Category Archives: Content Marketing

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Why Storytelling Can Help Your Business’ Bottom Line

Why Storytelling Can Help Your Business’ Bottom Line written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

When you’re thinking about how to promote your business, it can be tempting to focus solely on your products and services. After all, when you boil any business down to its most essential element it is about getting consumers to purchase the product or service that’s being offered.

But how you reach the end goal of closing that sale is at the heart of any good marketing strategy. And the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of businesses out there that can offer consumers a solution that’s very similar to yours. Plus, with the internet, location is not a barrier in the same way it used to be. So how do you stand out from your global competition?

Storytelling is a great way to build a personal connection with your customers, which is the differentiator that will keep them coming back to you, year after year, rather than turning to your rivals.

It Instantly Establishes a Human Connection

In today’s digital age, it’s now possible to be a long-term customer of a business and never interact with an actual human being at the company. For online giants like Amazon, what keeps people coming back is the fact that their prices are competitive and they have everything you could ever want; Amazon is highly convenient.

As the owner of a smaller business, you’re never going to be able to compete with the likes of an Amazon on those fronts. You need to find another way to stand out. A human connection is the reason someone chooses to buy from a local business rather than the faceless multinational corporate.

When you embrace storytelling that shows off your business’s personality, highlights fun facts about your team members, and makes customers feel like they really know the people behind the brand, that establishes a meaningful, lasting connection. For some tips on how to build a human connection with storytelling, check out this post.

It Helps You Stand Out on Social

So much of online marketing now is about social media. And because the purpose of these platforms is creating connection and telling stories, they’re the perfect place to employ smart storytelling techniques.

This starts by embracing the platform you’re on. Storytelling on you company’s Twitter account will be handled in a very different manner than the storytelling you do on Instagram. Twitter is of course focused on the written word, while Instagram is about telling stories through images. Using these different media to weave together a cohesive story across platforms is another great way to build trust and brand awareness.

When prospects encounter your brand across various social media platforms, but are always met with the same voice and point of view, this establishes your business as trustworthy and authoritative. Plus, when you take the time to actually interact with people—provide direct answers to their questions, react to photos they share that are related to your business, or otherwise undertake personalized engagement—you make your fans feel seen and special.

Once you’ve made a good impression on social, that helps you drive those prospects to your website, where you can hit them with your comprehensive storytelling that’s designed to move them through the customer journey.

It Guides the Customer Through Their Journey

The customer journey is not as clear-cut as it used to be. Because there are a myriad of ways someone can encounter your brand for the first time, it’s trickier for marketers to create a clear path from first interaction through to repeat business and referrals.

However, brand storytelling on your website can help you achieve this goal. Your website is the one asset online where you have complete control of all the content, so take advantage of that. Design your site so that the home page immediately addresses the concerns of your prospects and tells them who you are and why you can help. A short video that shares your mission is a great, bite-sized way to let people know who you are.

From there, you want to structure your website in a logical way that moves customers through the stages of their journey, with storytelling as your guide. The home page is the start of the story: the solution you offer. The next pages should address the middle of the story: how you fix their problem and why you’re the right people for the job. The end of the story is where the prospect reaches out to learn more and become a customer.

It Drives Conversions

Sometimes business owners focus solely on the ultimate conversion: the sale. But in reality, there are multiple conversions all along the customer journey. If a first-time visitor to your website comes back again several days later, that is a conversion. If that person then requests a white paper on a topic of interest, that’s a conversion, too.

Using smart storytelling that’s targeted at prospects and customers based on where they are in their journey, is a great way to drive those conversions.

Think about it this way: let’s say you have a video that covers your company’s origin story. It tells a compelling story, and is great at grabbing the attention of prospects. But this asset is not going to serve you well with those repeat customers who already know your business’s history. They need another story that speaks directly to where they are in their history with your business, and drives them to make the next conversion on their journey (which, for a repeat customer would be to refer you to someone else).

This kind of customer you’d want to greet with another story. Perhaps you create a referral program and pair it with a note that explains why you’re so passionate about sharing your business’s solutions with the friends of your existing customers.

Just like you wouldn’t hand a toddler a copy of Wuthering Heights (or a high schooler a copy of Goodnight Moon, for that matter!), driving conversions is about greeting different people with different stories.

Storytelling is at the heart of any strong marketing strategy. Knowing what your business does best and sharing why you’re passionate about your work is the way to win trust (and customers). Effective storytelling will keep your bottom line healthy and your customers coming back for more.

How to Make Your Content Less Boring

How to Make Your Content Less Boring written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Think about the number of websites you visit on a given week. It’s a lot, right? We spend so much time consuming content online that after a while, it all starts to blend together.

Even if your website technically ticks all of the boxes, it will quickly fade into the background if the content is not designed to reach out and grab the viewer.

What can you do to spice up your website and make sure it sets you apart from your competitors? Read on, as I offer up some tips to make your content less boring.

Mix Up Your Medium

Remember being handed a copy of Moby Dick in high school english class, staring down at the tome, and being filled with dread? No matter how great the content is (and Herman Melville certainly knew how to write!), a giant wall of text can be intimidating.

The same goes for content on your website. Visitors are looking to quickly learn whether or not your business can solve their problem, so present that information in a variety of easily digestible formats.

Visuals and infographics are a great way to provide a high level summary of the products or services you offer. Video is an engaging way to not only quickly communicate your business’s mission, but also put a face to your company’s name and build trust and a human connection.

Keep Your Copy Lively

Of course, you do still need some copy on your website. When it comes to creating interesting website copy, there are a handful of basics to adhere to. First, you want to keep sentences and paragraphs short and snappy. Eliminate flowery prose and strings of unnecessary adjectives.

You also want to adopt a voice that is authoritative but approachable. Sure, you’re the industry expert, but that’s no reason to talk down to your readers. Steer clear of jargon and SAT words.

For even more tips on writing effective website copy, check out my previous post on the topic.

Lean Into Your Brand’s Voice

Tone matters. Writing like a robot won’t win you any fans. Of course, your tone will depend on the industry you’re in. A lawyer’s website will have a more serious, measured tone than a party planner’s site. But whatever your voice is, communicating with it makes a big difference.

Adhering to this principle is true for all elements of your website, from your value proposition on your home page to seemingly minor or throwaway pages.

Take a look at these examples of brands who have used 404 error pages as a way to still represent their brand and inject some fun and personality into what otherwise would be a nothing kind of page.

Every inch of your website is an opportunity to show visitors who you are and to build trust through consistent messaging. Take advantage of that fact and have fun!

Make it About Storytelling

If you’re at a loss on where to start with creating strong content, think first about storytelling. Start with your brand’s value proposition: what problem are you on a mission to solve?

From there, you can build out a cohesive story about why your brand is the one to take on that problem, and how your team’s passion and commitment will allow you to create wins for your customers.

Great storytelling is not only engaging, it also allows you to guide customers through their journey. When you think about the way you want them to encounter your brand as a story with a beginning, middle, and end, then you can arrange your content in a way that nudges them down that road sequentially.

Create Valuable Content

Above all else, you must be creating valuable content. What do I mean by that? I mean content that establishes you as an expert in your field, provides answers and guidance in a way that none of your competitors can match, and gives readers practical takeaways and actionable steps.

I also am using the term “content” more broadly than to describe just blog posts. Content is anything and everything on your website. Yes, that does mean your blog, but it also includes webinars, product guides, videos, podcasts, and everything in between! Get creative about the many ways in which you can share your knowledge with prospects and customers.

The internet is saturated with information. If you’re providing content that meets a clear purpose and allows the reader to walk away and effect positive change in their life right now, that’s the kind of content that is highly interesting.

There are millions of business websites on the internet. And with such a crowded field, it can be difficult to stand out. But when you embrace your business’s personality and expertise, and use that to drive all of your choices as you create your content, it’s possible to build a website that gets noticed.

The Top 5 Duct Tape Marketing Podcast Episodes for 2018

The Top 5 Duct Tape Marketing Podcast Episodes for 2018 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

In 2018, I had the opportunity to speak with an amazing group of guests on the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take a look back and share with you the five interviews with the highest number of downloads for the year.

If you enjoyed what you heard here, check out the full line-up of shows. We’ll be back the first week in January with all new episodes and guests.

Joey Coleman – How to Attract Customers and Keep Them Forever

Joey Coleman

Joey Coleman is a marketing expert and the Chief Experience Composer at Design Symphony. He has an eclectic background that includes selling custom research to Fortune 500 executives, racing along the Great Wall, juggling in front of the Taj Mahal, and singing a solo at the Kennedy Center. He’s the author of Never Lose a Customer Again: Turn Any Sale Into Lifelong Loyalty in 100 Days.

Biggest takeaway: Retention is really the key to your business’s longterm success. If you’re able to get involved in the customer journey earlier and stick around for longer, you can convince all of your first-time customers to become loyal, repeat ones.

Click here to listen to the episode.

Petra Kolber – Letting Go of Perfection in Order to Reach Your Goals

Petra Kolber

Petra Kolber is an expert in positive psychology and fitness. She has worked with the likes of Nancy Kerrigan, Dana Torres, and George Foreman and served as a consultant to companies including Reebok, Adidas, and Gatorade. She’s also the author of The Perfection Detox: Tame Your Inner Critic, Live Bravely, and Unleash Your Joy.

Biggest takeaway: When we attach negative emotions to the concept of perfection, striving for it can paralyze us. But when we give up the idea of being perfect and make small, sustainable changes to create new habits around our thinking, we can achieve great things.

Click here to listen to the episode.

Garrett Moon – How to Create Content that Stands Out and Gets Results

Garrett Moon

Garrett Moon is the CEO and co-founder of CoSchedule, the web’s most popular marketing calendar and the fastest growing startup in North Dakota. He’s also the author of 10x Marketing Formula: Your Blueprint For Creating ‘Competition-Free Content’ That Stands Out and Gets Results.

Biggest takeaway: When creating content, you need to get specific about the problem you solve for your customer and define the one specific action you’d like them to take as a result of consuming the content. When you do that, you’ll create content that leads customers to associate the solution of their problem with your brand.

Click here to listen to the episode.

Mike Blumenthal – How to Help Your Local Business Get Found Online

Mike Blumenthal is the undisputed king of local SEO. He is the owner of Blumenthals, one of the founders of Local U and GetFiveStars, a review service that helps local businesses.

Biggest takeaway: Proximity, prominence, and relevance are the three major determining factors in how you rank in Google search results. Blumenthal covers the ins and outs of how to give your business the best shot at dominating local search and making sure you get found.

Click here to listen to the episode.

David Mihm – Tips for Attracting Local Clients

David Mihm is a digital marketing expert for small businesses, co-founder of GetListed.org (now part of Moz Local), and founder of Tidings. He previously served as Moz’s Director of Local Search Strategy, where he led the development of Moz Local.

Biggest takeaway: Google’s search results are now comprehensive enough where a customer theoretically doesn’t need to visit your website to do business with you—they can get all the information they need to complete a transaction from Google. This is why optimizing your presence on Google is critical, and Mihm shares tips on how to get the best results for your business.

Click here to listen to the episode.

Is your favorite episode on the list? If not, we’d love to hear which one you enjoyed listening to the most!

For our podcast audience, we can’t thank you enough for your support over the years! If you like the show, click on over and subscribe and if you love the show give us a review on iTunes, please!

A Small Business Guide to Paid Content

A Small Business Guide to Paid Content written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

If you’re a small business out in the world today, it can feel like your competition is everywhere. The ubiquity of the internet means that anyone, anywhere, can turn to any provider to get the goods or services they need. In an environment like that, what can you possibly do to stand out from the crowd?

In the past, advertising was the cornerstone of any plan to get your company’s name out there and to attract new business. However, with giants like Google now committing to filtering ads, and with customers being turned off by loud pop-up videos and irritating banners blocking a site’s content, focusing exclusively on advertising is becoming a less sustainable marketing model for businesses.

So what’s the alternative? Here we’ll take a look at paid content: what it is and what it can bring to your business.

Why Turn to Paid Content?

Content marketing is essentially a way for you to create deep connections with customers, establish yourself as an industry expert, and thereby drive sales. This content can be anything from blog posts to podcasts to e-newsletters.

Whatever form the content takes, it’s critical that it’s high-quality, informative, and results-driven content that really solves a problem your potential clients have. If you prove through your content that you understand their needs and that you have a means to meet them, you can become their go-to source for whatever good or service you provide.

The challenge, then, becomes getting that content in front of the right people. You know that old adage “If a tree falls in a forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Same goes for content creation. You can be turning out some really impressive work, but if no one’s seeing the content you’re creating, it’s not doing anything for you.

Leveraging Distribution Platforms

Getting your content out there to a broader audience is exactly why some companies turn to distribution platforms. These platforms allow you to set a budget and timescale, and from there they work to put your content in front of a targeted audience that will find it the most interesting and useful. We’ve discussed this approach in the past, and while there are a lot of platforms for you to choose from, some of the most popular are covered here.

Content Distribution PlatformDistribution platforms will provide you with analytics, so you’re able to see which content is getting the most traction and can tailor your approach as you learn more about your audience. The greatest downside to these types of platforms is that the content still lives on the margins of web pages. Often located below the site’s content, they look like paid content, which may turn some potential readers off.

Sponsored Content on Trusted Publications

If you’re concerned about the look of content on a distribution platform, you may want to consider sponsored content instead.

While perusing your favorite online magazine or newspaper, it’s likely that you’ve come across a story that’s sponsored by a brand. Perhaps it’s a mattress store that’s written an article about the importance of a good night’s sleep. Or an athletic goods company that’s published a piece about how the proper running shoe can help marathoners beat their personal records.

These types of posts are imbedded in a publication and are designed to mirror the look, feel, and tone of other articles, but in reality, they’ve been paid for by marketers. This kind of paid content is beneficial in a few unique ways. First, it allows you to target the readers of whichever publication best aligns with the target audience for your good or service. It also provides an air of legitimacy for your advertising; if the reader trusts the publication, they’re likely to also trust your content that they find on its pages.

Facebook Posts and Google Searches

Similar in concept to the sponsored content approach, you may also consider placing sponsored posts on Facebook or paying for Google search ads. This is another form of native advertising, which again allows your content to blend in with its surroundings.

Google Search Ad

If someone happens upon a Facebook ad as they’re scrolling through their newsfeed, or sees a search result at the top of their Google results, they’re less likely to be put off in the same way they might be with a more obvious marketing tactic. Since these ads are intended to look like a part of the larger platform, readers don’t feel they’re being “sold” a product or service.

The New Approach to Influencer Marketing

When you think of influencer marketing, it’s possible that your mind jumps immediately to the Kardashians or another celebrity with a massive social media following. But the trend in influencer marketing is changing, and many marketers are now moving away from the celebrity endorsement.

In fact, in a recent study by Collective Bias, 70 percent of millennials said they’re more likely to buy a product that’s been endorsed by a non-celebrity blogger, rather than a celebrity. This is good news for smaller businesses, who can’t afford the seven-figure endorsement price tag that Kylie Jenner commands.

If you’re a small business, think smaller scale. Target influencers who are important to those in your desired network, and reach out to them. If you have a compelling pitch and are willing to send them a free sample of your product, they just may cover your business on their blog or give you a shout-out on their social media platforms.

There are a lot of small businesses out there, creating content and competing for the attention of potential customers. While this can make the world of content creation feel overwhelming, if you focus on creating quality content that really helps your target audience, and find ways to get this content in front of an ever-broadening audience, you can make the content creation approach work in your favor to drive revenues and expand your business.

The Value of Discoverable, Shareable, and Useful Content

The Value of Discoverable, Shareable, and Useful Content written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing Podcast with John Jantsch About Creating Useful Content

There’s no way around it, there are a lot of marketing channels today. I’m counting eighteen as of now (which can obviously change very quickly).

When I started my business we had six or seven ways to reach our prospects and customers. A lot has changed.

One of the things that I think is important to understand, first off, is that you don’t have to play in every channel. That’s one of the things that causes a lot of stress with a lot of business owners and marketers today.

What you do have to do is get very good at playing in the right channels, and additionally getting very good at integrating those channels (or at least understanding how they support each other).

That’s a challenge for a lot of people. We look at social media, content, SEO, and PR, and we think that they’re all separate tactics out there doing separate jobs.

When you look at them together, and actually intentionally think about how they can support each other, you amplify the effect, or the impact, of each.

In this post, we’re going to focus on three of these channels: content, social media, and SEO.

While those are separate channels, content is air for marketing today. It really powers every step in the customer journey and is one of the most essential marketing channels out there.

In fact, it probably is not really even fair to consider it a channel anymore, because it’s like the gasoline that goes in the car. You really have to have it no matter what kind of car you have.

I want you to think these channels, and make sure the content you produce in each is discoverable, shareable and ultimately useful.

Discoverability

Discoverability is often seen as an SEO play, and frankly, that’s what it is, but content drives SEO today. There are many search terms that are competitive, so everybody is out there competing for the search terms that they want.

People try to rank by doing effective keyword research, using targeted messaging, and knowing a lot about their users. It’s a good idea to develop a sense of intent as well in order to implement on-page SEO best practices.

While this all helps to make your content discoverable, you have to start with a content strategy that says “yes, we want people to find that, but that’s not where we want them to stop.”

Shareability

Once the content is discovered, the degree that it is shared will determine how widely it is distributed. By thinking about shareability of content, you’re multiplying the impact of search engine results because shares are going to draw links and other important SEO signals. They are going to increase your audience, which is going to draw more people. 

If we build our content with the idea that we can get a higher share rate, one of the benefits to that is that you actually don’t have to produce a ton of content.

If you produce content that is focused on:

  • How to do something
  • Why to do something
  • Lists
  • Great headlines
  • Great calls to action in the content
  • Using impactful images
  • Mobile usage

Then you can build your SEO-optimized content and make it much more shareable.

Shareable content is going to evolve your social media. This is one of the best ways to think about your content in the social media space. Making your content shareable will help expand the reach of people outside of your immediate network.  

Useful content

As I said in the beginning, I think the ultimate measure of success of any SEO plan is the degree to which people who discover and share your content, also find that content useful enough to quote, bookmark, link to, and consume deeply.

This idea of linking your content together to make it even more useful is an important part of trust building in the journey. If people have a problem, they go out and search for a problem, not for your solution.

They may not associate what you offer with their problem, but they’re trying to get a problem solved.

If they go to your website make sure you address their problem and give them an entire guide for how to solve it. Link together eight or ten pages, or at least associate all of your related content to a topic in a way that you’ve packaged it to make it easy to consume.

That’s the content that people not only love to share, but they love to link and bring other people to it as well.

It’s the kind of content that is going to make your SEO more effective, and make your content more discoverable because Google sees the signals that are being sent to that content.

It’s the kind of content that is ultimately going to lead people to buy your products and services, because you’ve addressed their problem, and made it easy for them to consume the content. You built trust signals, which is going to help you show up on page one of Google, which is huge. 

You’re giving somebody a reason to dig in on their own, and discover that what you sell is going to actually solve their problem.

That’s how you have to think about content.

There are a couple of metrics that I love to look at when I’m trying to analyze somebody’s content. I use tools, like Ahrefs, to see the number of keyword phrases driving traffic to page one.

I also like to use a tool called BuzzSumo. One of the things that it will do is dive into your content from a social media standpoint and will answer questions like:

  • How much sharing is going on?
  • What kind of content gets shared the most?
  • Who’s linking to it?
  • Who’s Tweeting it?
  • What is the length and format of the content?

It really breaks down all the sharing activity that goes on in your content.

I love to look at that kind of shared data because in many cases it will clearly point to your best content that’s being shared. Most of the time, that’s longer content that is more in depth, and that people find very useful. 

The value of your organic traffic is also a tremendous metric to really allow you to see how you’re stacking up.

Typically, what happens is your content becomes more discoverable because it was useful. It’s more shareable because it was useful. So it’s like this vicious, positive cycle that ends up making your traffic and visits worth so much more.

The Role of Content Has Changed – Here’s How You Can Adapt

The Role of Content Has Changed – Here’s How You Can Adapt written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

It wasn’t too long ago that you could follow the formula below to attract and generate leads for your business:

  • Develop a content upgrade, like an ebook
  • Gate it behind a form on a landing page
  • Drive people to your landing pages through blog posts, social media, advertising, and email campaigns
  • People see the offer on the landing page, are interested, and give their contact information in exchange for the content
  • Voila, you have a new lead that you can nurture to a sale

While content upgrades still work well as a lead capture tool, you need to now get creative with how to get eyes on it. The market is so saturated these days and so many businesses are now following this approach that it can be easy to get lost in all the noise.

I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now and began testing an approach that I had seen to start to emerge that I want to share with you. While my results have been significant, it may take time for business who are just getting started to see the same results, but in my opinion, it’ll be well worth it in the long run.

The key is to continue to position yourself as the expert in your field, and the best way to do this is to create and aggregate content into one place to show not only your visitors that you know what you’re talking about, but search engines as well.

Have I lost you? I hope not! To understand what I’m talking about, take a look at the details below.

Creating content – An evolved approach

As content continues to grow in importance for your business, it now must take on an elevated position in your strategy and planning.

The use of high-quality, education-based content has become a necessary ingredient in creating awareness, building trust, converting leads, serving customers and generating referrals.

Marketers these days have a lot in common with the traditional role of publishers. The good news is that the days of creating an infinite amount of thin content are over. You can create content less frequently, provided you structure it correctly and include a ton of value within it.

Today we have evolved into the “less is more” approach. Big content projects, even if there are only three per year, is better than writing a blog post every week, just because you think you should.

I’m currently experiencing great results with something that I’m calling Hub Pages. This is something many have already started doing and I understand why.

Content planning has really risen to the strategic level. It’s no longer an SEO tactic or simply content marketing. While we should certainly use it for those things, we must plan it at a foundational level.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, content really is now air for your business as it impacts every channel, which elevates how we have to think about it.

Content becomes an asset over time

Content is no longer created for today or tomorrow. It is created as an asset that can be used throughout every stage of the Marketing Hourglass. Because of this, you need to think about the time and energy you need to invest to get it right.

Hub themes

local marketing

I’ve talked about the Total Content System for years and it’s really driven by what I’m starting to call “hub themes.” These themes can be monthly, quarterly, or whichever timeframe you think is best.

Let’s say the theme for the month is “local marketing.” You’d want to drive all the attention you have to this idea of local marketing, so one of the main tabs on your website may become “The Ultimate Guide to Local Marketing.”

Instead of it just being a page that talks about local marketing services, it becomes a foundational page that has a tremendous amount of value about what local marketing is, with tons of resources and links that people can click through to for further information (it may even end up looking like a course).

All of the content you have pointing to it are like the sub-chapters of the hub theme. I not only have all of these internal pages driving back to this one hub page, I also include links to external, high-quality content on the page that can also be linked back to the hub page.

Hub pages are also a great way to organize existing content and get more use out of it. Driving it to, and including in, these hub pages is a great way to give old content new life.

With so many pages driving to one another, you’ll start to gain a lot of trust and authority from Google, which will eventually help to increase your rank in search engine results pages over time.

The role of content upgrades

Content upgrades are still the new free. When you put these hub pages together, still include content upgrades, like an ebook or webinar signup, on these pages. People will now see these content upgrades because you are driving more traffic to these pages and they are easier to rank for instead of individual posts.

So, what do you think about this approach? Have you started to implement these types of efforts in your business?

If you liked this post, check out our Guide to Building a Small Business Marketing Consulting Practice…see what I did there?

How to Fix a Broken Content Strategy

How to Fix a Broken Content Strategy written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Many businesses out there spend the last few months of the year planning their content strategy for the year ahead. They have color-coded spreadsheets completed, goals in the place, and the optimism that the next 12 months are going to be the best yet.

So, let me ask you a potentially awkward question: Are you on track to meet those goals? If the answer is no, don’t worry you are not alone, and there is still plenty of time to not only play catch up but to exceed the goals you originally set.

It’s OK to hit the restart button.

Through analytics and customer feedback, you should have insight into what’s working and what isn’t and should recognize the areas that need improvement.

If you’re stuck on how to turn your content strategy around, here are some tips to help you revitalize it.

Refocus your marketing message

When it comes to marketing these days, you must not only match your message to your ideal client, but you have to engage them and keep their attention as well.

Here’s something I’ve said for years, and will likely say it a few more times: Your clients and potential clients don’t care about your products or services (that’s not supposed to sound as harsh as it likely reads). What they really want is somebody to solve their problems.

If you can pinpoint what those are and succinctly explain how you address and solve those problems within your messaging, then you’ve basically won the golden ticket. Make it clear that you understand what they want and need.

Just remember, your messaging should not be about you.

Knowing your audience front and back will help you across the board when it comes to your content strategy. If you know how to speak to them and know what their trigger phrases are, you’ll be in a great place to move forward and take your marketing efforts to the next level.

Lastly, in addition to speaking to your audience with your messaging, be sure to also aligns it with your business goals, because at the end of the day, reaching those goals is what all of this is for.

Put the “must haves” on your website

When it comes to content revisions, it always surprises me when people don’t think to start with their website, the content hub. The role of your website is to help you:

  • Get found
  • Build trust
  • Educate
  • Inform
  • Nurture
  • Convert

To accomplish the areas above, you need to be sure your website has:

A promise

Add a promise above the fold on your homepage to show visitors that you understand the challenges they face. As mentioned in the previous section, you need to make them a promise that will solve their problems.

A call to action

Your call to action can be a number of things, including a request for more information, schedule a consultation, or download a free report. Just make sure it’s relevant and useful.

Video

In my opinion, this has gone from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have” for small business. Video allows you to give people a real sense of who you are, what you stand for, and let people hear your story.

Trust elements

You need to have elements that build trust on your homepage, whether they are logos of current clients or testimonials for your audience to glance over. Make it easy for visitors to see them.

Content and content upgrades

Given the purpose of this blog post, this area should seem pretty obvious. To keep content on your website fresh, post to your blog frequently (have a blog feed on your homepage for easy access).

A content upgrade gives people the ability to download premium content in exchange for an email address or capturing a lead. If they download this content, it shows that they are interested in what you do. Use the information they provide you to nurture them through to the sale.

Core services

You likely have full pages dedicated to these services, but by adding short descriptions and images of each to your homepage as well, that link through to your service pages, you’ll also get additional SEO value.

Create a lead generation content plan

First and foremost, have a plan! So many people just wing it these days which often gets them nowhere. I find it helpful to create a theme for each month that all of your content can revolve around.

Each theme I use has a substantial topic related to my audience’s industry/pain points and represents an important keyword search term.

I also find it helpful to think about the themes as a book where each month represents a chapter in what will eventually make up a body of work by the end of the year.

Provide valuable information and use content upgrades to convert the readers of this information into leads. Try to personalize and add emotional components to your content as much as possible to really establish a connection with a reader. The more they feel that connection, the more likely they’ll be to convert into leads and eventually customers.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel with your content. You can share relevant content from other sites on your social platforms to provide value to your audience. You can also repurpose content you already have, so, for example, if you have a podcast episode, transcribe it and turn it into a written blog post.

The more value you can provide on a consistent basis, the better off you’ll be.

Outsource your content

A big reason why content strategy falls through is that people run out of time and don’t end up creating the content they had planned on. Listen to me when I say “outsource that content!”

Of course, you should own your process and strategy but you do not need to create the content yourself. There are plenty of people out there that can do that for you. Some sites you can start with include:

I have a plethora of additional outsourcing tips that you can find here to help you get started.

It’s never too late to turn your content strategy around. Follow these tips, continue to track progress, and keep revising as necessary until you hit your goals.

If you liked this post, check out our Guide to Content Marketing for Small Business.

Why Podcasting Should Be A High-Priority Content Platform This Year

Why Podcasting Should Be A High-Priority Content Platform This Year written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

I talked about the benefits of podcasting quite a bit last year, and with the new year up and running, I wanted to take the time to re-stress the value that podcasting can bring to your business ( I can’t even begin to explain the wonders it has done for mine). Plus, it’s actually very easy to set up and is a much more efficient use of your time compared to how long it takes to create other pieces of content.

If you haven’t already included it somewhere in your plans for the next 12 months, I highly recommend doing so, and here are a few of my reasons why.

1. Increased engagement

Let’s face it, these days, it’s hard to pay attention to content for extended periods of time. With podcasts, however, you can fit them into your day whenever it works best for you, making the consumption of this type of content for extended periods of time far more common than it is with other forms of content.

This gives you opportunities to showcase your knowledge in a way that you’re unable to otherwise. This goes without saying, but having your brand in front of your audience for extended periods of time can be extremely valuable.

2. Less competition

As of July 2017, there were around 350 million blogs from Tumblr alone. If that stat doesn’t show you how crowded the online space is, I don’t know what will.

Podcasting is different. While becoming increasingly popular year over year, there’s still significantly less competition in this space, making it easier for you to stand out with your target audience.

Podcasting still allows you to compete on an even playing field.

3. Establishes an emotional connection

Podcasting allows you to develop a deeper relationship with your audience. Hearing your voice frequently makes your audience feel like they actually know you. The more a person feels like they know you, the more likely they are to trust you, and in turn, buy from you.

Plus, if people feel a loyalty to you and your brand, they’ll be more likely to leave you positive reviews, which further builds on your trust and credibility.

4. Networking at its best

One of the big surprises to me was the relationships that you develop during an interview.

Reaching out to others to have them as a guest on your show is a great way to build your network. The more people you can connect with, the more you’ll increase chances of referrals, leading to more opportunities and business for your company.

What’s even cooler about networking on this platform is that you can network with people you would never be able to otherwise, like influencers and people you view as mentors or role models.

5. Catalyst for additional content

Creating content is essential to the success of a business today, but finding time to create a bunch of content can be difficult.

So, why reinvent the wheel? With podcasting, you can repurpose the material into other forms of content, such as video or a series of blog posts. Repurposing the content will also help you to further expand your reach because part of your audience may not consume audio-based content, but they may be avid readers and vice versa. See what I mean?

6. Monetization

You certainly don’t have to monetize your podcast if you don’t want to, but if you are interested in making money from your show, there are a number of ways to do that, including:

In general, a podcast is also a great way to build leads, so although the monetary benefits may not be immediate, the business in can bring you over time can be huge.

7. Podcast guesting provides new opportunities

Earlier in this post I discussed how having guests on your podcast can be great for networking, but you being a guest on another person’s podcast can provide the same benefits.

As you are interviewed on more podcasts, your reach begins to snowball. It’s a great way to get exposure with very little effort (far easier than taking the time to write a guest blog on another website).

A few other perks to keep in mind include:

  • Gives you access to an engaged audience outside of your own
  • You have virtually no preparation (the host does the majority of the work)
  • High production value will make the content more shareable
  • There will likely be show notes (and often transcripts) that will drive links back to your website (helping improve your SEO)

Now, in order to be truly effective with podcasting, be sure to have a clear vision of what you’d like to get out of it and know who you are targeting. Once you have those in place, dive in and start receiving the benefits discussed above.

Bottom line, in one interview, with little preparation, you can gain access hundreds or thousands of targeted listeners. Who wouldn’t want that? Do your research, set everything up, and get going.

If you liked this post, check out our Guide to Content Marketing for Small Business.

How to Remove Writers Block and Come Up with Awesome Content Ideas

How to Remove Writers Block and Come Up with Awesome Content Ideas written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Seth Godin is often quoted as saying Content Marketing is the only marketing left. The real truth is this. Useful marketing is the only marketing people will tolerate and content marketing can be very, very useful.

However, even when you have the time to produce the content, that doesn’t always mean your mind is right there with you. Anybody who produces content has fallen into a writer’s rut or mental block with the direction they want to take (ironically, I had that issue with this post).

So, how do you overcome this? Below I’ve listed some advice on overcoming writer’s block as well as how to develop additional content ideas once you’ve done so.

Removing writer’s block

Take a break and go outside

Seems simple enough, right? Stand up, walk away from your desk, and get away from your computer for a bit. Do this even if you’re on a tight deadline. There’s no point in just staring at your computer if it’s getting you nowhere. Getting some fresh air will help get your creative juices flowing and will make you feel refreshed so that you can return to your desk and conquer a stellar piece of content.

Remove distractions

I get that this may be easier said than done, but it’s imperative that you try.

The easiest way to remove distractions is to know what they are ahead of time and remove them before you try diving into your content (maybe having the TV on for background noise isn’t the best idea).

An easy distraction to eliminate immediately is to turn your email notifications off and close the tab on your computer. It’s so easy to check email consistently throughout the day, but it’s a huge distraction. You’ll find you can get a lot more done if you aren’t constantly looking at it.

Using tools like RescueTime can help you eliminate digital distraction across the board mindlessly.

Mix it up 

This can apply to background noise, location, and so on. I’m all for routine, but when it comes to writing, sometimes it’s helpful to change things up. It may take some trial and error, but once you figure it out, stick with it for future writing endeavors.

Write an outline

Remember in grade school when your teacher would make you turn in an outline before you turned in your paper? At the time it seemed like such a daunting task. As an adult, however, you come to realize how incredibly useful this is. It helps to put structure to your writing.

It gives you a plan that you can follow so that when you sit down to crank it out, you have a clear direction which will help make the time needed to write go a lot faster.

Developing content ideas

Once my creative juices are in working order, I often like to take advantage of this time to come up with ideas for future content as well. Although you may still experience some writer’s block when you actually begin developing the content, having an editorial calendar in place will definitely make the process seem easier.

Have a brainstorming session

You know your audience (or at least you should), so brainstorm the types of content they might like to consume. The ideas you come up with can be a great starting point as you dive into the other tactics below.

Conduct keyword research

Keyword research is a necessity that can be used to drive your content strategy. The power of keyword research is that it gives you the ability to understand the exact phrases people use to search for the products and services you provide.

When you’re aware of what those phrases are, you can address the topics through your content and blog posts.

Great keyword research informs your editorial calendar and that’s why you should never stop doing it.

Look at industry/topic related forums

In forums, people will often say exactly what they are looking for and what they are having a hard time finding. If you spend enough time on these platforms it becomes a great way to pick up on trends.

Rely on tools

The tools below can be extremely beneficial in coming up with topic ideas because they’ll provide you with real data and insight about your target audience.

  • BuzzSumo – BuzzSumo is a search engine that ranks content by how often an article is shared. After I have my list of keyword phrases, I use this tool to see what types of content people are writing and sharing for my list of search terms.
  • Keywordtool.io – I use Keywordtool.io because it turns up actual questions people ask about specific terms. I think this is one of the best ways to find intent in a search phrase.
  • Answer the Public – I should warn you, the homepage is not what you think it’s going to be, but it’s a fantastic tool for discovering content ideas!
  • Quora –  Quora is “a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers.”

Look through emails and chat with your team

Go through your email and search for questions your customers have asked, how they talk about their issues, what they like and don’t like, and so on. The information you can gather here is priceless and can give you amazing content ideas.

If you don’t personally answer a lot of external emails, ask your team members who do. Anybody on your team who interacts with your customers, whether in-person or digitally, can be a wealth of information and a great resource for developing impactful content.

What recommendations would you add for overcoming writer’s block and developing content ideas?

If you liked this post, check out our Guide to Content Marketing for Small Business.

How to Create Effective Content Without Adding More to Your To-Do List

How to Create Effective Content Without Adding More to Your To-Do List written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Content influences not only all aspects of our marketing but of our entire business as well.

Content is not something you can take lightly. It needs to be front and center of your strategy and it needs to be done well. The only issue is, it’s time-consuming.

For small business owners, finding the time to create high-quality content on a regular basis can seem impossible. With the ever-growing to-do list that so many business owners face, how can the content giant get taken care of without adding more to their plates?

The answer? Outsourcing.

Outsourcing your content creation efforts is far more common than you probably think, and in my opinion, it’s a necessary tactic if you want to do content marketing well. In today’s virtual world, the sky’s the limit for the talent that you can use to create the content for you.

Not only will it benefit your business, but it will likely save you money by giving you the time back needed to focus on other lucrative areas of your business.

Below are a few tips for outsourcing that will get you on your way to being a successful content creation machine.

1. Own your process and strategy

So here’s the thing. You can, and should, absolutely outsource the creation of your content, but you must still own your process and strategy (it is your business after all).

The only way to outsource effectively is to put systems in place that ensure successful collaboration between you and your outsourced team.

I’d recommend using a project management tool to manage deadlines and provide feedback efficiently. Things can get lost in email and has the potential to get messy. I use Asana, but there are a lot of tools out there that can help you get the job done.

Getting a routine going between you and your outsourced partners can also be extremely beneficial. For example, have blog posts due to you for review every Thursday and podcast show notes due every Wednesday. That way, you know what to expect and when to expect it, and the person creating the content will also know what they need to be doing and when without a lot of back and forth communication.

Develop an editorial calendar that lays out a strategy that your outsourced team can refer to. Planning ahead makes month-to-month operations easier for you, and lets your content creators know what’s to come.

2. Be picky

Anybody can really claim to be a writer, but claiming to be a writer and actually being one are two different things. When searching for somebody to outsource this work to, seek out references and testimonials, and ask them to write a blog post for a title you give them to see how they approach your topics and writing style.

There are numerous sites out there that you can use to find writers, including:

In the beginning, take the time to review the work for specifics, style, tone, and voice. Edit each post to make sure it still represents the brand well, and feel free to tweak a bit to add a personal touch. Provide your content creators with feedback from the beginning, otherwise, they’ll never be able to learn what you’re truly looking for. If they don’t apply the feedback to future posts, you should consider this a red flag.

If you find they are consistently living up to your expectations, bring them on board. The review process will take less time the more they get used to writing for you. In fact, you’ll hopefully get to the point where you don’t have to review their work at all.

It’s important that you do what you can to prevent bottlenecks. There may be times that your content isn’t 100% perfect but, don’t let an endless editing phase prevent you from getting your content out into the world.

Your audience cares more about receiving helpful information than they do about whether or not your author’s tone perfectly aligns with the brand.

3. Remove the guesswork

You must be clear about the instructions you give your writers in terms of tone, style, and formatting. Create a document that outlines these areas for each of your writing needs as well as any background information that is necessary for them to get the job done.

It can be easy to blame remote writers for creating less-than-ideal content, but if you haven’t taken the time to provide the information they need to get the job done, then the blame is on you.

4. Focus on results

When it comes to your content efforts, you must always be paying attention to the results you’re seeing. Even if the content appears to check all the boxes on your list, it doesn’t mean it will perform well once it’s published.

Keep an eye on the metrics to see what resonates with your audience and what does not.

Keep in mind that one piece of content shouldn’t dictate strategy moving forward. You need to look for trends to help you decide what to stick with and what to revise moving forward.

5. Take care of your team

Your outsourced team may be remote, but they’re still a part of your team now and should be treated as such. Don’t forget to give positive feedback when it’s deserved. People want to work for those that appreciate them. The more valued and appreciated they feel, the better the work they produce will be.

By outsourcing content, you are able to focus on areas business of your business that require your attention. If you feel inclined, you can still create one thorough piece of content on your own each week to help keep you on your toes and current with marketing trends, but that’s entirely up to you.

Outsourcing can be extremely valuable for your business, provided you do it the right way and pay special attention to the process.

Remember, although another person is doing the work, it’s your or your brand and reputation that stand behind it, so don’t take the process and development lightly.