Professional content creators will tell you the key to great content is to make it educational, entertaining, or inspiring. Educational content is extremely needed as a good meaty piece will keep people from having to do additional research. Often it will get shared and bookmarked for reference later.
Entertaining content brings some levity to our day. If it’s funny enough and resonates with our situation, we share it with our networks.
But inspiring content, that’s where the real power is. Not only is this type of content enjoyed at the moment, but a really inspiring piece stays with you long after.
I’m reminded of the quote:
When Pericles talks, men applaud. When Demosthenes talks, men march.
An extraordinarily inspiring piece motivates action. That is an extremely powerful role for a business owner to hold. Imagine content so strong it inspired someone to do something, to alter their existing, engrained course of action.
Inspiration is a language that goes straight to the heart and pumps through the rest of the body with the urgency of a fast-beating drum.
How Can You Inspire People with Content?
If you have a truly inspirational story about overcoming the odds to start your business, you are fortunate. If not, here are a few ways to inspire your audience anyway.
Overcoming Fear
Even if you didn’t overcome heartbreaking odds, you still opened your own business. You are the boss. You work for yourself, you are accountable to you. There are thousands of people daydreaming of the day they can do the same, but they are mired in fear. Fear of:
- failure
- not being able to pay their bills or maintain their current lifestyle
- not knowing what they are doing
- not being good enough
- people questioning their abilities
- failure (This is a repeat but it is so strong it needs to be mentioned twice)
Even if your story is one of privilege, you can tell of the struggles you have. Money is not the only thing that keeps people from following their dreams. Often it’s fear. Tell your story of how you opened your business. Be honest about your fears and doubts and struggles. There is someone out there who needs to hear your message and if they are inspired to action by your words, they will remember you.
Overcoming Doubt
While this ties in with fear, it’s important to share that every business owner struggles with doubts. Some come internally, some externally. You probably have friends that when you shared your plans to open your own business they continued to forward you jobs they thought you’d be interested in “just in case things didn’t work out.”
But those well-meaning friends should only inspire you to work harder.
Share how doubts inspired you to be the successful person you are. Everyone has doubts, whether they are personal or professional. Sharing your past doubts will help people feel more connected to you and voicing the doubts you were able to overcome may inspire others to do the same.
Be Positive
It is very rare to be inspired by the negative. When was the last time someone around you complained and you were inspired to action? Maybe you were inspired to no longer spend time with that individual or maybe you were inspired to curb your own tendency to complain after hearing what it sounds like to others, but rarely will someone hear a complaint and think, I’m going after my dream today because of you!
People who make us feel good are inspiring. Those who are positive about the world, regardless of their current difficulties and challenges are inspiring. Friends who lift others up even when they are behind; people who remind us of the good in this world, they are inspiring.
Be more positive to be more inspiring, even if it’s a brave front you put on in front of the world and deep down you’re struggling with your own doubts. Wear your inspiration like a bright red coat and soon you will begin to feel its power.
There’s something about helping others that makes you feel good.
To improve your shares on social media and responses on your blog, increase the amount of inspirational content you post. You can create your own by telling your inspirational story, or you can curate the posts and shares of people in your community. When someone inspires you, thank them, and share their inspirational story with others. Soon people will come to you for inspiration and that’s when you can motivate them to act, just like Demosthenes.
