I started running years ago, and when I did I thought it was just a way to burn off some steam. Eventually, I started running in races—a 5k here, a half marathon there. People thought I was a little nuts for enjoying the half marathon, which actually made me like it even more. (Yeah, I’m that person.)
But then, it wasn’t enough to just run in the race. I wanted to finish it by a certain time. And faster in the next race.
There was always a goal time to drive me to train harder and work smarter.
Most of the time, I reached that goal. Sometimes, I didn’t. But every race taught me something new about myself and how to do better the next time.
The same is true in your business. If you’re not reaching your goals, there’s a reason. It’s not because you’re not good enough or because there’s too much competition. It’s because there’s something going on in your “training,” the work inside your own business, that needs a tweak or two.
Of course, it could be anything that’s holding you back. If you feel like your content and marketing isn’t up to par, try these fixes:
Are you targeting the right audience?
Knowing who your audience is huge. But realizing your audience is more than one person—more than just an avatar—is key.
Your audience is a group of people who are all at different journeys with your business and your brand. Some are just getting to know you while others have been around a while and are ready to buy from you.
When you create content, you need to know who you’re creating it for and then target it just to them. It’s important to know what kind of content works for which audience members, at what stage of brand awareness.
Are you focusing on value (and not the sale)?
I’ve never met anyone who likes a sleazy salesperson. People want value. They want to learn something from you and be able to apply it in their life and their business.
When you create content for your audience, are you thinking about who is going to buy your product or service? Or are you thinking about how you’re going to be of service to your audience?
If you want your content to hit home, make sure you’re offering killer value to your audience no matter what you’re creating. The sale will come if you focus on the value first.
Do you have a strategy that leads your audience to the purchase offer?
Okay, so sometimes you do need to think about that sale. Because if you don’t, your business won’t last.
When you develop your content strategy, know what the purchase offer will be. What part of your business do you want to grow? What launch is coming up that you’ll eventually lead your audience to? What’s your call to action?
Breadcrumb your content so your audience follows a logical path from awareness to purchasing. That doesn’t mean you need a giant email sequence. Some of your content will be in the form of blogs or social posts. And then some will be in nurturing emails—before that sales sequence even starts.
Strategize around your offering so you can give loads of value before your audience even knows that you have something for sale.
Are you optimizing your content?
We hear a lot about search engine optimization and while that’s important, there are other ways to optimize your content.
- Include links within your content to other content—yours and curated content—that drives your point home or gives more value.
- Provide an opt-in that collects email addresses (and of course offers more value).
- Format your content so it has a killer title and subtitles that include keywords you want to rank for.
- Make sure your content is readable, with subheads and bullet points, so even skimmers can get the gist of your ideas.
- Make it really easy to share your content (and make sure you’re sharing it yourself).
These are just a few of the things you can do to increase the chances that your content will help you reach your goals. You can and should use your content to reach your business goals, and use it often. Because it’s your best way to provide real value to your audience, without trying to constantly sell to them.
Are you set up to be a powerhouse strategist with your content? Take the quiz below and find out!
