Content-Led Selling: Part 2

The Mechanics of Content-Led Selling

Last week was tactical on the channels you should leverage for your content-led strategy:

→ YouTube

→ LinkedIn - Posts, DMs, and Newsletters

→ Email

Employing a content-led selling strategy, we have helped our clients generate $150+ million in the sales pipeline.?

Content-led selling works.?

But what exactly is content? How do you get it in front of the right audience??

Let’s dig in!

What content is and isn't

As much as you think people know what you do, you may be surprised to learn that likely, they have no idea.

Yes, even with 100's of hours poured into your posts...., yup, they don't care. They aren't your ICP. Let's talk about your ICP and content, ok?

Is content promotional material that makes you look good? Explainer videos? Is it only educational or only entertaining??

Or is it all the above?

It’s all of the above and more.?

It's your first and last impression.

The more is the energy behind the content. I’ll explain more about that in a minute, but first, let’s go over what content isn’t and what it is:

Your content = The answer

Your audience = The question and holder of the problem and the checkbook

The channel = The connection between the two

Content is not syncing 1:1 with prospects.

That’s a conversation.?

Here’s what I’ve learned about content.

Content is passive (and can become active. Words matter.)

Content is awareness.

Content is education.

Syncing 1:1, if recorded, can become content, but it’s a conversation.?

Content can be consumed by more than one person at a time.? Can you share what happened in your 1:1 conversation with multiple people?

Yes absolutely.?

But the conversation itself isn’t content.

CONTENT - 1:many, when they want to engage

vs.

CONVERSATION - 1:1, dynamic in real time and can be "forced", i.e. predictable revenue model

SLIDE INTO MY DM's

Ah, the golden channel of DM's. As Darren McKee discusses, this is the golden channel and so few actually use it.

Let’s break this down with one of the channels we chatted about last week:

Email and LinkedIn DMs.?

Cold outreach via these channels is content. If we view it as content, then the intent behind the content changes.?

It is not a 1:1 sync. It is an opportunity to share something that can be consumed and engaged with. Using cold outreach, treating it like content to generate or start a conversation, contributed to 31% of the revenue driven across our portfolio companies.?

You try to start a conversation or give something of value away for free—no expectation of anything in return. It’s not asking for an appointment; it’s a conversation starter or an offer.?

A voice note.

Your engagement rate will increase if you start using cold outreach to share content. You’ll have conversations with decision-makers all day long.?

Will Aitken shows you how below!

But cold outreach is not the only way to get in front of your audience. What are other ways to do it? How can content help you get more eyes on you and your offering?

HOW TO GET ON GOOGLE HOMEPAGE FOR $0.00

You get more eyes on your content by having your content be on-page numero uno for Google. It’s not that complicated to get this done, either! You need authority and keyword recognition, and that takes consistency and skill.

Here’s how I land on the first page of Google Search with the likes of Neil Patel by using LinkedIn Newsletters…

I use a tool, VidIQ, that helps me find topics that my audience is interested in.?

More importantly, and here’s the secret: it tells me the questions that my audience is asking. Exactly.

If you can answer your audience's questions, you will make it easy for them to find you on Google.?

That’s your job with content, to make it easy for your ICP to find you. You can’t do that via google search, youtube search, or any search at all..., unless you’re answering their questions

VidIQ helps me identify those questions. Then, I write about the answers using the keywords they searched for, which gets me to the top search results on Google, alongside Neil Patel.?

Try the process out for yourself. Get VidIQ or a tool like it.

If you haven’t guessed it, newsletters, especially LinkedIn newsletters, are in again. Think of the LinkedIn Newsletter as a way to funnel your audience to your LinkedIn profile and Website.?

If you answer your ICP’s questions, your LinkedIn Newsletter will appear on page one of Google. They’ll click it and go to your LinkedIn Newsletter. Then, they’ll go to your profile to see more of the content you post. Then they’ll go to your website to see what you offer. Some may book a call right then; others will keep consuming your content until they want what you’re offering.?

That’s the power of a LinkedIn Newsletter and Ranking on the 1st page of Google.?

Your ICP has questions, and they will get an answer.

The goal? Simple.

Make sure you’re the one they go to to get the answers.

3 THINGS NOT TO DO

If you want content to work for you, whether it's on LinkedIn, an email newsletter, a podcast on YouTube, or your emails, don’t do these three things:

→ Do not let AI produce the final product.

Let it help you with ideas as it's a great starter, but your "dirt" being thrown on the product is what will uniquely make it you.

→ Do not continue to ignore LinkedIn and YouTube

But, not everyone should post on it. Not all CEO's and founders are cut for the camera. Great, hit the phones, your network, etc. In time, that will wear thin but your thick skin will keep you in the game for a few more years until you find yourself licking your wounds in the corner while your competition is reveling in cleaning your clock 24/7.

→ Do not do it if it doesn't bring you joy.

If it’s not fun for you, it shows, and people won’t care about it.? If you are hitting a rough path in your life, perhaps the journal is better than a linkedin post?

Do you want to know the one thing to do that will dramatically improve your content game?

Care.

Now, remember how I mentioned the energy behind the content matters?

Because it does, have you read, watched, or consumed content that someone didn’t care about? It sucks. It’s boring. It’s not something you want to consume.?

When you love what you create content for, it’s magnetic.?

You have to be into it. Creative energy can flow from you to your audience, and it’s magnetic when it does. Your audience is drawn to you, and they want to work with you.

If you don’t have that energy, don’t create the content. I’ve learned this the hard way. The content never hits the way you’d like, and you end up thinking that it may not be right for you.?

Content is right for everyone. You need to find a way to love it. It’s that simple.?

Care about what you’re producing, and people will care about you.

CONTENT LED SELLING IS SIMPLE

Content-led selling is "Simple", and "All the Rage", but it took us 3+ years and over 20,000+ hours to get right.?

As predicted, there are traditional lead generation agencies that are adapting the model and terminology, such as James Hanzimanolis

As you can tell, you have multiple channels to leverage.

These channels take time to learn and monitor.

You have content to plan, create, edit, and launch.?

Then revise, edit, and perfect.

Then data to analyze and strategize around.

You need somebody to lead the efforts.

You have equipment to purchase and tutorials to learn.

You have naming conventions and catalogs of content mapping to lead magnets and a CRM that is hyper-reactive and hyper-intelligent.

Or, you can work with us.