Have you ever wondered how to create the momentum of influence in your business? Your brand will quickly increase influence in your market through a unified and compelling online presence. You will be respected by your customers and by your competition by publishing remarkable content with tremendous benefits.
What does this look like?
Well let’s consider what it looks like internally…
You first have a planning process in place that allows you to strategically create and publish usable content consistently. So, that you/your team don’t get overwhelmed and paralyzed in trying to do everything all at once. Your business flows more smoothly and you can focus on doing what you love!
Next, let’s take a gander at the external view…
Externally, prospects and customers will start to see you as a reliable resource. You will become, in their minds, the go-to-expert to get the information they need to make buying decisions and that includes buying from you! Additionally, your competition will be trying to keep up and marveling at how you can stay so on top of your game when it comes to produces engaging content. They’ll think you must have a Genie on your team or something **wink**.
Here are 5 Key Strategies to Creating Influence with Content:
Listen to Your Audience: I love using surveys, polls and discussions to capture the true voice of your target audience. You can use this information as the basis to create new content that you know they will want since it came from their on words. For example an open ended survey or discussion question like, “What social networking automation programs do you use to help streamline your social media marketing activities?”, will provide content that you can use to create a multi-part article series on “Automating Your Social Media Marketing 101″. (feel free to use it if you like ).
Toot Your Own Horn: Don’t be shy. Make sure your network knows if you are recognized for any award large or small as well as any interviews or guest invites you may get. It tells them you are a sought after expert that needs paying attention to.
Create Reference Material: This is a great way to add value to your consumers. Create and eGuide (formerly known as ebook), whitepaper or report that provides golden nuggets of information your prospects can use and apply right away. It could be free or fee. They key is to ensure it is something your audience truly needs and not just “fluff” to get people to give up their email or cash to you. Also, another great thing to do is to embed worksheets and video tutorials to supplement your blog articles
Make it a Series: This is perhaps my most favorite part of content marketing! by breaking up a meaty topic into a multi-part audio, blog or article, you can create content that naturally patterns your audience to hunger for what’s coming next. It will also provide you with a head start on producing other content for release. There is so much “win” with this strategy, it’s hard to list them all in this article, so maybe I’ll create a series on how to create a series…see how that works?
Stay Visible and Exist to Solve Problems: The key is to stay active in the networks and forums you are a part of. The more they see you the more they will marry you to their mental Rolodex of people to contact when I get to point X or when I have the money to solve this problem or even better… now! This shows prospects that you are willing to help and guide and not just hammer them with offers and sales pitches. It communicates a genuine care to improve there lives and build a real relationship.
A gift that keeps on giving:
Having influence in your market provides you with powerful leverage. It’s a win win for your business and your consumers. So, take a little time to plan your content marketing strategy and you’ll be well on your way to gaining influence and winning customers.
Content marketing provides connections, relationships and friendships across the globe, on whatever platform available: Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter or on various forums.
What does this look like?
Its important to leverage your content in a way that brings people together around a common problem or cause. A great illustration would be to create a movement around a product or service offering.
Here are 5 Key Strategies to Creating Community with Content:
Identify your passion and step boldy into your voice. Don’t let the virtual thing fool you. Stepping out online is a scary thing. Remember when you were in school and you didn’t raise your hand because you wanted to wait for someone else to ask your question? There are hundreds and thousands of people who have the problem you exist to solve and there are just as many who also want to solve them. No one can say it or deliver it like you. And when you do, you will soon find people will be attracted to the integrity of your messaging.
Create content that people can use. Think beyond articles and even videos. What can you add to make your content more sticky? Now more than ever, people need more than a great lesson, they need a way to practice and lock in what they learn. So, maybe create a workbook or blueprint that accompanies your article or video. This content marketing idea blueprint can help you get started.
Use social media to engage more people. If you are struggling with knowing what to say in your social networking communications, you are not being YOU. Social media is simply an opportunity to connect and build of your core message. It allows you to break free from the salesy confines of your website and meet people where they play. So, if you are stuck, just be curious and get noticed by supporting the conversations of your ideal clients. It’s a great strategy for getting on their radar.
Snyc your message to your offerings. Selling is the transfer of emotion. People make buying decisions based on emotion. Therefore, your marketing content should speak to the emotional senses of your audience. bring your personality to your marketing. Make if fun and relatable so a real connection can be made. Content Marketing isn’t about the hard sell. It’s about creating an atmosphere where prospects get to know, like and trust you without the wall of resistance. It is creating a relationship through providing content that they can apply to the problems in their lives.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving:
There are many more points to consider, but I think these give you a pretty good idea of how to get people to rally around your message. Creating a community gives you the added onus of Add value while being yourself and do so consistently, the people and profits will come!
Marketing is all about knowing your customers. By being close to the customer’s hearts and knowing what their pains are, you can benefit by providing information in order to meet those needs. Don’t talk to them like a salesman delivering a sales pitch– always talk to your customers like they are your friends.
One of the most important gifts you can receive from implementing a Content Marketing Strategy in your online businessis the gift of customer intimacy.
What is customer intimacy?
Wikipedia defines Customer Intimacy as, “a concept from marketing, which describes the ability of a supplier to become accepted and known as the regular partner with its customer.”
It essentially means that you and your customers develop a co-creator relationship in crafting the solutions you provide.
What does this look like?
Let’s say you create a survey/poll. Respondents that identify with your questions will complete your survey. You take the results and create a teleclass providing answers based on the results of your survey.
You asked them, they told you, and you created a custom fit solution that sells itself.
Whether the solution you offer is for free or fee, you will have successfully created a bond that will position you as someone to seek out when they need solutions.
Here are 5 Key Strategies to creating customer intimacy with content:
Stop talking about your product/service and start educating your audience about how the features of your offerings help them become, better, smarter or more profitable.
Use surveying tools to uncover the pains and challenges of your market.
Find out what content vehicles your market prefers (i.e. written, audio, video).
Make your content “sticky” by ensuring you always present relevant and usable content.
Create a plan for incubating and producing solutions. This could be as simple as publishing a survey at the beginning of the month and re-purposing it as a solution by the end of the month. be sure to take into consideration the restraints on your time, financial and support resources.
The Gift that Keeps on Giving:
One of the by-products of getting your customer’s feedback in their own words is you can more easily speak their language when you are developing promotional content. We know that sometimes it can be difficult to get out of our own heads and speak to the heart of our prospects and clients.
Here are a few examples of ways you can use the feedback from your surveys:
Create sales pages that capture their pains in their own words
Create email campaigns that inspire clicks
Create info products that provide the results they are looking for
Create a blog that draws hot and ready leads
And I am sure there are tons more. Now that we’ve opened the gift of customer intimacy, let’s rip into the next package in this series…
Tis the season for some gift giving. But, make sure your business doesn’t get left out by giving your business the gift of content marketing.
Here’s the scoop…
Content marketing is Awesome! Why am I so in love with content marketing? Well, other than the fact that I am a complete “nerd”, it adds tremendous fire power to your business.
Many webpreneurs are intrigued by this form of marketing, but get turned off by the work up front. But, true success is in the plan, not in the fast trends that is so widely promoted these days. Web business owners have to embrace the fact that we’re all publishers of content. And ultimately, people who fight it eventually give in due to fatigue and poor results. Well written articles, cool video and convenient audios will create credibility and attract a diverse flow of hungry to buy prospects.
Content Marketing provides you with the gift of multiple assets with profit generating potential. My goal is to make every webpreneur fall in love with content marketing too! So, without further adieu…
Here are the twelve gifts of content marketing that every online business owner should be thankful for:
#01 Customer Intimacy
Every online marketer knows that marketing is all about knowing their customers. By being close to the customer’s hearts, and by knowing what they their pains and challenges are, you can gain an advantage by providing information that meet their needs. Don’t talk to them like a salesman delivering a sales pitch– always talk to your customers like they are your precious friend.
#02 Creates Community
A solid Content Marketing strategy helps you produce a message that rallies strong connections, relationships and friendships across the globe, on a variety of platforms: Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter and other forums. Let your prospects count the ways they love you!
#03 Builds Influence
Your brand will increase influence in your market through a unified and compelling online presence. You will be respected by your customers and by your competition by publishing remarkable content with tremendous benefits.
#04 Profitable Progress
At the end of the day, you want to sell—and you will be more successful when people can come to know like and trust your offerings. Content Marketing allows you to hop off the last minute marketing bus and onto the profitable progress train. You’ll be able to move forward instead of circling the wagon of un-profitability.
#05 Become an Author
Content marketing makes an author out of you! One of the cool things about working from a content marketing strategy is that it’s makes it easy to become an author. Because you are releasing a steady stream of content each month, you could have your book done in a year or less. To make it even easier, try to publish content around a central theme each month. That way, each month can represent a chapter. Twelve months equals twelve chapters. An attractive way content marketing can unleash the inner author in you and give you something you can leverage over and over again.
#06 Meaningful Communication
There is an art to communicating online. It’s not one sided, it’s a two way street! Consumers are in control of the messages they allow into their experience. That’s why it’s important to create a two way conversation with your audience. Show them how important their results are to you, not just how great your product/service is. If you can successfully communicate real meaning, you can make real money!
#07 Loyal Customers
Keep your customers by satisfying them. Provide truthful and helpful insights, tips and information. Constantly update by providing fresh and new content as often as possible. By doing so, your customers will come back again and again.
#08 Platform for Advocacy
Online marketing gives you a channel to broadcast your own thoughts and opinions regarding an issue. It’s a great avenue to voice and share your thoughts to others in order to influence and advocate causes you believe in.
#09 Focus and Purpose
Content marketing allows you to be focused on what your company intends to do. For instance, if you are selling dog food and supplies, focus on writing articles on dog care, food and maintenance. You no longer have to share knowledge on unrelated issues and topics.
#10Competitive Advantage
We are all content marketing. You’re either doing it blind or strategically. It takes planning. And since most webpreneurs aren’t fans of strategic planning, odds are, your competition isn’t using a content marketing strategy. This means you can really position yourself competitively and emerge as THE EXPERT in your industry.
#11 Become a blessing to others
You got in this business to improve or change the lives of your clients. Content Marketing gives you an opportunity to provide a preview of the value prospects can get when they become customers. Give them advice and guidance as a trusted authority and friend. Your influence will make them wiser in choosing products and doing things the right way.
#12 Work life balance
This is the stuff entrepreneurial dreams are made of! By planning and automating your content, you put yourself ahead of the marketing grind, so you can focus on the things in your life and business that matter most.
So, join me as we explore these Twelve Gifts of Content Marketing and their tremendous impact on your life and business.
One of the things people are often surprised to learn about me is that I used to write R&B songs. I’ve written for some artists you’ve never heard of and some you have who never heard of me..hehe. Nevertheless, I come form a love of music and entertainment so, everything I do is colored with that.
I thought I’d share this song in the Music of Business Series to act as a soundtrack for those of us who are stuck, frustrated and overwhelmed in our online entrepreneurial endeavors. It seems that many people are experiencing, what I consider to be “blowback” from operating in a month-to-month marketing habit. Rushing aimlessly through a launch, will not always translate into more sales. However, it can translate into more stress and dissappointment. So, let this sink into your spirit (while you dance a little bit too!). Take a step back, lock the doors and unplug the phone and plan your way to the success you desire. Enjoy this music of your online business tune!
Content marketing more than anything is considered as “THE” marketing strategy of today. Not only does it address the need of businesses to acquire and maintain a HOT consumer base, thus driving profits, it also fills the need of consumers for relevant and valuable information that help them take informed profitable action. If that hasn’t convinced you enough on the merits of content marketing here are 10 reasons why you should be using it in your business.
1) To Establish Yourself as a Credible Expert
Content marketing thrives on the creation and sharing of valuable and relevant information to a defined consumer base or prospective consumer group over a period of time. The keywords here are valuable and relevant, two things that distinguish content marketing from interruption marketing which it has taken over. By repeatedly providing information that’s relevant both to your business and to your customers, you gain the reputation of being an expert in the field, greatly benefitting the credibility of your brand.
2) To Make it Easier for Customers to Trust & Buy
Content marketing goes beyond giving a sales pitch into providing information that your customers actually want to know. By moving away from the traditional way of marketing that is full of interrupting strategies such as advertisements, you set your business up to be accepted more by consumers because the information you provide makes them feel like they know your brand well thus developing trust.
3) Provides You an Opportunity to Educate Your Customers
An informed customer makes better purchasing decisions making content marketing a win for both of you.
4) To Escape the Month to Month Marketing Trap
Most online business owners get so wrapped up in the technologies that support their marketing efforts, that they don’t have time to focus on the big picture. This puts you in a “last minute” planning cycle where things are put into motion without a proper strategy in place. A solid Content Marketing strategy provides you with cushion. It gives you a way to accomplish all the awesome ideas you want to implement but takes away the stress and panic of trying to do it all at once and blindly.
5) To Create Content that Drives Customers to Act
Content marketing enables you to present vital information about your product and the need for it without coming off as if you’re selling it. This sharing of content establishes a connection with customers that breaks down sales resistance.
6) To KNOW your customers want, needs and pains
Content Marketing promotes real conversation. It, more than any other medium represents what the web 2.0 movement is all about, a two way communication. When your prospects don’t feel like they are being sold but nurtured, they will drop their objectivity and more willingly engage with you and your message. Helps to create products people will buy if they are telling you what they want, right?
7) To Stop Wasting Time and Money
Content marketing adapts your business to consumer attitudes and preferences of the here and now. People want information and they know how to get it. So stop wasting your time on ineffective advertising strategies that people tend to ignore nowadays.
8) To Get Of f the Internet Marketing Merry-go-round
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein. Isn’t that where most webpreneurs find themselves? Spinning your wheels trying to get somewhere with no real compass to get there is just insane. Content Marketing stops the merry go round and puts you on a real path to success.
9) To make Developing Products & Services people want easier
Content marketing establishes a connection between your business and customers that is built on the trust that you are also after the interest of the customer more than just making a profit. This makes it easier for customers to give feedback on the products and services that you offer thus making development of these things more customer-centered and less of a guesswork.
10) To Achieve the Success and Impact your desire
Content marketing is the here and now of marketing. Traditional marketing means no longer work effectively because people now have a better knowledge of what they want and they know just how to get it. By adopting content marketing to your business, you allow this shift in consumer attitude to work to your advantage, ensuring the success of your business venture.
With people spending more and more time online than they do anywhere else, many online business owners battle through technology and trends to get their attention. It isn’t unusual to see pop up, slide over, video or audio ads on webpages you visit, in fact they are very common and often successful form of interruption marketing. However, since you have to get people to your site to experience this, you have to cast a wider net and what about the folk who don’t fall for the hovering opt in form? Where does that leave a good marketing strategy? Yes, my friends, diversity is the name of the game and it seems content marketing is fast emerging as the way to go when it comes to reaching and connecting with potential customers. So, businesses have turned to that and a variety of websites, blogs, and other online media with the aim of providing customers with the necessary information to drive them to take a profitable consumer action. The problem is, it’s difficult for a solo online buiness owner with limited time and budget to sustain this kind of undertaking; that is, without a plan.
Your business can gain a lot from using the content marketing model. So, outlined below are steps on how you can create a simple three month online content delivery plan that can help you set up your business for success.
1. Choose a product/service you want to sell
First and foremost know what you are dealing with. Remember, content marketing is all about providing relevant and valuable information to your potential customers. Identify what product or service you want to sell and focus your research on the market or the industry that it belongs to. Mastery of the product or service you are trying to sell is key.
2. Choose a Monthly Theme that relates to your product or service
When you know what product or service you want to promote each month, try to think of a concept or a theme that will work well around it. Get creative with this one because how you present it will largely determine if people will stick around to know more about it. Choose a different theme per month so there will be some variety and keep people checking for anything new. When in doubt, take a look at an observance calendar to find fun ways to deliver your offerings to your audience.
3. Identify what type of content you want to deliver and how frequently
With the different kinds of media available to you online, pick one that is best suited to your message. Social sites, web blogs, online newsletters, all of these have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to determine how to work a particular medium’s strengths to your content delivery needs. Don’t employ these methods just because everyone is doing it. Make sure it is the right option for your resources. Otherwise, it can fall flat. Also, plan out a schedule on when you are to deliver your content. This is often neglected by some, but shouldn’t be because it’ll help you keep track of the success of your content and will help you trend on your progress.
4. Publish your content
Once you’ve chosen the appropriate medium for your type of content, it’s time to put it out there. Take on the mindset of a “publisher” instead of a “seller” so that you can come off as more credible as you gift to your potential customers the information they are seeking.
5. Get Feedback: Track What Works and Why
As you release your content, don’t forget to provide avenues from which your customers can give their feedback. This will make it easier for you to improve on matters that they find problematic or to build on ones that they find useful. Make sure you utilize analytics tools to look at the hard numbers and access the impact of your return on investment.
Content marketing is the today’s hot new “it” marketing strategy. It’s better suited to meet customer demands as well as business sale’s goals, content marketing benefits both ends by being able to provide customers with relevant and valuable information while at the same time driving them to take better profitable action. So how does one capitalize on the merits of content marketing? Here are some ways on how to become as content marketing superstar.
1) Develop a Content Marketing Mindset
Get yourself out of the traditional marketing mindset that centers on selling your product and services through constantly bombarding potential customers with advertisements or what they call interruption marketing. This method isn’t suited to the times anymore as people are now more likely to unsubscribe or simply ignore overt selling. Get yourself into the mindset that people nowadays want to get educated more than anything. They want to be in the know and have the information needed to make an informed decision on how to spend their hard earned dollars.
2) Re-Think How You Market Your Products and Services
As previously mentioned, you have to get off the horse of traditional marketing because it is no longer effective. With content marketing you broaden your avenues for bringing awareness and relevance to your products and services. A lot of new media is available for you to consider such as online newsletters, podcasts, websites, and microblogs. All of these forms have their advantages and disadvantages so plan you intend to market your business and work with a format that will play particularly well to your talents and resources.
3) Commit to the Process
Content marketing is all about consist delivery of high quality content. Once you’ve taken it on, commit yourself to providing your customers with the information they need. Through constant exposure and contact with your customers, you establish your expertise as well as influence in your market. This sets up a trust between you and the customer that will be greatly rewarded with an increase in profitable consumer action as well as repeat businesses.
4) Consider Yourself a Publisher
Getting into the mindset of content marketing means that you now take a different primary role. You are no longer just someone selling a product or offering a service, you have now become a publisher. By embracing this role, you will better be able to work for the interest of your target audience and give them relevant and valuable information.
5) Focus on Entertaining and Adding Value
Engage your customers with your content by focusing on entertaining as well as adding value to your content. This will be the means by which they will continue to patronize your brand and give you their attention.
6) Create a Schedule for Delivery
Again, consistency is key not only in matters of content, but also on when it gets to your customers. By defining a schedule you can easily keep track of the success of your content over time.
7) Systemize your plan and appoint someone to manage the process
A good team and a good strategy are key to the success of content marketing. By having someone manage it, you can define guidelines and standards for the production of content so you remain consistent.
Content marketing is a better fit with the web 2.0 model. The consumer is in control. Like the fans of a music artist or actor, it is their acceptance and magnetism toward you that will catapult you to success. So, if you wanna be a superstar in your market and have the ability to change the world, start implementing these steps today! Lights, Camera ACTION!
If you are like most solo online business owners, you have become ensnared with all the intricacies of marketing your business. So, much so, that you have totally lost the passion and zeal for operating in your expertise. You may even be second guessing whether this was such a good idea to begin with.
There are so many cool things you can do to reach customers online. The problem is… there are so many things you can do to reach customers online. And, we find ourselves trapped in a web of half completed systems in our business that causes us to slow down and become ineffective in our marketing. So, your business stalls.
If this sounds like you, here are six steps to free yourself of the sticky traps of the how and focus on the “ what” and “why” to build a profitable online presence.
Re-visit “Why” You are in business
When you first started your entrepreneurial journey, you had so much optimism, fire and passion to change people’s lives as well as your own. What happened? The thrift of online business start up, in my opinion, weakens the muscles needed to grow a business. As a result, our vision and purpose gets lost and our voice gets muted as we find ourselves trying to get the technology to work so we can start to move. Things change so fast in the online marketing game that while you are trying to figure out the right auto-responder sequence. People have moved on to another marketing trend of the moment to get customers. And, guess what? You are missing out because you can’t even articulate who you are anymore because your brain is fried.
Define “What” it is you are offering
According to a survey done by Foster Research, 90% of customers go online to make buying decisions. So, if you are murky on what your solutions to the problems people are searching to solve are, no one is going to care that you have an awesome website or free “fill in the blank” to offer. When you get caught up in the “how” like what email to send, how often etc. It’s not going to matter how often you communicate with your list, because you have not defined what the result of working with you will be. Look at your own inbox and you will see that it is mostly filled with information you could care less about. So ,you need to ask yourself, how you can communicate more value and meaning to the lives and use of your target audience.
Discover the place where your brilliance breaks through
Online, content is everything and another area where webpreneurs get lost is in operating in areas that don’t suit their natural passion. If you are trying to write weekly blogs and you hate writing or are too busy, you won’t be able to get people to connect to your message. People can’t know you if they don’t see you, like you if they don’t know you or trust you if you are invisible. So, if you can speak, record it then transcribe it. I have found that if you can just talk about what you do and the issues that people have that you exist to solve, the brilliance of you just flows naturally and abundantly. So start there and re-purpose to reach a broader audience.
Plan to do something, not everything
This is a biggie. If you want a news letter because Guru X said you need a newsletter to build your list or a radio show because Guru Y said so, you will find yourself in a horrible tailspin if there is no strategy in place for YOUR vision. I know that traffic generation is the goal but you have to start somewhere and the “do-it-all” approach will leave you and your business broke down, especially if you don’t have a team or the financial resources to get help with implementation. So try the small, slow and steady approach. This way you can develop a rhythm that works for you as well as get more intimate with what your target audience’s pains are.
Commit to an action plan
Don’t allow yourself to become like a dog chasing a ball. Discipline yourself to commit to the plan of action you create. Don’t be distracted by new programs or events. Just work your plan. Those things will always be there. Besides, how many programs have you purchased that you actually use in your business to affect?
Limit your Influencers
Piggybacking off the previous point, try to limit those you follow or employ for advice to a limit of 1-2 people. Anymore will just clog you brain space and render you paralyzed. Stay focused and you will be productive and profitable.
Remember, time is money and the more time you spend trying to do everything and listen to everyone about YOUR business, the less money you will make. So dream big and work smart to see your online business become a web wide success.
So happy that you are here! If you are ready for a change in your online business, then you are in the right place. This video training series is designed to help you become familiar with the benefits of using content marketing and how to implement it in your business.
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