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As a business owner who’s marketing online, you’re told to create content. . .lots of it.
Content for your newsletter, content for your blog, content for your videos, content for your podcasts...and that’s all before we get to the actual content of your products and programs.
But what happens when you’re producing all this content and not seeing revenue come in as a result?
(And, sadly, “Yes, this IS what’s happening for most.”)
First, we need to take a look at the most common mistakes in creating and sharing content:
- Giving too much – often times, entrepreneurs give and give and give and so there’s no reason for someone to actually purchase your products.
- Common knowledge – super common, especially for those who give too much, is sharing the same ‘ole, same ‘ole, nothing new or original which leads us to
- Being boring – either sharing the same stuff we’ve heard for years or trying to be so perfect that your material reads like a scientific research paper.
- And, when your material reads like a scientific research paper, you’ve made it too complex and people will unsubscribe, close out, turn off their machines. . .anything to get away from it.
- No call to action – what do you want your reader to do after reading your content? Tell them...don’t make them guess.
And, like most things in your business, what’s the “why” of creating a particular piece? What do you want your clients to get from the content?
These common content-creation mistakes result in less clients signing up for your programs or purchasing your products. You haven’t made it compelling for them. . .
My Request to You
While it would be easy for me to tell you to “do the opposite” of what you see above, it’s not always that straightforward.
When creating valuable content for your readers, you want to ensure that:
- The content is simple to grasp AND take at least one immediate action on.
- When you see an industry issue, you bring it up AND advance a solution (similar to how my Escalator Marketing™ concept replaces the out-dated marketing funnel and pyramid).
- You keep the content interesting. . .share a story when appropriate, remember it’s more important to be “readable” than to have perfect grammar.
- When promoting a program or product, provide great content AND let your readers know that this “is only the tip of the iceberg” (see my video at www.TotallyTeleseminars.com for an example of this).
- Include a call to action to engage your reader. Whether it’s an invitation to comment on a blog, reply to an ezine article, join a teleseminar, etc. Never leave them hanging wondering what to do next as they’ll go elsewhere.
So, let me ask you. . .are you going to file this away, thinking you’ll “get to it when you have time” or are you going to take action now? I’d love to hear your thoughts here. . .
I was working on some new product offerings and struggling with these concepts when your ezine appeared in my in box. You are so right, Sandy! Thank you for sharing these timely tips to help me give my readers more of what they want and move them in the direction that they need.
Lisa C. Decker, CDFA
www.DivorceMoneyMatters.com
Posted by: Lisa C. Decker | October 05, 2010 at 02:58 PM
Hi Lisa,
Congratulations on seeing how you can take the strategies included here and immediately apply in your business.
And you're right. . .doing so will not only benefit your business, but the needs of your clients as well!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Sandy :-)
Posted by: Sandra Martini | October 05, 2010 at 03:47 PM
Variety -- the spice of life and blogs. And, thanks for the reminders about perfection being boring, Sandi. It's so important to be a human being when writing.
Posted by: Rhonda Hess | October 05, 2010 at 04:29 PM
Hey Rhonda,
You hit the nail on the head -- it's important to be human first...in all things we do.
Thanks for commenting!
Sandy :-)
Posted by: Sandra Martini | October 05, 2010 at 05:33 PM