Nicola Balkind

Freelance Writer & Content Specialist

Update: I’ve Relocated to California!

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Nicola Balkind: 2016 Update

Welcome Back!

It’s been quiet on this blog lately, hasn’t it? I think it’s about time I gave you an update.

2016 So Far

2016 has been super busy for me – which is always promising for a freelancer! I’ve worked with some fantastic returning clients, including the Small is Beautiful conference for microbusinesses, which took place in June. This summer, I hosted a social media workshop for authors with my old friends at the Scottish Book Trust. I’ve also been writing regular book columns for The Big Issue Magazine throughout the year.

This year has also brought me some fantastic new collaborators. I’ve been working with the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, writing this Autumn’s edition of their alumni magazine called PLAY. I’ve also been writing case studies and marketing copy for another new client: the lovely Russwood flooring and cladding company in the Scottish Highlands.

Sadly, the move means that I will no longer be able to contribute film reviews on the Janice Forsyth Show on BBC Radio Scotland. However, I have been and will continue to publish audio and video content on my podcast, Bookish Blether, and my YouTube channel. (You might even be able to convince me to review films there, too.)

I hope your first half of the year has been kind to you, too.

What’s Next?

As email subscribers will know, I recently moved from Scotland to California. I’m now located in Central California, but will continue to work with clients all over the world. (After 11 years doing this long-distance travel-work-life thing, I’m really good at working ahead of deadlines and across time-zones.)

Whether you need to update your social media strategy, want to learn how to improve your writing online, or are ready to launch a new campaign, I’m here to help.

As always, click through to read more about my services and examples of my work – the pages are freshly updated – and feel free to get in touch with any queries you may have.

I’m currently booking projects for October – December 2016. I look forward to working with you soon!

Getting Started

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Getting Started

Everyone has an Achilles’ heel when it comes to work.

Some of us are great planners and terrible at following through. Others of us love jumping in and setting to work, but run into hurdles two-thirds of the way through a project.

Me? I’m a terrible starter.

To give you an example, I’ve been sitting here for 2 hours staring at the prompts and topics I had planned for the month, feeling utterly uninspired by the lot of them.

It’s not a procrastination problem, you understand. There’s no staying up overnight til an hour before the deadline. That stress is not for me. I just have a tough time getting started. It’s the way I work, and it’s partly motivated by fear. It’s also motivated by a fact of writing: sometimes you don’t know what you have to say until you actually start saying it.

Once I get going, once the momentum builds, I’m set. It’s revving the motor I have trouble with.

So how do I deal with it? When I was on the Cultural Enterprise Office’s Flourish programme earlier this year, I had a mentor, Sophie Kyle (hire her here). She told me to find a starter, and it has worked beautifully.

Sometimes it’s been intentional, like kickstarting a podcast called Bookish Blether with my brilliant friend Holly. Other times it’s been pure luck, like being invited by the folks at Skriva to run a Finding Your Voice Online Workshop.

Having a starter isn’t always possible. Here, today, writing the September blog posts for this website, the only starter I have is myself. Sometimes I have to call upon others to hold me accountable, and other times I seek them out.

Here’s someone who’s been (unironically, promise) helping me out lately:

So… where do you get stuck in work? How do you get out of it?

 

Spring Clean Your Content: Part II, Content Mix

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content mix

 

Welcome to Part II of Spring Cleaning Your Content!

Last week, we looked at the “media mix” – or the type of media you’ll be posting and where to post it.

This week, we’re talking about the “content mix” – how to organise your content strategy and how to keep your content consistent, varied and interesting.

 

Your content should be…

1. Informative

2. Valuable for your readers

3. Community-driven

4. Targeted

Informative content gives your customer a place to go to gather the information they need, whether that’s how to buy your product, how to use it, or just a way to get them involved in your area of expertise. All of this content must add value to your readers’ lives. In time, they’ll build trust in you and, eventually, invest their money in that value.

For those who are already part of your online community, and those who wish to join it. To inform and add value to your customers’ experiences, your content should be accessible and inclusive. That also means it will be targeted towards those who need it most. The more you can niche down, and the more specific you can be, the better.

Remember: online content is not just about sales: it’s providing a valuable resource, or even a place for people to hang out and share their interests. Build their trust, build your brand, and sales will follow.

 

Defining your content mix

Now that we’re familiar with what your content is seeking to accomplish, and which platforms are best suited, it’s time to think about what you’re posting and when.

Your content mix might include…

  • Company news – like a new product or an upcoming event.
  • Industry or customer-related news – e.g. an exciting innovation in your sector, or new technology that’s exciting for your customers.
  • Seasonal posts, holidays and tie-ins – like Spring Cleaning (duh!), a UN day of interest, or a Fashion Week tie-in – whatever is relevant to your business and your audience.
  • Content partnerships – content in collaboration with industry specialists or thought leaders like bloggers. This could include partnered giveaways and other types access to someone important to your audience.

No matter the topic, make sure your content mix is relevant to your audience. You can also include lots of evergreen content that you can share time and time again.

You may emphasise one of these content types over others, but as a general rule you should talk about yourself in a minority of posts. I like to use the 80:20 rule – so roughly only one in five posts will be about my own products and services, while the rest provide things like news, relevant but fun content, or guest blogs.

 

Content themes

We’ve talked about planning your content calendar before, and these tips still apply.

As long-time readers might have realised, I have a themed content mix in place here on nicolabalkind.com. Most of my posts share knowledge and advice, with the occasional post about a relevant event or a piece of industry news. I post once per week, and these tend to fall under the following categories:

  • Social Media and Content – practical guides like the one you’re reading, or like this post.
  • Microbusiness Interest – sharing resources that have helped me, or posting about topics around small businesses.
  • Recommendations – like tools, apps, and processes.
  • Notebook or Links posts – sharing the best industry-related posts I’ve read each month.

As I hinted above, the goal is to create a healthy mix of content that provides value, teaches your audience something new, and shares what you’re doing without boring them.

For more tips on varied content on social media, take a look at my tips for content curation.

 

Your turn

How do you keep your content varied and interesting for your readers? I’d love to hear your plans in the comments, or you can email me or tweet me anytime @robotnic.

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