A lot of my brainstorming and even content creation takes place away from the computer. Sometimes, it’s when I’m taking a break and lazing about. Other times while I wait for the kids to come out of school.

And still others, when I head out of the house for a change in scenery.

With today’s technology there’s no reason to be tied to your computer when you can creative just about anywhere.

The video above is a small part of Lesson 2 of the Better Content Marketing course. While students get a complete lesson and assignment, this was just a little something extra I put together for them that I thought you might also be interested in. It’s based on my tech gadget of choice – the iPhone…but the ideas can be applied to a wide variety of mobile devices.

If you’re looking to be more productive and more creative – all the while enjoying your life and meeting your obligations, click play to watch.

Like what you see? Join us as a Contentrix Better Content Marketing Student…it’s just $1 to start. We’d be pleased to have you.

• Create better content, more quickly
• Increase your conversions

…is live and ready for you. This is not simply an ebook designed to collect virtual dust on your hard drive. This course includes practical assignments that will have you BUILDING your business as you work through it.

Plus, we’re here to help you every step of the way. Got questions – we’ll help. Need feedback – we’re here for you.

Learn more and join us for $1 here.

While I was driving, I thought I’d put this together for you. No, not the typing and the pretty graphics, but the audio recording. It includes some tips for you to create great content on the fly….no matter where you are.

(Right click this link to save to your hard drive)

Listen to the audio for the full details, but a quick list of what’s covered:

• Keep a digital recorder on hand and create audio anytime…anywhere.
• Keep a notebook – a digital one or pen and paper.
• Share content and add your own thoughts.
• Ask experts to answer one question and compile the answers.
• Record a phone conversation  you’re already going to have (with permission, of course!).
• Make a screen capture video as you work, killing two birds with one stone.
• Take a photo – a picture is worth a thousands words.

There’s no need to sit in front of a computer all day, hammering at the keyboard. Content is anywhere you are.

This is the last of our series on getting more from your content marketing with less work, we come to what may be the most important lesson of all and that is the lesson about hard work.

“If hard work were really a virtue, then mules would be saints.”

~ James Dee Richardson

Depending on how long you’ve been building your online business, you may find you work a whole lot less when you started. At first thought, one might think it’s simply because a new business requires much more work and attention.

Maybe. But maybe not.

I think it’s more a matter of working smarter and sure, that’s all part of the learning curve and it’s natural that a new online business owner will work more. But that’s not really HARD WORK. It’s just a bunch of trial and error…to get you to where you are today (or where you hope to be really soon).

Here’s what I told our customers & subscribers (if you’re not the list, get on it here and you’ll get a free profit with content guide too) when we launched this series:

“When you work hard just to work hard, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Spend less time working and more time strategizing. That’s where the money is.”

It doesn’t matter where you are in your online career, you can start working smarter right here and right now. Here are a few tips to help you do just that when it comes to marketing with content:

• First, read the first few posts in this series, if you haven’t already:
  • Why Do All the Work?
  • Conversion: Less Volume, More Results
  • The Center of Your Content Marketing
  • Sent via email only: Your Blog Doesn’t Die When You Don’t Publish
• Spend more time planning your content and its purpose. When you’re stuck in the daily grind of writing EVERYTHING, it can be hard to see the big picture.

• Constantly evaluate and track what is working in your content marketing plan and what isn’t. Throwing a bunch of stuff up there and hoping it will stick and then not even knowing what is sticking is going to cause you to waste a lot of time, money and effort.

• Once you have your plan, assign the work accordingly to your ghostwriters, find PLR and suggest topics to guest or staff writers (see post: Why Do All The Work?).

• When you are writing, spend your time writing the key pieces for your marketing plan. This includes important blog posts, emails, etc. Instead of focusing on content volume, put your efforts into creating real gems that stand out. This is allows you to connect your audience more deeply, showcases your expertise and makes it much easier for you to sell your products. Leave the volume to those who are helping you create your content.

Always keep your overall business goals in mind. Sure, we want to create blogs that are well read and we want to increase our subscriber numbers, but all that growth is nothing if we don’t have a plan for what we’re going to sell and how we’re going to sell it. Your content plan needs to match your sales plan.

What Next:

Behind the scenes at Contentrix, we’ve been hard at work creating a practical course to help you create better content faster and with higher conversions. If it’s not clear yet, we just aren’t fans of working harder than one has to. If you work smartly and strategically, there is plenty you can do to boost your response without working yourself to the bone.

We’re putting the finishing touches on the course now and you can expect an update a little later this week. But for now, I can tell you a few things:

• This isn’t going to be a dull ebook that you read (or ahem…just save to your hard drive) and then never do anything with. This is a practical course, with real life exercises and opportunities to have your questions answered.

• This course is going to be AFFORDABLE. We’re not going to ask you to rack up thousands of dollars in credit card debt to find out some amazing secret you’ve known all along. We don’t believe in “secrets”…we believe in applying strategies that help you reach your end goal. We’re going to help you do just that.

• Take what you need and when you’re done, you’re done. This is your business and you know what you need. We don’t ask you to commit any further into the course than you want to. But we’re sure you’ll find value week after week and you’re going to want to hang on for the whole ride.

With that out of the way, I’ll let you get back to applying the tips in today’s lesson. And of course, if you have questions or comment, I am all ears.

Organization means having a purpose and a plan for your content, your website and your organization or business. It prides you with the focus, the time and the energy to be creative and develop content that will draw visitors your site and keep them there and returning in the future.

Tips for Organizing to get Consistent Content

1. Make a weekly plan for content topics. Set up a day each week when you will cover a particular subject or area in your niche. Having a plan for what you will write will make it easier for you to create your content. It will also allow your visitors to know what content to expect and will make them more likely to stop by for that new content.

2. Keep notes and ideas stored up in labeled folders. It would be a good idea to have a folder for each topic that you will be covering. When you are away from your computer or just brainstorming you can fill you folders with ideas for future content.

3. Straighten your desk. It may seem silly, but a cluttered desk makes it difficult to think and to be creative. Clutter will also be a distraction for doing the things you need to be doing because you start thinking about straightening and organizing instead.

4. Write out invoices as you go. Knowing what jobs you have completed and filling out your invoices for those jobs will free you up at the end of the month to continue working on your content.

5. Kill the distractions. Planning out your day through a schedule, to-do list or other tools will help you stay focused on the tasks that need to be accomplished. You will never create the content that you desire for your website if you are constantly running around putting out fires instead of plowing along on the path that you intentionally chose.

Organization is not about being neat and tidy. It centers on the ability to easily find what you need when you need it. Reducing the clutter, making a plan and defeating distractions will all push you towards the goal of organization.

Creating an organized work space and work life will not create great content for you (unless you are writing about organization) but organization is a powerful tool in the complete scheme for consistent content that will build your website and draw new and loyal visitors to that website along the way.