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Content marketing is no longer about quantity…
And that’s why most online businesses fail today…
Once you finish reading this article, you’ll not only understand how to avoid the biggest mistake most people make, but also how to actually generate customers through content marketing.
This isn’t a theory but a specialty I stumbled upon over the last two years.
Understanding customer awareness
levels becomes significant once you’ve gone through this article, but for now, let’s simply say that most people opt for the “brand awareness” approach.
In this case, the primary goal is to gather as many “contacts” as possible, so that people trust you.
As the old adage goes:
“Most prospects need 12 encounters with the brand before moving forward”…
A statement that seems reasonable at first glance but doesn’t really make sense either.
I mean, “sure,” there’s some truth to it…
But only if you don’t know what you’re doing.
If you truly understand how to meet your prospects at the right stage and then guide them toward your offer after that…
They’ll willingly do it in just one encounter.
It’s like saying people need to talk to a doctor multiple times before fixing their broken arm, which obviously isn’t the case.
In that situation, you don’t really care who your doctor is; you just want your arm fixed.
Sure, you’ll want them to be qualified and all, but it’s common sense.
After establishing this point, you’ll move forward immediately, mainly because the pain is unbearable…
And when it comes to content marketing, you want to have a similar mindset.
Yes, it’s more than possible for any industry as well; it just takes creativity.
I’ll get into the details in a moment, but before we get there, let’s look at a few examples of what I mean by “pain-based” marketing.
It seems everyone understands better when we show “real” applications right from the start, so to begin
– let’s take a look:
Example 1 – Gym / Fitness Coach
With gym owners, they all adopt the same approach, an approach that seems good at first glance…
But never yields results either.
In this case, their “main articles” revolve around:
“10 exercises you can do as a beginner”
“How to burn fat quickly”
Etc…
All things that work well for SEO but won’t bring you clients.
At best, people will come to your site and say “thank you”…
At worst, you’ll blend into the masses and spend time writing a bunch of articles that won’t have an impact.
The reason is they’re essentially solving the wrong problem because the tactics are easy…
So, if you want to generate leads with your content marketing, you need to take a different approach.
An approach that meets them at the moment of their “urgently needed solution” and then guides them to your gym.
This approach will make sense once you’re done reading, but for now, let’s assume your target market consists of 40-year-old men – professionals who don’t move much every day.
An excellent target market in itself as they have the money for your services while needing our help…
But it’s not like we can present them with an article that says:
“Here’s how to lose weight”
and expect them to come immediately.
Sure, they might read it, and sure…
it might attract a few clients, but it will never be effective.
The only people you’ll attract in this setup will be “desperate” clients, mainly because you’re targeting the wrong problem.
Yes, being overweight is a problem, but it’s not a problem they’re going to engage in.
They’re probably buying fat burners, hoping that solves the problem…
So, if you want them to be “all-in” and pay for your services because of it, then we must find a problem that actually matters to them.
In this case, it could be many things, but let’s assume their testosterone levels are low, and they lack libido because of it.
I’ve heard that happens when you’re overweight, especially when you’re sedentary on top of that…
And even if that’s bad enough on its own, it extends to other areas too.
Depression Unsatisfied partner –> infidelity Loss of energy Etc…
So, if we can meet them in their “urgent problem” and then show them how to fix it, they’ll be completely on board.
Sure, the vehicle that solves this problem is your coaching service or gym, but that doesn’t really matter.
People rarely care about HOW they reach a destination; they just want to get there.
For this reason, I’d start with some sort of headline teaser, saying something like:
“Low testosterone is why middle-aged men are depressed and have little libido, here’s how to fix it.”
Then explain everything else after that.
In this case, we have a “problem-aware market,” meaning they know there’s a problem, so we must start by showing we understand their problem.
Real-life coach example:
“One of my previous clients was a businessman who worked at a desk all day and gained weight because of it.
This illegally lowered his testosterone, causing issues at home (side effect)…
Here’s how we solved the problem.”
After that, and assuming you’ve presented everything correctly, there’s no reason they won’t move forward.
Because they can see that you understand their situation, and you understand the exact steps to resolve it…
It’s a no-brainer.
I know this scares a lot of people, thinking they’re giving “too much” information, but it never works like that.
In fact, the only time it becomes a problem is when you go too far into details (the Geek approach, as I like to call it), like:
“The A1C is regulated by glucagon, so you need to work it every day, otherwise adipose tissue”…
Etc,
People generally don’t want that level of information, but they want to understand what’s “going on”.
Nobody moves forward with something they don’t understand, so if you can sit down and show them everything they need to know, probably with a 3,000 – 5,000-word blog article…
It works perfectly.
It’s enough to explain to them what they need to do, and as good clients understand the importance of personalized assistance…
They’ll step up right away because of that.
I suppose this brings us to another topic in itself, that you should never target “unsophisticated markets,” those who think everything can be solved with “low-priced” products…
But that’s a topic for another time.
For now, remember it’s crucial to meet your target market at the “right stage” and then guide them through their journey.
There are many ways to do this, but personally, I like the “buyer’s journey” approach.
With this formula, you realize that each buyer goes through the following 6 stages:
- Step 1 – Unaware of a problem
- Step 2 – Problem aware, seeking a solution
- Step 3 – Solution aware, seeking a company
- Step 4 – Found the company and now needs to accept the price.
- Step 5 – Acceptance of the price, need for an immediate reason to move forward
- Step 6 – Reason found to move forward, invoice paid… And the goal of our article is to meet them at the right stage, then handle everything we can automatically.
This doesn’t always mean they’ll pay the invoice immediately; our article might be designed for them to reach stage 5 – the point where we call them on the phone…
But I hope you’re starting to grasp the reference in both cases.
In this scenario, we meet people at “stage 2” and then bring them to stage 5.
This makes life easier, but if you’re really advanced, you can subtly plant seeds throughout your article…
Making the sales process easier later on (i.e., if you want personalized training, it will cost more), but that’s a topic we’ll address later.
For now, simply remember the importance of “meeting” at the right stage, then guiding them through the process…
And to give you another insight into the situation, let’s see what follows:
Example #2 – Accounting Firm
I’ve seen so many marketing mistakes over the years that I probably shouldn’t say there’s “one thing” people miss…
But if I were to give you a common example, I’d say most businesses dive into marketing with a brain fixated on urgency.
What I mean by that is they think they need to cast the widest net possible.
This is what happens when you see valueless “brand” advertisements saying something like:
“Need help with accounting? Let us handle it!”
An approach that strokes the owner’s ego but never yields results either.
At best, you’re building goodwill for later, even though there are far more effective ways to do it…
So, in the case of accountants, the first thing is to find our “core offering.”
What I mean by this is that in the accounting world, there are many things they can do.
Estate planning Taxes Audit Etc…
All these things will have very different target markets, which means we first need to choose who we’re addressing.
For this example, let’s assume our primary offer/market is freelancers, and we’re going to save them money on taxes.
Most freelancers pay far too much in taxes every year, even if they don’t know it, so it would be easy for us to help them solve this problem.
Knowing this, we should then determine where they stand in terms of “awareness,” as I just mentioned…
Most of them have no idea.
This means we have an “unaware” audience, which means we not only have to present this problem to them but also help them solve it.
Personally, these are my favorite markets because nobody knows how to target them…
So, in this case, I would start with a headline that says something like:
“This little-known tax has cost a copywriter €200,000 throughout her career, read below to see if this is happening to you”…
And take them through the rest of the process after that.
Why does this happen? To whom does it happen? How to remedy it Etc…
Then, at the end of this article, I would offer a simple call to action that would allow them to contact us if they want our help.
Since everyone is terrified of taxes, it would probably work very well…
Alright, I’m teasing you, but I’ve done this several times for accountants – and it has worked perfectly every time (the last client had to stop their ads after 3 weeks because they couldn’t handle the influx of clients alone).
Anyway, this is a topic we’ll delve into in more detail here so you can understand the “fundamental” side of things…
But for now, just remember the importance of meeting prospects at the right stage, then guiding them back to your offer afterward.
Most businesses waste all their time and energy on the wrong content, saying something like:
“Year-end: 5 tips to clean up your balance sheet” “Self-employed: increase your supplemental pension with an EIP or a CPTI” (example taken from a real accounting firm’s blog)
Etc…
All these things are informative and make good “content,” but they don’t generate leads either.
In fact, this kind of thing targets the crowd of “do-it-yourselfers” who are already doing everything themselves…
But enough of the introduction, let’s dive into the real meat of things here.
In the rest of this article, I want to pull back the curtain and show you how to create an article that turns cold prospects into warm ones in a single contact, prompting them to reach out and say something like:
“Hello Romain, I’m reaching out to inquire about a project. I recently read one of your articles and have recently launched a commercial capital firm and I’m facing all the stumbling blocks you mentioned… I’d really like to discuss how you could help me! Let me know if you’re available to discuss further. Thank you.”
Easier said than done, but more than possible, I’ve been doing this for 6 years now…
And it all starts with:
Step 1 – Identify Your Target
In the past, most people focused on their market by “narrowing down criteria.”
“I help accountants get prospects.”
“I help dentists streamline their order management.”
Etc…
All these things still “work,” but they are far from optimized.
For example, when it comes to helping accountants get prospects, what type of accountants are you helping?
Those who have just launched their business and need help finding clients?
Or those who have been in business for 5 years, built their base on referrals and outbound calls, and are now looking to surpass their plateau (meaning they need to find new opportunities)?
Two completely different markets, even though they are in the same “niche,” so if you want to create a powerful market one day…
You must first have the right psychographic data in place.
Remember, you can repeat this process as many times as you want, which means you could still target these two markets…
Just do it with two different messages.
In this case, I usually recommend starting with the markets that are doing “well” but not “super well.”
These are people who have money to pay you but, at the same time, still have a problem to solve.
This is a misconception because everyone thinks that pain-based marketing only applies to people in trouble, which is not the case.
Instead, it should be seen as a “specific situation,” realizing that everyone has their own type of pain.
For the struggling entrepreneur, they would kill to switch places with our experienced entrepreneur “stagnating”…
But that doesn’t mean their pain is any different.
Everyone needs growth, so if our struggling entrepreneur can’t figure out how to reach the next level, they will begin to feel a lot of pain.
It doesn’t make sense from a rational standpoint, but human psychology is a funny thing, so keep this in mind for the future.
It’s best to start with the people to target because they form the basis of everything else…
Read also: 7 Obscure Freelance Niches: Earn Substantial Income
And that brings us to:
Step 2 – The Offer
Now that we have our target in place, the next thing we need to do is create an offer that helps them solve this pain.
Something that seems easy at first glance, but most people miss…
And even though there are several reasons for this, ultimately, most people look at everything through their own perspective.
To give you an example of this, let’s go back to our accounting example.
In this situation, 99.99999999% of people in the field think they need to create a “feature-based” offer, saying something like:
Monthly accounting maintenance
Dedicated team for accounting maintenance
Year-end financial statements ready for tax
Direct and unlimited communication with our in-house research team.
An offer that seems great to their peers but doesn’t really excite prospects either.
Remember, they don’t care about:
The number of reconciliations they get per month.
The number of calls they receive per month
Etc…
Instead, they simply care about the problem being solved.
In this case, it could be many things, so as an example…
Let’s go back to our “tax for freelancers” scenario.
In this case, we were helping freelancers save €5,000 to €10,000 per year on their taxes, and to create an offer that achieves this goal, we need to view everything from the perspective of “gap sales” (indirect sales).
If you’re not familiar with this topic, it’s the process of meeting your prospects at:
Point A – Where they are…
Then creating an offer that brings them to:
Point B – Where they want to be.
Most of the time, this offer should have 3 to 5 elements (maximum), mainly because anything beyond that becomes confusing.
Of course, you’ll have many more minor details within each element, but prospects don’t need to see all of that…
So, with our accounting example:
Point A earns €60,000 a year and pays €5,000 too much in taxes…
And their:
Point B earns €60,000 a year and pays the least amount of taxes.
That’s right, and to do this, we create an offer of:
- Point 1 – Helping you transition to a company.
- Point 2 – Creation of a new tax identification number (and transferring bank accounts).
- Point 3 – Setting up accounting and payroll for this new tax identification number.
- Point 4 – Providing tutorials showing how to manage accounting and taxes in the future.
- Point 5 – 12 months of support… Etc, which would be everything they need to move from:
Point A – Earning €60,000 a year, paying €5,000 too much in taxes…
to:
Point B – Earning €60,000 a year and paying the least amount of taxes possible.
Does that make sense?
I hope so because this is a lesson that could be sold for €10,000, so if it’s not quite clear yet…
Come back and read later, but now that our offer is in place, it’s time to:
Step #3 – Creating Your Blog Article “Sales Page”.
I don’t think I’ve introduced this concept before, but every time I create these articles, I always consider them as “sales pages.”
I don’t have to do this, but it puts me in the right mindset.
Most people view blog content as 500-word articles aimed at brand awareness, which wastes all their time and energy…
But when it comes to creating these articles, it’s honestly hard to explain “completely.”
What I mean by that is, like any other skill, it’s something that improves over time.
I’ve been creating content for over 6 years now, and I usually write over 5,000 words per day, so it’s natural at this stage…
BUT, that doesn’t mean I can’t give you some tips here too.
This foundation alone will get you started and yield immediate results, so every time I create an article, I follow a 5-part process:
- Understanding the target audience (which we’ve already covered).
- Creating an offer (which we’ve also addressed)
- Drafting ALL the features/benefits of this product/service.
- Creating an outline
- Writing the actual article
For the first two parts, we’ve already covered them, but for the third part…
This is where the “benefits” start to come into play.
What I mean by that is most people think copywriting is merely writing, but that’s not the case.
Instead, it’s about understanding your market, along with all the obstacles they face…
Then overcoming those obstacles throughout the article.
Remember, our goal is to move them forward immediately, so the last thing we want is for someone to read the blog article and think:
“That sounds good, but what about it?”…
Etc.
I don’t think that’s entirely avoidable, but we can certainly mitigate it.
It’s hard to go through it all right now because it’s a lengthy process, but to give you an overview…
With our “tax for freelancers” example, the first “feature” I’d note is:
“Requires more paperwork during tax filing.”
Remember, we’re not trying to hide anything here but just noting all the facts…
So, after seeing this feature, I would then think of the primary “benefit” of this.
In this case, I know that the tax savings made can easily cover the cost of an accountant doing everything for them, meaning they still save money AND don’t have to worry about bookkeeping or payroll.
That’s a significant benefit for most business owners, so I’d make sure to include it somewhere in our article.
That’s the gist of it, and I hope it’s starting to make sense, but there’s one last thing I wanted to address here…
If you start writing a lot of features and can’t think of benefits, it’s usually a sign that some adjustments to the product need to happen.
You never want to lie to your market, or worse, sell them a bad product/service…
So, if you find there are lots of holes in the logic, something needs fixing right from the start.
If you can fix these downsides with a better offer, that’s great, it happens 99.999999999% of the time…
And if you can’t, then you’ll want to scrap the process and start all over.
In short, that’s the “features/benefits” side of things, after which we’ll move on to something else:
Part D – The Outline
When it comes to crafting the outline, I usually keep things straightforward.
Remember, you’re not writing everything here; you’re simply providing a direction for the article itself.
This will change based on customer awareness and everything else, but generally, my main points are as follows:
Title (introduce the problem or show how to solve it):
“This little-known tax has cost a writer €200,000 over her career, read on to see if it’s happening to you.”
Introduction (overcome initial hurdles, prepare them for the solution):
Here’s why this happens Who it happens to You need to fix it before X date, can’t wait for tax season. Reading this article will help you save €5,000 to €10,000 per year. Body of the article (introduce your offer, presented as steps):
- Step 1 – Transition to a company
- Step 2 – Setting up a new business number (and transferring bank accounts)
- Step 3 – Establishing accounting and payroll for this business.
- Step 4 – Providing tutorials, demonstrating how to manage accounting and taxes in the future.
- Summary (conclusion, call to action):
This is all you need to save €5,000 to €10,000 every year.
If you’d like our assistance, fill out this form…
All of these things are quite straightforward and essentially serve as an “educational pre-sale” to your clientele.
This creates the best of both worlds, where you’re selling without appearing like you’re selling, all while having prospects reach out to you…
And the last thing you need after that is…:
Step 4 – Drive Traffic to Your Article
I’ve heard entrepreneurs complain about various things over the years, but if there’s one concept that always amuses me, it’s “traffic.”
“If only I had more traffic, my business would take off.”
“I can’t seem to get traffic anymore, there’s too much competition.”
Etc…
I understand all that, but at the same time, I know it shouldn’t be that much of an issue either.
In fact, the main reason people face this problem is that they don’t go through the first three steps I just mentioned.
In this case, yes, I can see how traffic might be challenging…
As you wouldn’t know where to start, but since we’ve already covered all that, it’s actually quite straightforward.
There will be a few factors to consider at this stage, such as:
Target market Advertising budget Etc…
But ultimately, all you need to do now is simply make this article available to your target audience.
If your target audience consists of accountants and you’re not keen on spending money on ads, connect on LinkedIn with accountants and share it with them.
On the other hand, if your target audience is construction project managers and you don’t intend to spend on ads, “boost” the article on LinkedIn.
Their targeting allows for very niche targeting, especially since you can target:
Number of employees How long the company has been around? Income Industry Etc…
All these factors help you connect with the right profiles you targeted before and generate immediate business through them.
From there, if you want to be more enthusiastic, you can set up retargeting ads…
Stay in front of the people who have read your blog but haven’t taken action, that way…
Even though it’s not necessary.
Anyway, when done correctly, this approach will give you an excellent return on investment – and that brings us to:
Recap
In short, if there’s a major issue I see with most content marketing today, it’s focusing on “quantity over quality.”
Everyone thinks you need to post content every day and stay top of mind with your audience through that…
That’s not the case.
Instead, all you need to do is:
Find your right target Create the perfect offer Craft a blog article as a “sales page” Then promote this blog article to your audience… Because if done correctly, that’s enough to generate hot leads…
Until next time.
