How can you use content marketing to attract clients at any career stage?

There are templates and exercises you can use to figure this out. Then as you write content , you ask yourself. What's the purpose of this piece and who am I trying to write too. Writing to one person is so much more effective that just trying to talk to everyone.

Segmentation and specialisation are key in consulting; however, keep an open mind for cross-industrial benchmarks and solutions. I'd recommend striving to derive the value (hence, the value proposition) you can bring to the table from your interests, experience, and T-shaped knowledge set. As a result, you'll be able to define your niche and craft your value proposition to create content that directly addresses your ideal clients' pain points, goals, and challenges, showcasing how you can help them.

Identify a key persona that represents your ideal client in your niche. This persona should be detailed, including their industry role, challenges they face, their goals, and what they value in a service like yours. Once this persona is defined, create content that speaks directly to them. For example, if you provide cybersecurity solutions for small healthcare practices, your persona might be a healthcare practice manager concerned about patient data security. Tailor your blog posts, videos, and case studies to address these specific concerns, offering insights, solutions, and success stories relevant to safeguarding patient data. This targeted content strategy ensures your marketing efforts resonate deeply with your ideal clients.

Choose a primary platform with plenty of reach in your target market. Identify a platform/channel to market your services where your potential customer verticals reside, not which platform you enjoy most. Try not to spread yourself out too thin with too many social channels. Make sure to develop a few customer personas that can help you identify the right platform for your marketing efforts. Update the personas as more data comes in! :)

Determine where your audience spends their time – LinkedIn, industry-specific forums, or professional newsletters – and focus your content distribution on these platforms. For example, LinkedIn and industry webinars might be ideal for engaging with professionals in corporate sectors. In contrast, platforms like Instagram or YouTube could be more suitable if your target audience is younger or more visually oriented. This tailored approach to content format and platform choice ensures that your marketing efforts are being seen and appreciated by the right audience in your niche.

Devote dedicated attention to your target audience's needs and interests, offering viable solutions. Understand the problems and challenges they face and provide alternative options through your content. Create value by concentrating on and addressing one issue at a time. Don't hesitate to share practical advice occasionally to showcase your expertise, and remember that in consulting, the 'What (to do)' is always free, and the 'How (to do it)' is what the client is paying for.

Your content should delve into the nuances of your niche’s specific challenges and opportunities. The key is providing information not readily available elsewhere, offering in-depth analysis, actionable advice, and innovative solutions. This approach will establish you as a thought leader in your field and make your content indispensable to your target clients, greatly enhancing your ability to attract and engage them effectively.

If Content is King, then Distribution is the Kingmaker. (Think about that for a moment.) Posting on social media platforms like LinkedIn and X is key. I'd also recommend sharing your insights and opinions when the opportunity arises and if it's asked and relevant. Don't be pushy and keep in mind, it's not about you, it's about them. In real-life situations, active listening, synthesising problems, and providing relevant solutions to decision-makers and stakeholders will go a long way. Internalise their problems and approach first, then refer to your content and/or highlight your experience or relevant work to them. Offer to share those if they don't mind. Engage with people, attend events and conferences, join associations, and network.

Content is King Was always, Will always. - The tools might change - The in-demand format might change - The platforms might change - The algorithms might change - But, people, people gonna people And people love good content If you can differentiate between learning algorithms and learning people - you can build a more scalable strategy that holds for years rather than whatever the current 'insert fad'/AI is. My best advice for anyone looking to do content marketing is to go beyond just the trends, and focus on solving issues your target audience has with your content regarding your product/service. And you can do it in more ways than one. Heck use memes if you have to.