How You Can Get “NINJA” with Content Marketing (Tie it up with actual profit)?
THIS IS REAL CONTENT MARKETING in one photo.
This photo outlines THE process that enabled me and my clients to translate million-dollar ideas into million-dollar profits.
On the other hand, most content marketers I see promotes content marketing that looks like this...
It’s tricky. And many of us fall into the trap of thinking we’ve done enough work because, hey, we’ve launched our blog, podcast, our YouTube channel, and so on…
They were products of blood, sweat, and tears… I remember literally sweating under the spotlight, while recording a video with my fan off (coz, you know, background noise meant more editing required).
But despite being proud of blogs I’ve written for clients, or videos I edited, and the traffic they bring…
I couldn’t help but realize, my work doesn’t really add VALUE to businesses. I mean, yes, traffic is a worthwhile result. But still, credit goes to the sales person who closes the sale.
So, how can I maximize CONTENT and make it a money-making machine?
This became my personal mission…
In December 2018, after taking Russell Brunson’s One Funnel Away Challenge, I had a light-bulb moment!
I knew exactly what profitable content looks like...
But there’s a caveat... It takes an ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK.
In addition to that, I found out that writing blogs is just a tiny percentage of the entire content marketing process…
While I acknowledge blogging to be an effective way to rank on search engine results pages, it really is but one part of an entire mechanism…
Imagine this: If Content Marketing is a Chariot, then blogging is just one of the pair of wheels needed to make it run and take you places.
Again, here’s how I mapped out content marketing (the bullet points in each part of the funnel aren’t even extensive lists).
But in a gist, Content is supposed to meet your audience wherever they are in the sales process…
Here’s what I observed other content guys/gals do...
I’d say 95% of Content Marketers I meet are focused on one of these major practices:
- Blogging/SEO
- Video Editing/Distribution/YouTube SEO
- Graphic Design/Pinterest Marketing/Social Media Management
Maybe a mix of two or all three…
Don’t get me wrong. These are skills that every marketing agency needs, and are essential in creating successful content.
Heck, I’m not even an expert at all these major skill-sets. I personally don’t find Pinterest amusing enough, but I do acknowledge massive results it can bring to your SEO.
However, all these don’t necessarily affect your bottom line.
If you look closely, blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, info-graphics are all just TOP OF FUNNEL assets…
Assets that are designed to spread awareness, get your audience to engage, and ideally PUSH THEM TO SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR EMAIL LIST.
Problem is, 95% of Content Marketers would stop at Awareness AND Engagement…
That is the UNSEEN pain I’ve dedicated myself to solve in the past 3 years of practicing content marketing… which sometimes gets people confused.
They’re like, “I thought you’re a content guy? Why do you offer email marketing… Why do you build landing pages? Why do you talk about website conversion and lead magnets?”
I do talk about these things… but within the context of Content Marketing and knowing which assets are designed to optimize every step of your funnel or sales process.
Let me explain…
My process involves creation of assets and distributing them through traditional channels such as:
- Blogs
- Podcasts
- YouTube Channel
- Social Media, et cetera
But instead of stopping there, I also help people like you to create CONTENT THAT WILL ASCEND AUDIENCES, LEADS, POTENTIAL CLIENTS to your OFFERS and really helping them by the hand to gradually understand
1) the problem you’re solving
2) the solution you’re offering
3) the vehicle in which you propose to offer your solution, and most importantly
4) what they need to do in order to become a good fit for that solution
This simple strategy optimizes Sales, from what I’ve seen it does to businesses like Impact School and 7th Level.
These companies have ridiculously great sales teams but their bottleneck often involve finding it difficult to
1) preframe cold leads into wanting the OFFER and
2) allowing existing clients to explore more offers as they move along the sales process
Here is where the rest of my work comes in…
So you’ve got your blog, social media, and other distribution channels figured out...You know you need them so you shoot videos, design graphics, and produce written content.
That’s a great first step....
Here comes the best part! Next thing you do is start building all other content blocks that will fill the gaps in your sales process…
Coz really, that’s what content does… it fills gaps in your customer’s sales journey.
You might even say it acts as bridges, connecting each part of your sales process so that the journey moves along smoothly, what you’re selling makes sense to the customer and he/she finds it a no brainer to keep walking down the path you’ve designed for them.
So let’s address the elephant in the room…
How do we create a content marketing campaign that looks like this…
Here’s how.
Create Lead Magnets and set them up within your LEAD FUNNEL
Switch the gear from constantly running after leads into making them play your game. Before I get into trouble, make sure you stick with ethical practices because with ill intentions, this can be highly effective yet detrimental to customers…
Lead magnets can be any quick win you can offer your audience in exchange for an email address.
An excerpt from Russell Brunson’s “Lead Funnels Swipe File”
The real beauty of it is that it gives you the ability to move your audience from an internet traffic that you don’t own (social media, YouTube, SEO) into a traffic that you own (your email list).
Say goodbye to paid media when you’ve successfully moved your audience to your email list (not quite yet, but that’s an option. You’ll see why)!
By giving their email, they’re allowing you to market to them and send offers their way. Or even better, build your email list so you can create an advertising campaign that targets the same audience so you’ll follow them all over the internet.
This is called retargeting.
And Facebook Advertising does it so well, it allows you to create “lookalike audiences” which literally find people within the Facebook database whose interests are similar to the audience who signed up for your email list. This is crazy phenomenal and just amplifies your content marketing campaign!
Creating an email list also helps you segment your leads so that you can talk to them in a manner they feel is personal and offer them solutions that match their demographic…
Example: Your email list can contain segments that identify each person who is a perfect fit to the solution/s you’re offering.
They say it’s not just about the product. It’s about selling the right offer (or the right perspective to an offer).
Say, if you meet a thirsty man in the middle of the desert, try offering a pot of gold and your offer sucks… on the contrary, offer him a bottle of water and it means the world to him!
I will help you create and set up lead magnets that appeals to every segment of your audience. Lead magnets that will turn them to email subscribers, so you can sell them to your heart’s content.
Here’s one sexy Lead Magnet and funnel from DigitalMarketer where they hook you into their “Ultimate Social Media Swipe File” in exchange for an email address…
This is one set-and-forget mechanism that you can create and set up on your funnel so that your blogs, videos, and podcast aren’t wasted effort.
If you sign up for this, DigitalMarketer doesn’t stop there…
After downloading the file, they have a paid offer waiting for you at the Thank You Page, where they show you a relevant offer.
Of course, you’d probably be interested in their Ultimate Social Media Swipe File if it solves your pain points and promises an opportunity you’ve been meaning to explore…
Therefore, you are also a highly targeted lead for paid offers such as their Social Selling System: How To Leverage Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and More To Sell Your Products/Services (without actually selling).
And I betcha, the trail of offers doesn’t end there. I haven’t taken a peek into this $7 offer but I could bet $1000 that it’s a pre-frame to their higher ticket Digital Marketing Certification Course worth $500… which further upsells to their Partnership Program at $10,000/year.
This is the potential VALUE of your LEAD MAGNETS.
Set Up a Backend Sales Assets - FAQs, How It Works, Webinars to Ease Into the Sale
Your blog and other free content would best serve to educate people about your industry, the problem you’re solving, and a 30-foot view to the solution you’re offering.
Another content opportunity I often see is the lack of educational content for people who are on the fence to buy your services…
These people already KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU OFFER, but to some degree needs a little bit more nudge.
Maybe because they don’t think they’re ready to use your solution yet? Maybe they’re looking at a competitor who’s offering the same banana? This is where educational content comes in… to give these people the nudge they need to finally “checkout”.
I rarely see functional FAQ sections these days… Not all businesses like you would set up successful webinars to clearly get people’s buy-in (congratulations if you’re already doing that…)
These are content efforts that are intended for people who only need a few CLARIFICATION or better understanding of your solution before they pull out their wallets…
Well, setting up webinars to qualify your prospects is already obvious. But how do you exactly do that… What sort of message do you want to tell your audience? Here are some examples.
You can write blogs that talks about why you’re different:
This is an obvious opportunity for Zendesk, a leading CRM. If google hints that people are comparing Zendesk to other brands like Salesforce, Freshdesk, and others… I would recommend that they write a blog/blogs that specifically satisfy this query.
Or ask an influencer to shoot a comparative review on YouTube.
Here’s another one from Frank Kern’s webinar sign up page…
Yes, this is a piece of brilliant copy, but is nonetheless a content asset that does it’s job perfectly: segment and self-assess the audience whether they’re a qualified buyer or a tire-kicker
Apart from this example, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), Demo Videos are some of the most overlooked content assets as well that helps ease customers into your sale…
Because they are intended to educate those who are on the fence and saves you time from handling objections unnecessarily by the time they talk to your sales team.
And lastly...
Gather your case studies, position them in your top of funnel and middle funnel (I personally failed doing this in my first 3 years in business… it’s just a huge ask to follow up with past clients on their testimonial, so ask for it after every milestone)
Content doesn’t stop at the Sale.
If your top of funnel content brings you awareness, engagement, and subscribers, your middle funnel brings in the SALE (which is the fun part).
But what I’d say is the biggest opportunity I’ve helped businesses with is their bottom funnel…
This is the most unsexy part and I first stumbled upon this idea wayyyyy before I got introduced to Russell Brunson.
I applied for a company called ServiceSource and they’re in the business of RENEWAL SALES. That was my first time hearing about it in 2016.
Apparently, ServiceSource doesn’t have competition in the problem they’re solving, i.e. helping businesses like Microsoft, Oracle, and other subscription based companies increase their ARR by going after clients/subscribers who are about to end their contract.
It’s a Multi-Million Dollar solution to a niche problem. Simple. Smart.
Similarly, I knew there has to be a way to incorporate content that’s specific to people who are already subscribed and have bought your stuff…
Then, voila, I encountered Russell Brunson, attended the ONE FUNNEL AWAY CHALLENGE, that immediately sparked content ideas for the bottom funnel…
Gather customer stories, case studies, your on-stage training videos, have an inner circle who will get first dibs to your content before presenting it to the world (by far one of the smartest moves I’ve seen and advise a client implement)
Jeremy Miner (one of my most recent clients) has a book on his NEPQ Sales System, that he conveniently calls “The Black Book”, which only his inner circle has access to.
Basically, the book is a permutation of his course… only more intensive… and more organized… and his inner circle loved him for it…
By the time he decides to publish it (God only knows when), his inner circle would’ve already mastered the methodologies he teach in his book. These inner circle tribe will then act as his advocates and promoters.
Russell Brunson does this a lot, too… His recent Traffic Secrets book has been shared among select people who advertised his book launch to each of their distribution channels, allowing Russell to reach millions organically in the entire pre-selling campaign of his book.
Again, Simple. Organic. Smart.
I can go on and on but THAT is the power of Content Marketing done-right.
And it can be shown in this simple diagram.
Content Marketing doesn’t have to be too complicated.
This framework makes it easy to follow through the entire campaign and spot-check opportunities without missing a mark.
Remember, Content Marketing shouldn’t be limited to improving your audience awareness and engagement. It can do better than that.
Most importantly, it is a strategy that can be tied up to your bottom-line.
Julia McCoy reported it to be a $400+B opportunity, and it’s still growing...
You can either decide to take a share out of this billion-dollar industry by growing your business with strong content or take the old school route of blogging so hard, posting excessively on social media, and then cold calling everybody to do business with you.