Strategic, thoughtful, high-quality content can transform how companies connect with their target audience and drive organic traffic to their websites. For small business owners navigating today’s digital landscape, understanding content creation isn’t just helpful; it’s essential for survival and growth.
Learn how to excel at the content creation game, with insights from Ali Osterhol, founder of Explorer Knits + Fibers; Charlotte Palermino, founder of Dieux; and Liah Yoo, founder of KraveBeauty.
What is content creation?
Content creation is the process of developing and publishing digital content across various online platforms and marketing channels, like email, social media, and blogs. The goal is to create valuable content that tells your brand’s story, educates your specific audience, and drives website traffic.
Content creation formats
- Blog posts and articles
- Video content
- Email newsletters
- Social media content
- Podcasts and audio formats
Understanding different content formats can help you create engaging content across multiple platforms to support your content marketing strategy. Here’s a breakdown of common formats:
Blog posts and articles
Publishing written content (especially long-form articles) can improve your SEO ranking and drive organic traffic to your website. Expert-driven articles help businesses that want to establish topical authority in their industry and boost search visibility.
The key lies in balancing organic SEO tactics with reader value. Your blog content should naturally incorporate relevant keywords while addressing your audience’s specific needs and questions. Creating evergreen content that addresses common customer queries can continue delivering value long after publication—a cornerstone of an effective SEO strategy and the written content form.
Video content
Video has emerged as one of the most engaging content formats—with video streaming making up 91% of global internet traffic). Video offers businesses powerful ways to connect with their audience through visual storytelling. From short-form content on TikTok and Instagram Reels to longer educational videos on YouTube, video content allows brands to demonstrate products, share expertise, and build personal connections with viewers.
The versatility of video content makes it suitable for various marketing goals. Educational videos establish expertise, behind-the-scenes content builds trust and transparency, product demonstrations showcase features and benefits, and livestreaming creates real-time engagement opportunities.
Charlotte Palermino, founder of Dieux, shares on the Shopify Masters podcast how her TikTok video content made complex topics accessible to her audience. “One of our most viral videos right now has over 100,000 views and is just talking about packaging and non-mined aluminum,” she says. Educational content, when presented in an engaging way, can capture audience attention even when it’s centered around seemingly mundane topics.
Liah Yoo, founder of KraveBeauty, built her multimillion-dollar skin care company by documenting her journey with adult acne on YouTube. On Shopify Masters, Liah emphasizes the power of long-form video content: “You can’t really form a relationship with a content creator if you’re watching that person for 15 seconds. I think an audience comes to YouTube and they intentionally click on your video to watch what you have to say or what your life is like.”
While video content requires more resources than written content, the investment often pays off. Consider your content team’s capabilities and your audience’s platform preferences when developing your video content strategy to use your resources effectively and maximize your reach.
Email newsletters
Newsletters are a valuable form of content creation, allowing businesses to maintain regular communication with current customers while nurturing potential customers through targeted messaging. Unlike social media platforms, where algorithm changes can limit your reach, email marketing ensures your content reaches subscribers who have explicitly opted to hear from you.
Effective email newsletter content balances promotional messages with valuable information, educational content, and exclusive insights that subscribers can’t get on your other marketing channels. This approach builds anticipation for your emails while providing genuine value that justifies your place in busy inboxes.
Email newsletters work particularly well for sharing behind-the-scenes content, announcing new products or services, providing exclusive discounts, and delivering curated industry insights. They also serve as a platform for repurposing and linking to other content formats, such as your blog articles and YouTube content.
The key to successful email content is consistency, personalization, and segmentation. Regular communication keeps your brand top of mind, while personalized content based on subscriber behavior and preferences increases engagement rates and conversion potential.
Social media content
Social media marketing encompasses various formats across different platforms, with each requiring a tailored approach to maximize engagement. Understanding each platform’s unique culture and how your audience consumes content on different social media platforms helps you create more effective social posts that drive meaningful interactions.
For example, Instagram favors visually appealing content and brand storytelling, while LinkedIn thrives on professional insights and industry commentary. TikTok rewards creative, entertaining content that captures viewers’ attention quickly, and Facebook still excels at community building through discussions. What works on one social media platform may not translate effectively to another, requiring platform-specific content strategies.
Authenticity, honesty, and relatability are key to effective social media content creation. Charlotte grew an audience for Dieux by talking straight to the camera when posting to social media, educating her audience on the science of skin care. And she doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects, like how Dieux prices its products.
“I think a lot of brands are afraid to say certain things because it opens up the door for more conversations,” Charlotte says on Shopify Masters. “It’s much easier to give a straightforward answer to something that’s definitive versus saying, ‘Well, it depends.’ That takes a lot more work, and a lot more education.”
Her honest approach to content creation has helped Charlotte earn more than a million likes on TikTok and establish Dieux as a trusted voice in skin care. Her approach demonstrates that successful content creators don’t just push products—they provide genuine value to their content consumers through education and transparency.
Podcasts and audio formats
Podcasts and other audio formats are a rapidly growing marketing channel, as more people embrace audio consumption during commutes, workouts, and other activities. The format allows for in-depth conversations, expert interviews, and storytelling opportunities that help you build deeper connections with your audience.
Audio content works particularly well for educational topics, industry discussions, and personal stories that benefit from conversational formats. You can repurpose audio content into written content, social media clips, and video content, maximizing your content creation efforts across multiple channels.
Tips for your content creation process
- Identify your audience’s problems
- Stay true to your brand’s voice
- Plan your content calendar strategically
- Focus on quality over quantity
- Measure what matters
- Adapt and evolve
Creating a sustainable content creation process requires understanding your business goals, target audience, and available resources, then tailoring your content to each individual platform.
Identify your audience’s problems
Before developing content ideas, identify what challenges your target audience faces. Liah’s success came from addressing a specific customer pain point. “People who have dealt with acne for so many years feel almost hopeless,” she says. “So when they’re finally coming to YouTube to search how to clear acne, they are looking for the last piece of advice.”
Ask yourself: What questions do your customers repeatedly ask? What misconceptions exist in your industry? What problems can your products or services solve?
Stay true to your brand’s voice
Your content should reflect your brand personality and brand values. Determine your brand voice, whether it’s your own voice, as it is for Charlotte, or a character that your brand assumes. Charlotte says, “I remember I met somebody that I was kind of friends with on the internet, and they’re like, ‘Oh wow, you really are exactly like you are on social media.’” The tone of your posts will change depending on the content, but your brand voice should stay consistent.
Plan your content calendar strategically
Rather than creating content daily just to meet a posting goal, develop an editorial calendar centered on content pillars. Use social media planning tools to organize your content ideas, publishing dates, and topic ideas. Consider seasonal trends, product launches, and industry events when planning your content strategy.
Repurpose successful content across other formats and channels. For example, you can expand ideas that perform well in social posts into blog posts, and convert high-performing video clips into full-length educational content.
Focus on quality over quantity
The pressure to create content constantly can lead to burnout—and more isn’t always better. Ali Osterhol, founder of Explorer Knits, takes a quality-over-quantity approach that challenges conventional wisdom. She explains on Shopify Masters how her strategy proves that meeting posting quotas isn’t the only effective approach. Rather than focusing on posting schedules, she shares content when she has something genuinely valuable to say.
This philosophy has helped her build a successful business and following through organic content (Explorer Knits + Fibers has more than 50,000 Instagram followers) without relying on paid advertising or following strict posting schedules.
Measure what matters
Track marketing key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business goals rather than vanity metrics. Whether it’s website traffic, conversion rates, or community engagement, focus on how your content creation contributes to your bottom line.
Adapt and evolve
Your content creation process should evolve as your business grows and your audience’s needs change. Conduct regular content audits to identify what’s working, what isn’t, and where you can improve. This data-driven approach ensures your content marketing efforts remain effective as your business scales.
The key to successful content creation is authenticity, consistency, and genuine value. Focus on creating valuable content that serves your audience’s needs while staying true to your brand purpose. Building a sustainable content creation process takes time, but the results—loyal communities, increased sales, and brand authority—make the investment worthwhile.
What is content creation FAQ
What is meant by content creation?
Content creation refers to developing and publishing digital content across various online platforms. It includes blog posts, social media content, video content, and email newsletters.
What is an example of content creation?
When skin care brand Dieux created a video for TikTok breaking down the brand’s packaging and non-mined aluminum, it transformed technical industry knowledge into educational, behind-the-scenes content that proved highly engaging for its audience and went viral on TikTok.
What does a content creator do?
A content creator develops valuable content that serves their audience’s needs while supporting business objectives. Content creators research topic ideas, understand audience preferences, create multiple pieces of content across different formats, and continuously refine their content strategy based on performance and feedback.
