, share bits of it on social media (with links to your website!).

After all, you’re in business to change your clients’ lives, right? So you want to get yourself (your content) out there where future clients can find you.

 

Related: Once you publish your blog post on your website, here are practical tips to make it more readable for web visitors. 

 

#4) Forgive yourself for not being perfect when creating content 

 

And while you’re at it, no matter what you’re doing, always forgive yourself for not being perfect.

No question, we live in a content-hungry world. Your ideal clients are scrolling, searching, hunting for life lessons and strategies to help them with their struggles.

As a life coach on a quest to create perfect marketing content, you have a lot in common with book authors. So, let’s tap into beloved author Ann Patchett’s excellent insights. 

She’s written amazing, NY Times bestselling novels like Bel Canto, The Dutch House, and more.

This excerpt is from Patchett’s wonderful collection of engrossing essays, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage.

Patchett talks about how when writing a story, she has a “beautiful thing in her imagination” but when she puts it down on paper, it’s not how she envisioned it. It’s like she ‘killed it’ somehow.

On page 29, she continues,  

“Forgiveness, therefore, is key. 
I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and I will write the book I am capable of writing. 
Again and again throughout the course of my life I will forgive myself.”

Ann Patchett, NY Times bestselling author, This Is The Story Of A Happy Marriage

Thank you Ann Patchett!

The truth is:

Here’s why Patchett’s words spoke to me…

I can’t write the gorgeous, insightful, perfect blog post I dreamed of. Or email, webpage, or lead magnet.

What I will do is create the post I’m capable of creating. 

Because even if it’s not perfect, I can still serve you, my community, when I share a piece of marketing content. 

And I will forgive myself. Will you?

 

Final Thoughts

 

So you can forgive yourself (faster) when you’re in content creation mode, choose at least two of these reasons that resonate with you.

Put them on sticky notes, gosh I love sticky notes, don’t you? Add them to your journal or phone to remind yourself that it’s 100% acceptable to create marketing content that isn’t perfect.

Above all, you can continue to give first, by sharing valuable, authentically-you ideas in your marketing content. All so you can make client connections online and beyond.

Next, you can do what Ann Patchett does. You can forgive yourself for creating the content you’re capable of creating at this moment.

How about it? Will you create, share, post, and forgive yourself? 

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