077: This Is The Secret Formula To Creating Content That Sells
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Today’s talking point:
Here's a question that I know you've asked yourself:
What is the secret formula to actually creating free content that sells?
Well, you are going to love this episode because I am about to show you exactly how to turn free content into cash flow.
Bring a notebook and pull out your favourite beverage because you are going to want to stay until the very end. This is one of the most important skills you can learn as a modern business owner and I am going to show you exactly how to do it.
Reverse Engineer The Sale
The first tip I have for you when it comes to creating content that sells is that you need to reverse engineer the sale.
When you reverse engineer the process of creating content that leads people to an actual paid offer, everything shifts. It's that intersection point between content that you want to actually create to build trust and value in your community and the content that actually pays the bills that funds the mission.
I don't care if you are product based or service based - you have a mission that you have to fund, you have that big goal, and you have to find a way to help other people. Really, that comes down to profits and money.
You'll have heard me say this before, but choosing profitability over popularity is so key. In the traditional business world, you don't really come across this concept of creating content for free, that actually moves the needle in terms of sales. Even though direct response marketing has been around for a while, really the last ten years is when we’ve seen this explosion of modern marketing.
Leverage the power of education and the power of content creation to build trust and relationships with clients and customers. By giving your audience something of value for free, in exchange for that relationship and trust, hopefully they will take action on it and will actually purchase from you in the future. In the long run, they will tell all of their friends about you.
Direct Response Marketing
It is really dangerous to only focus on building the followers, the actual platform. It's easy to get addicted to the numbers and to constantly chase that new thing. Instead, slow the heck down and say:
How do I convert an actual follower?
How do I convert someone who just landed on my blog?
How do I convert a subscriber?
How do I turn that person into a paying client or customer, and not just any paying client or customer, but a paying client or customer that is absolutely thrilled to do business with me?
For so many brands, a customer journey literally is based on intent; meaning that the only marketing that they are doing is SEO. It is a very simple way of designing your content strategy; you basically convert a lead who has intent pretty quickly if:
You can address objections
You can actually be the company that has the highest ratings
You have the best customer testimonials
But that is also a very one sided approach to marketing. It's very short-term. Let's create content for the long haul, create content that is actually going to move people to action right now.
Before we even create a content piece, think, what is the objective of this piece? I'll tell you in my business, there isn't one single piece of content that we don't assign a purpose to to make sure they are actually going to move the needle in our business.
You Are A Business Owner First
There is this notion that if you move people to action, then all of a sudden, you are some kind of traitor, you sold out, or are only focused on the profits.
First of all, you're a business owner, you're an entrepreneur, you are a creator. You cannot exist without making a profit. Who the heck is going to pay for your bills? How are you going to fund your entire operation?
It's not being aggressive with your sales and your messaging, but the way you think about profits, the way that you strategise around profits. If you don't, you're actually doing a disservice to people who really need your help, to the people that want you to continue existing as a brand.
It's your responsibility to become profitable.
Creating A Process
When it comes to ironing down your customer buying journey, how do you reverse engineer that process? You may be thinking, I understand the theory, but how do you actually take what you just said and put it into practice? Here’s an example.
I have a group coaching program called the Busy to Boss Academy, and I created this podcast which is called Blog it, Boss it Radio. They both have “boss” in the title. Now, there are so many different reasons why I created this podcast. But when it comes to what is relatable, or what makes sense for this specific episode, it really is all about reverse engineering. It allows me to have longer form episodes, where I can dive deep into topics like this one, and I can build my relationship with you. I can give you a preview of what it's like in the Academy on the very surface level.
This is how you create a customer buying journey. This is how you create a content marketing system that takes people from zero to someone who purchases, so you can dive deeper into sharing your expertise.
The CTA
Niche your content down in a way that you are speaking directly to your target audience. Once you have an idea of the content you want to create and a strategy, how do you ask for a sale? There's going to be a call to action. A call to action can be anything from:
Buy my product
Schedule a consultation
Sign up for something to download
Join my email list
Once you know what the CTA is going to be, ask yourself: “Do I have enough right now, that would encourage people to actually take that next step in my buyer journey?”
There are a variety of ways you can look at this, and I want you to look at it from your own perspective.
Another way that you can move people to action directly is just to create a longer form type of content piece. Something you really want to keep in mind here is that, the higher the cost of your product, the more you want to build a relationship of trust with your audience. Make sure that, whoever is consuming that piece of content, even if they are brand new to your community, they feel a connection with you.
Oftentimes when you are going straight to the sale, it's really smart for you to make your blog post extra beefy.
Go live to promote it
Do something a little different
Create a video series
Share an entire full blown episode
Do an hour long live
It's about how much value you pack into that piece of content. If you are going to ask for the sale and your product is high end, you need to make your promotion or interaction valuable and irresistible. Take time crafting that content piece, and then transition well into the “ask.”
ABOUT THE BLOGGER
Hi! I’m Holly Bray
I’m an expert at online marketing, a nerd when it comes to the numbers, and my obsession is teaching others how to know what tasks to focus on so they can create a business that GIVES them life (not one that takes it away).
