5 Easy Steps to Create Your Content Selling System…
Without Going Completely Batty In The Process
Working Effectively with your VA Team
is only a click away.
Download our Client Guide to find out how.
When you started your business, you probably felt inspired and had no trouble thinking up ideas for new and interesting content. But after a while the enthusiasm has fizzled out and you’re stuck for new ideas. Updating your website, blog or creating content in general becomes tedious and soul-sucking.
So, how do you keep up with the demand for new, high-quality content without getting overwhelmed, getting stuck in the back end of your website and going totally batty in the process?
By utilising a Promotional Calendar Framework – that makes it easy to brainstorm, plan and publish new content. And more importantly one that ensures it ties in with why you’re producing content in the first place – to build an audience, and to generate leads and sales.
Here’s how we step our clients through this so that they can hand most of it off to their support staff, oftentimes our virtual assistants (VAs) working remotely doing the heavy lifting for them.
Ready?
Step 1: Define Content Categories
The most strategic way to think about your content categories is to define the transformation or the transformational steps your ideal clients go through using your product.
For example,
- If you sell essential oil blends, then you might want to talk about the different ways one might use your essential oils, e.g. CALM, CLARIFY, PURIFY etc; or
- If you are an executive coach, perhaps your clients go from CONFUSION about their career options to having absolutely CLARITY about what they want and why it’s important to them.
Here’s how Anne McKeown’s clients transform through her coaching program at 2MPower. She uses a simple 10-step success formula. There’s a clear before and after state at each of the 10 steps as her clients transform from being OVERWHELMED at the start of their journey – at the prospect of creating success personally or professionally – to first being able to VISUALISE it, SENSING it in their mind’s eye….and all the way through to finally OWNING their success when they complete Anne’s program.
Once you have your content categories defined you can sort all your blogs, articles and posts accordingly; and when structured correctly on your website, will also help your SEO. Bonus!
Step 2: Create an FAQ library to answer the most frequently asked questions about each step or category in your product or program.
You’ll find a gold mine here that will enable you to plug the gaps in your marketing and sales funnel.
Also see if you can dispel some common myths or misunderstandings. For example so many people have misconceptions about sales that stop them getting their business launched; or they have the wrong idea about sales and marketing funnels.
Totally understandable given misinformation is rife on the interwebs. We are here to set the record straight.
And you can help your audience do the same.
Step 3. List search terms your audience uses for each category
This will help you set up your blog posts better, run better ads and improve your SEO.
Most of all it will help you stay in touch with your audience and what they truly need from you right here right now.
There’s this thing called ‘message to market match’ and spending a little bit of time figuring out what conversations are currently taking place in your ideal clients’ heads will enable you to provide just the right piece of content to what they are desperately seeking. You can consider both the search terms and the search volume to gauge what people are searching for and whether there’s demand for it.
That’s how you’re going to determine the perfect offer for them. That’s next in Step 4.
Step 4: Determine your promotions
Promotions can be a valuable download that you offer in exchange for an email address or phone number.
Promotions can be the product that you’re offering or simply an invitation to inquire about a customised solution.
Some examples of promotions from our clients…
Amanda Brocket of The Raw Food Kitchen provides several solutions for her clients in their journey to incorporate more plant-based foods in their diet.
- For her audience looking to heal their gut issues (PROBLEM), she offers the 4-Week Gut Makeover Program (SOLUTION).
- Those struggling with low energy and are time poor when it comes to preparing healthy plant-based meals (PROBLEM), she offers the 7-Day Raw Food Plan (SOLUTION)
There’s at least one solution for each of the categories that your product deals with.
Or if you’re a coach and mentor like Anne McKeown, your core program is the ultimate solution to all the problems that you solve. Your promotion might be about helping your audience identify where they are at in your process.
Anne does this through a 1:1 consultation or clarity call. She helps her clients identify the obstacles that are stopping them from getting to the next stage of their success journey based on her 10-step framework.
Step 5: Determine publishing frequency
Your publishing calendar is all about making it easier for you to plan and build content. But this doesn’t mean that you’re forever more creating content.
By following these 3 important guidelines when planning out your publishing calendar you’ll be able to determine how frequently you need to be in front of your audience.
- Plan around your promotions, i.e. which products are you going to offer and when
- Make sure all the important dates are covered, e.g. holidays, shopping events, or any other special events relevant to your industry or your business;
- 80:20 rule when it comes to providing content only (80%) and asking for the sale (20%)
Firstly, by planning around promotions and important dates you’ll be able to prioritise content that will systematically encourage your audience to inquire about your promotion.
Secondly, publishing content towards a promotion doesn’t mean that you’re asking for the sale all the time. Hence the 80:20. Only 20% of your content is about asking for the sale. The way we do this is to schedule content throughout the week that comprises the 5Ps:
- Problem
- Promise
- Proof
- Ping
- Promo
Notice that the promo or promotion only comprises 20% of all your posts. The other 80% of the time you’re delving into the problem, providing your solution or promise including the proof via testimonials and case studies. We always encourage a ping or engagement with your audience as well…
Ask them about their current challenges.
Ask them what they have found most useful in what you’ve presented so far.
Ask them what they would like to ask you if they had time with you in person.
Then when you’re responding to them, your promotion will make sense…
As a solution to their challenges
As more detail to what they have found most useful.
As an invitation to speak with you personally.
Is this all starting to make sense?
Can you see why it pays to be strategic about content?
Putting it all together
Most entrepreneurs struggle to come up with content every day that is meaningful, valuable and more importantly helps them grow their leads and sales.
Most of it is spray and pray.
But you know better now and will be creating your very own Content Selling System.
- First, by Defining Your Content Categories, you’re defining your ultra-specific niche and identifying problems you solve for your ideal clients.
- Then by digging into the FAQs, you’re building up a repertoire of educational content to help your audience make a buying decision.
- With the Keyword Research, you’re figuring out what the most pressing problems in each of those content categories are.
- Then you’ll be able to craft the perfect offer for your audience with the exact Promotion or solution to their problem.
- And through your Publishing Calendar you’re creating and publishing content with the 5P framework that consistently points your audience to what they need and want – your solution to their problems.
It’s a win-win for everyone.
What does the workflow actually look like? To get it all done without you having to do all the work.
For many clients, it’s often a commitment to producing new valuable content regularly. For some that might be monthly. For others, like Business Astrologer and Holistic Executive Coach Josephine Corcoran, it’s a live video update every week. Josephine then utilises our team of specialist VAs to leverage her content across multiple platforms over the course of the week.
First she sets up a 12-month promotional calendar so that everyone knows what content is going out and when.
Then every single week…
Step 1: Josephine writes the key points for her Facebook live based on the current Astrological theme for that week.
Step 2: Our social media managers then takes the Facebook Live video and embeds it onto her blog along with a written summary of the key points. Those key points noted from the Facebook live also get written up into an article for her audience on Linkedin if it’s deemed a suitable topic for that platform.
Step 3: The team sends out a short email with a screenshot of Josephine’s Facebook live to her list.
Step 4: Our writers create 3-5 memes or quotes from the notes to be scheduled for the social media platforms Josephine’s clients are on – in this case Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
Step 5: We also create a summary email scheduled to be sent out towards the end of the week recapping the Facebook Live video and encouraging her audience to tune in, to engage and provide their feedback on the Facebook Live.
The Result: From just a single 10-15 minute Facebook Live it’s entirely possible to stay connected with your audience and continue to drive inquiry for your products for the rest of the week.
Clients who utilise this strategic Content Selling System know exactly what to do and how the content and messaging are working in sync to create a steady stream of inquiries about their promotions.
There’s no overwhelm. There’s no confusion about what needs to get done each day.
There’s a process that delivers valuable content to your audience whilst leveraging your time and focus. After all it’s about enabling you to do what you do best right?
Contact us to see how a similar process might work for you to generate more leads and sales for your business using the valuable content you already have.