The Benefits of Creating Imperfect Content Online
Overcoming perfectionism is not an overnight thing and it is something many business owners deal with especially with content that goes out online. From a social media post with a spelling error to something you create that you think is the best and later go back and realize it was the worst.
But if you are reading this blog it’s my hope that I can encourage you in your marketing efforts and begin to see imperfect content as an asset.
In fact, perfectionism is the evil that will keep you from getting to the GREAT content. It will paralyze you to inaction and in many cases keep you from even starting.
We need to start with purposely creating and not worrying about how great it is. In fact, this blog post I originally wrote years ago and it wasn’t good. Today I am making it better. One of the top mindset tricks I learned from working at a Big 4 is to always see everything as a draft. Always improving.
Why Imperfect Content is Key to Your Learning Journey
I recently read a book that suggests we should focus on our strengths and abandon our weaknesses.
While I partially agree with this concept, I also disagree with giving up on growing in a weak area, especially in the realm of digital marketing.
I can personally attest to the importance of not giving up on weaknesses.
I was born with dyslexia and a communication disability and if I had followed the advice to focus only on my strengths, I would have given up on reading, writing, and speaking. Instead, I discovered my strength within that weakness and today I am genius in those areas. It is now what I do for a living for that reason.
When I first started creating video content online it sucked really bad for many years. It took me YEARS to create anything anyone really wanted to watch. In 2009 I was diagnosed with an IQ of 25 in speech and at the same time was told I had become a genius in reading and writing.
I remember when I first heard the news from my doctor. . .
I felt like I was living a life of constantly having to overcome just to be on the same level where most people start. First it was reading and writing and now telling me I can’t speak.
The doctor told me to use my strength in speaking and that it would get so strong that eventually like a switch turning on I would become a genius speaker. Of course anyone can become a genius at anything if the hyper focus on it. But there is a key I am wanting to communicate to you in sharing my story – within every weakness is a strength. If you find that strength and focus on it then it will outgrow the rest.
So instead of deciding that I was a poor communicator and giving up, I made it the center of my success and worked hard to develop my speaking abilities through podcasts, videos, and TV hosting. By doing so, I expanded my abilities beyond what I thought was possible. Today I am known for my speaking abilities and my content creation.
The reality is that many successful individuals did not simply focus on their strengths; they also worked on their weaknesses. The creation of new inventions often involves identifying a weakness and finding a new strength within it. Thomas Edison failed a thousand times before he succeeded in inventing the light bulb because he did not give up on his weakness.
Focusing solely on your strengths can limit your growth and prevent you from discovering new strengths within your weaknesses. In the digital marketing world, this can mean missing out on new and innovative strategies, tools, and techniques that could give you a competitive advantage.
How to Use Imperfect Content to Enhance Your Skills
In today’s digital age, the pressure to create perfect content online is immense. The pursuit of perfection can be paralyzing, and it often leads to inaction. However, creating imperfect content online can actually be an asset in your learning journey. Not only does it allow you to experiment and try new things, but it also gives you valuable data that can help you improve your content over time.
The first benefit of creating imperfect content is that it allows you to learn by doing. The act of creating content itself is a learning process. It forces you to consider what message you want to convey, what format to use, and what platform to publish on. By creating imperfect content, you get to try out different ideas and approaches, and you’ll quickly discover what works and what doesn’t. This experimentation is essential in your learning journey, and it can be applied to any aspect of content creation, whether it’s writing blog posts, creating videos, or designing graphics.
Another benefit of creating imperfect content is that it helps you get better at creating content. The more content you create, the more you’ll improve. You’ll start to develop your own style and voice, and you’ll become more comfortable with the tools and technologies you use. Creating imperfect content also helps you identify areas where you need to improve. For example, you might notice that your videos lack engagement, or your blog posts are difficult to read. This self-awareness is critical to improving your skills and creating better content in the future.
Finally, creating imperfect content allows you to use data to improve your content over time. Every time you publish content online, you’re collecting data. You can track metrics like views, engagement, and shares to see how well your content is performing. This data gives you valuable insights into what your audience likes and what they don’t like. You can use this information to tweak and refine your content, making it more appealing to your community.
Choose A Testing Ground
I have grown multiple platforms over time. Some I have even deleted because I didn’t see a value in pursuing them. Once they grow they become a “thing” and what everyone expects from you. It is like you are one dimensional.
Having multiple platforms is one way of getting around that. You can also choose to use some for business and some to test things out on.
I use TikTok for my testing. I post random content, personal content, marketing content and often I have used my own social media to test things out for clients before we execute on their own platforms.
For this reason you see me selling products, finding a new solution to things and numerous other pieces of content that don’t have anything to do with marketing. It is where I am testing things. If they perform well I will share it to other platforms.
I highly suggest choosing your own testing platform and just start creating. It will free you up from having to be perfect.
I now have a large following on TikTok for all my random content. My followers actually say they like all of my updates even if they aren’t focused on one thing.
Data does not lie. Once you can produce some solid data you can always improve what you are creating and try again.