The Power of Content Part 1: Why It's Critical for Your Business Success

“Content is the reason search began in the first place.” Lee Odden.

Offline, you talk to people. You interact with them. That’s how they get to know about you.

Online, it’s a different story.

You leave comments. You put out posts. You talk to people via messages.  That’s how you establish your presence online.

Your content is what represents you.

From a transcription of an interview you might have had seven years ago posted on a blog…

To an old post you made on the lessons you learned while running a business…

All of your content represents you, in one way or another.

However, it also plays a role in helping you succeed when it comes to the business side of things.

Good, high-quality content = trust, traffic, and conversions.

Let’s go.

Let’s start with how content and business success are somehow related.

Nowadays, whatever you do, for your audience to know about it, you’re going to have to put out content about it online, in some format.

It could be

• A carousel if you’re using LinkedIn.
• A thread if you’re using Twitter.
• An email if you’re running a newsletter.
• A simple post with an image if you’re using Facebook.

The point here? Get seen. Get noticed. Get the message across.

Whether it’s something you’ve done, something you’re looking forward to doing, something you’ve learned…

You’ll only get people to know and find out if you put out content about it.

It’s true, whether you're doing it for your personal brand, or your business.

To put it simply, you’ve got an offer (that could be a product or a service, or a combination), a target audience, and a problem you’re solving.

You’ve probably got competitors as well. 

How do you differentiate yourself?

Sure, branding, design, messaging, etc.

However, what content you put out and where you put it out also matters. 

Your end goal? To increase traffic, conversions, and sales.

However, to get people to trust you…

You need to start by building authority.

And how do you do that? Simple. Talk about what you do.

Let’s suppose you sell donuts. Straightforward right?

Well, there’s a lot you can go over.

Maybe your flavors are all vegan-friendly.

Maybe there’s something special about the flour you use.

Maybe your yeast is from sourdough that’s been constantly growing for many decades.

There are so many things you could talk about.

So many points on which you could differentiate yourself from everyone else.

Do you use AI and automation to optimize and improve the process of making your donuts?

Do you fry them for a specific time because of a scientific study that was done?

Suddenly, something as simple as a donut becomes something really interesting that you can talk about.

Then, you could slowly weave in emotions, and feelings into your content.

Talk about the ‘love’ you put into making those oh-so-yummy donuts that everyone enjoys.

Talk about non-business things.

Talk about your previous experiences.

Talk about the small wins that kept you going, despite everything.

Talk about the struggles you faced while setting up your business.

In a short while, you’ll have started to establish your authority.

Simply by putting out content, you’ll have started to show people that you know what you’re talking about.

That you know why other donuts simply don’t give them that relaxing feeling.

(Or whatever pain point you’re targeting.)

“Wait, seriously Drew? I simply talk about what I do to become an authority figure?”

Yup. Well, you might have to tweak the format and the content to make sure it’s interesting but…

For the most part, yes. That’s it.

Oh by the way, before we continue…

What platform you choose depends on where your target audience is.

If you’re targeting business professionals, LinkedIn is a good place to start.

Food? Try Instagram and Facebook.

Selling E-books? Give Twitter a go.

Experiment and stick with what works. Then, as you get results, work on expanding across new channels.

Anyways...

Now that you’ve got some authority…

It’s time to work on using it to get more traffic and higher conversion rates.

“Hold on. That’s it? I post consistently about various things, alongside business stuff?”

Yup. The key here is consistency.

So, now that you’ve got authority as well as an active and engaged audience…

Start mixing in specifically promotional posts.

(However, make sure you don’t overdo them. I’ll explain why in just a bit.)

Talking about donuts? Gently ask them to try out a new flavor you came out with.

Or, invite them to try a selection of your long-time best-selling combo of six.

By now, because they’ve been following you for a while, it won’t seem out of the ordinary.

You’re trying to cash in on your efforts, while also providing value.

After all, you don’t want them to miss out on such amazing flavors, right?

The thing to note here is to keep such posts few and far between.

Switch from providing value to hard-selling with no benefit to them, and you’ll risk coming off as putting yourself first.

Instead, whatever you do, try to provide value upfront…

That could be tips for making donuts at home, discounts, recipes, etc.

Before trying to get them to buy something. That way, if you’re providing value, there’s no reason for them to misunderstand you.

“That’s good Drew, but how does the content play a ‘critical’ part here?”

Good question.

You see, the content you put out sets the stage for your success.

Posts, tweets, blogs, comments, promos, and emails… all convey some sort of value, as well as establish your brand’s voice and tone.

From providing entertainment to educating someone, the variety of content you put out can serve lots of purposes.

Someone might like the way you present your brand story.

Someone might be waiting for a promo to grab that half-dozen box.

Someone might be reminded that you’re still around by a post you put out.

Someone might see the reason why they should buy from you and not someone else.

Someone might simply ‘vibe’ with what you put out and decide to become a loyal fan.

You put out content that allows people to connect in a different way, rather than just a transactional way, where they pay and get a donut.

Instead, someone’s probably buying because of your story, whereas someone might be buying because you’re the only brand that remains top-of-mind.

So yeah. There are lots of reasons why your content plays a critical part.

It keeps you top of mind.

It might provide value for someone.

It keeps people in the loop about what you’re doing.

It might serve as a reminder for someone who hasn’t bought in a while.

So, that’s that.

Write good, targeted content, then leverage the audience you’ve built to get conversions, while constantly handing out value.

“We wrap up here?”

Actually, no.

I’ve got a bit more.

Your content, while doing all of the above, should also do one thing: Make it extremely clear why you’re different.

After all, there are already other brands, shops, and vendors that sell donuts, right?

Why you?

What’s so different?

“So, I’ll put out my brand story, vision, mission, and processes. Easy.”

Won’t everyone have that?

What’s different about you? Like really specifically?

Did you start this so that you could give people the taste of really good donuts without having to experiment and try and dish out a lot of money?

Did you do this so that you could fulfill a childhood dream?

What’s that ONE thing that’s personal to you, that will set you apart from everyone else?

I-went-from-a-broke-chef-to-a-running-a-michellin-star-restaurant-just-because-I-tried-making-a-dish-10,000-times-to-get-it-perfect personal.

Seriously, something this different, so that you can truly stand out.

“Okay. Makes sense. Just needs a bit of thinking and creativity, that’s all. Anything else?”

Well…

As you grow, make sure you diversify.

From one platform to multiple.

From simple content to in-depth, detailed blog posts.

From short tweets to long threads and posts and listicles.

From simply being on social media to starting an email list and a website.

Expand. Experiment. Try new things. Partner up with various people.

Convey what you’re doing, so that your audience has even more reasons to connect with you, buy from you, and talk about you.

That’s it for now.

Use content to build authority, and then leverage that authority to get traffic and conversions.

Once you start getting results, diversify your efforts.

And, in the beginning, don’t worry too much about things like content structure or frequency. Instead, simply focus on being consistent.

Over time, as you explore and get results, you'll figure out various things.

Anyways, if there are any questions you’ve still got, or if there’s some way I can help you with something, feel free to let me know.

Until next time,

Drew out.