How do you get better at content writing? Up your game. Here are the areas all business owners need to nail to create and write sizzling content that stops scrolls and gets engagement (and so much more!).
1. Content Basics
Target market, Wow Words™, relevant topics, personal style, key messages and catchphrases. You would think that these are all given, but you’ll be surprised how many people jump into writing their stories without giving them serious thought. You need to prop a seedling to make it grow straight and tall. It’s the same thing when you are building your brand on social media. Ignore this to your peril.
2. Content Funnel
Know where you are in your business cycle (and if you are a professional content writer, know each step of your customer’s journey with you and the next logical steps they can take if they feel compelled). It is when you know your client well that you will be able to produce content that would serve his style and his needs. This serves your client’s long-term interest and is more important than using hype to make a quick sale.
“Liz, I just sold two more $7500 packages this afternoon after your Content Funnel Strategy Session and using the content strategies you gave me!” – Pip, Sydney.
3. Content Plans
Each portal is different from the next. Some portals are for business, others are for socials. If your portal is for business, it is important to inject some discipline. All the more important if you have a following, because they expect to see new articles on a regular basis. If they don’t see it, they lose interest and drop out.
First, have the big picture in mind. You should come up with at least three plans: 1) Monthly Plan 2) 12-month Plan and 3) Promotion Plans
You have to decide on your needs and your customers’ expectations in deciding how many articles you need to put out each week and each month, and work towards achieving it. Don’t depend on inspiration to write your articles. If you are not able to, or if you don’t have the time to write the articles yourself, you may have to engage a freelance writer.
4. Website/Landing Page
When was the last time you updated your Website? Or do you even have a website? If you don’t, make a start now to build one for your business. In today’s world, you cannot afford not to have a website for your business. Think of it as your shopfront. Flyers, brochures and newspaper adverts have limited shelf life. A website gives you perpetual online presence and you can use it to develop an online business. it’s the first impression people get of you. Just having social media is not enough.
Do you have a Landing Pages? Depending on where you’re at in your own content journey, you may not need them as yet. I didn’t use them to start with, but they are useful for fast-tracking your online success. Please note, they are used in conjunction with a website, not in place of a website.
The Landing Page (a.k.a. sales page, squeeze page, information page) has one rule: They have one subject, one topic, one theme, one call-to-action, one product for sale or to sign up to. Its function is specific, unlike a website which is your hub of credibility and information for people to get to know you.
5. Blog/Social Media
If you think blogs are dead, think again! Here are some statistics from Amazing Blogging Stats (Editor’s Choice):
· Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their website.
· Blogs increase website traffic by up to six times.
· Using images in blog posts get 94% more views.
· 57% of marketers say they gained customers specifically through blogging.
· B2B marketers who use blogs receive 67% more leads compared to those who don’t.
· 80% of B2B marketers use blogs as a content marketing tactic.
Now, tell me that blogging is optional!
Social media is a tool you can use to engage your contacts, generate leads and even run promotions. We use it to promote our lead magnets and blogs and also to share our knowledge of content writing to build authority. We use it for relationship building by replying to comments and growing each platform with the right audience.
MONEY MAKER: The one asset you can’t afford not to have is a crafted professional promotion post that can be used on social, blog, website, email, newsletter and other avenues. It’s a staple in your content strategy.
6. Emails/Lead Magnets
This is one of my favourite content strategies, because it draws in a stream of people eager to know more about you and your business, your offerings and your solutions.
I love waking up in the morning to people from all over the world pinging into my inbox as a new ECVIP List member or a new customer or potential client. Best of all, it happens while you sleep. This strategy has served me well since starting my business six years ago.
However, I have to stress, your lead magnet (I love writing PDF downloads, they are the easiest to get together) will not work effectively unless you follow some rules:
🖖 Know your audience and what they want from you.
🖖 Understand your topic and theme, and write it in a way your audience understands.
🖖 Know the steps to take once they download your “lead magnet”.
🖖 It has to be planned and have a strategy.
🖖 You need a Landing Page.
🖖 You need a Promotion Strategy and regular posts for social media.
And you need a series of email blasts to help people understand how you can help them and how they can get the most out of the “lead magnet” you have created.
This may seem complicated, but once you have the strategy and structures, you can create your digital assets quickly for a fraction of the price you would pay for a marketing agency to do it for you.
7. Sales
Finally, we need to learn how to turn lead into gold. I know many business owners who have a pile of leads and even have a strong online presence, but they don’t seem to be able to turn their leads into sales or new clients.
I, too, had to go through a steep learning curve to master the art of converting leads to sales. It’s not something I grew up knowing or something I was already good at when I started in my business. As a journalist, we shared the news, we didn’t sell ads!
However, when you’re in business, you need the sales to survive! You need to figure out what works for you and sometimes you need to have that “dreaded” sales conversation.
There are plenty of people creating content and upgrading the content they write regularly to make more revenue in their business – and I’m so thankful to have the skills to do this successfully too.
Think about how you can take the content you have already created and turn it into a book, course, workshop, paid digital products, online programs and other digital assets that can make money for you while you sleep.
The real recipe for success:
1. Give everything you’ve got.
2. Do it daily.
So, are you ready to create the right type of content that speaks directly to your audience, educates them and helps them take inspired action? Content that will help you boost your business with more leads, clients and opportunities?
FINAL FACT: Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads. (Source: DemandMetric)
Effective content writing: Content Writing Success LIVE Online Workshop
If your content is not yielding the results you desire, for example:
– people signing up for your products and services
– messaging you through your social media channels
– acquiring new clients and repeat business.
It’s time for CHANGE!
Sign up for my Content Writing Success LIVE online workshop.
In this 3-hour workshop, I’ll be sharing my proven 5-step Content Writing Success framework and 25 other money-making tips you can implement straightaway to get more leads and clients from your content in less than a week.
You will also receive a copy of my book Wow Words on the Web and access to my Personal Go-To Promotion Strategy List that we use to get more sales, new clients and repeat business (it always works!).
Get your Free Bonuses if you book your seat (limited numbers accepted) today:
