Without great content, you won’t be able to convert your followers into buyers. But, there are some behind-the-scenes thing that goes into creating that content that makes all the difference.
We sat down with Leigh Fowler, who helps entrepreneurs amplify their visibility and impact online! She launched Rise Media + Design Inc to help entrepreneurs get over technology and launch amazing online marketing campaigns.
Rise Media is all about empowering entrepreneurs with feel-good online content marketing and community engagement strategies, insights, trends, tips, inspiration, support, and training.
Together, we talked about the holidays and how to create content that converts.
Creating content is all well and good, but if you don’t have a plan behind it and an outline to follow, most of the time it won’t work out well. You need to strategically think about your content and your audience. And you have to have a real drive and aspiration to see yourself succeed.
The first thing we asked Leigh was her thoughts on the holiday season and some tips for people out there with small businesses.
The most common mistake that business owners make, especially small business owners, is not putting out holiday offers, Fowler said. Everyone else is putting them out and it’s so busy, they think maybe we don’t put an offer out. But, Black Friday is the biggest sales day of the year! She recommended to still show up and put your offer out there and to keep it out there until Monday at least. Don’t forget about Giving Tuesday!
“Never discount a busy day,” Fowler said.
And, while you might think people are just overwhelmed by the number of offers and emails, it would be a disservice to not let your audience know what you have going on.
The 8 C’s of Content that Converts
People are inundated with marketing strategies, and while many of them work very well, if you’re not also using the 8 C’s many times offers fall flat, Fowler said. These must-haves transcend all sorts of platforms, from industries, social media platforms, software, and campaigns. Here’s what you need to actually achieve content that converts.
Community
Community is huge, Fowler said. When we talk about feeling good and helping people connect, your community is how you do that!
When we lead through community first, we help people self-identify with us. The content you put out there fosters your sense of community, how you invite them, and how you include them. Not only does this connect you with your audience, but it also positions you as the leader.
There are two ways fostering community will help you: authority and insider knowledge.
When you’re leading a group, you are showing up as the go-to expert and owning the expertise that you have. You’re sharing with people resources, tips, and trainings, essentially saying, “Come with me and I will show you the way!” This is important for small businesses too. There are all types of content you can share that helps them learn more about their problem and give them the solution.
You can also use your communities and groups to build excitement with insider knowledge and special offers.
Find your tribe through:
- Buyer personas
- Keywords
- Hashtags
- Live events
- Networking
Collaboration
Stop! Collaborate and listen! Okay, that reference is a little dated, but the collaborate part is still super important. You’ve got to collaborate with other people in your marketing.
Work with other experts, some influencers, or existing clients. When you work with others it legitimizes you and helps people understand who you are and what you’re working towards.
Creditability
Authority is when you own your expertise, but credibility is when other people begin to refer to you as the expert, Fowler said. This is an important step for you to be seen as a relevant and trustworthy source of information. You can talk about being an expert all you want, but when someone else calls you an expert it’s viewed way more powerfully by others.
Reviews are a good way to foster and grow your credibility. You can encourage people to review you on sites like Google and Facebook.
And, of course, collaborating with other people in your industry can be a great way of building credibility.
Conviction
You need to believe your product works with a passion! If you don’t trust and love your own product, it will be hard for someone to buy into what it. When you believe in something, it transcends all mediums. This can be through means as simple as a money back guarantee.
Consistency & Commitment
This is all about showing up, doing the work, and making the effort. Have a plan! You also have to have the commitment to owning your mistakes when they happen.
Consistency and commitment isn’t about posting 12 times a day every day, Fowler said. It’s about being consistent in your message and values. When all is said and done, what is the goal? You need to commit to a plan and then accomplish it through your messaging and content.
Capacity
Capacity has everything to do with the goals we set up and whether or not we can achieve them. Sometimes you can be doing great marketing and have consistency, but what you’re trying to make happen in your business isn’t actually possible. It might not even be what you really want.
Say you want to add 30 clients in one month. You have to break that number down, look at the onboarding process, and evaluate if that’s possible to do. If you don’t have the capacity to do the work, the goal is fruitless, Fowler said. And, it can really end up doing more harm than good. Client happiness might not be as high as it would if you took into account your real capacity.
Confidence
Along with having conviction, you also need to be confident. Confidence allows you to go out and ask things for the business. It can be hard to hardline ask yes or no. A lot of people get trapped just putting their name out there or suggesting things. But when you have the confidence to ask for it straight up, or share results, numbers, and feedback, you can get a clear yes or no. Which leads us to the last C!
Clarity
If the offer on your content is clear, it makes it easy to say yes or no, Fowler said. Contrary to popular belief, you should make it easy to say no! Your content should be based around the people you want to say yes. Who is it not for? Make it easy for those people to say, nah. Because you don’t want them to say yes anyway!
Creating content that converts is all about showing up and giving people results. When you can do that for free with your marketing, you’re leading with service first.
How are you creating content that converts? Tell us how you’re doing it!
Comments