Why your cornerstone content is so important and how to create it

Does your cornerstone or core content need work?

Cornerstone content or core content can and probably should be the basis of your online presence. But what is it and how do I create it?

If you would rather listen than read then push play below to hear why your cornerstone content is so important and how to create it

Do you have a cornerstone piece of content?

This question was asked of me early on my online journey and to be honest back then, I didn’t really understand what I was beIng asked.

The person asking me was my Mentor at the time and he had a book. A really good book that attracted me enough to become one of his students.

In hindsight, he was the wrong choice for me as he was so far ahead of me in his business journey that I was floundering under his advice. But that’s another blog post.

At the time my response was:

What do you mean by content? I don’t have any content. At least not enough to write a book like yours!

You may be thinking the same thing.

Over time I realised what having a cornerstone piece of content actually meant.

At first, I thought it meant having a book. He had that really good book I mentioned earlier. But it’s not about having a book at all.

It’s really about having a clear message. One clear message that attracts your ideal audience and repels your non-ideal clients. You could write a book, however, it may be easier to create a different cornerstone and refer to it as I do now as your core content.

What is your core content?

Your core content is your core message. That ONE thing that you do so well and helps your ideal customer solve their main problem.

My ideal client is a health and wellness coach who wants to have a healthy online presence. They may have a social media platform, website, or a list of customers but they are not using it effectively because they are not sure of where or how to start promoting themselves.

They understand having an online content plan or strategy to follow will help them save them time, frustration and overwhelm.

But they are struggling to plan and organise their content, so find it difficult to show up consistently enough to really grow their business.

They also know having a content strategist (coach) will help guide them to creating their online presence. Getting the results they want without having to spend hours a day online.

Understanding what it is that makes up your core content, will help you develop the framework of your online content strategy!

How do you decide on your core content.?

You can start by asking yourself this question

What is it that you would love to be known for?

Often this has a lot to do with who you want to work with and what you love to do

Many of my health and wellness coaches choose their message from their own experiences.

• maybe you help your clients with the same illness or condition that you overcame.

• maybe you have had a family member experience a condition and you helped them through it.

• maybe you have a particular interest in a topic: nutrition, sleep, weight training, that you love to share.

Whatever it is, it can become the ONE thing that you become known for.

Of course, you know other things and can help with many other issues but you choose to promote this ONE particular interest.

This ONE thing becomes your core content or your cornerstone piece of content.

It’s not just your message but also how you deliver it

Not everyone has written a book and especially if you are starting out on your online journey. You may not have yet created much of your own content.

You may be still sharing others people’s content. Make sure if you are sharing others’ content that you put your own spin on it and share with your audience why you are telling them about this particular piece of information.

My advice here is to start creating your own content as soon as possible.

There are many different ways you could do this:

• It could be a book but it could also be a PDF checklist or an Ebook guide. These are short and easy to create relatively quickly.

• It could be a monthly Blog. If you love to write and have a website this is a great idea. You can drive traffic to your website from your social media.

• It could be a weekly podcast. These have exploded over the last few years. If you would rather speak than write, this could be for you. People love listening to podcasts while driving or during exercise!

• It could be a weekly live video. Video is an excellent way for your audience to get to know you. There’s nothing like seeing and hearing someone to create a connection.

We all have to start somewhere. And the best thing about having your own business is that you get to choose.

You get to choose HOW you want to deliver your message.

So how do you choose and what does it need to include?

The best advice here is to choose something that you enjoy doing.

Just like your business and the work you have chosen to do, you want to choose a format for your content that gets you excited. Not something you have to do but something you get to do and look forward to doing.

• One of my clients loves to write, so blogging is a perfect fit for him.

• You may have no problems being in front of a camera so doing a live video each week could be your thing

• Maybe you like talking but not being in front of the camera, so podcasting or simply audio recordings could be your choice for your core content

Once you have chosen the best way then it’s time to start planning!

Let’s Plan

Now you know what core content is, you can think about what you would like yours to be.

What would you love to be known for?

Then decide on how you would like to deliver it.

There are many different ways to do this online.

A good way to help you decide is to ask yourself:

How do you like to get your information online?

This will often, but not always be the best way for you to deliver your core content.

Your core content will become the centerpiece of your overall online content strategy. It will help you plan and organise your content. A good content plan will help you show up consistently, reduce your overwhelm and give you back time in your day, week and month. Who doesn’t want those kinds of results?

Of course, you can do this yourself if you like me are a planner and organiser go for it!

However, If this is something you may struggle with or simply want to go deeper into, then I invite you to

Book a Call with me to help you get your core content out to your ideal audience.

Photo by Minna Hamalainen on Unsplash