1
00:00:09,810 --> 00:00:12,900
Hey there, and welcome to The
Content Experiment Podcast, a
2
00:00:12,900 --> 00:00:15,420
podcast for service driven
business owners who are ready
3
00:00:15,420 --> 00:00:19,080
for some real talk when it comes
to marketing. There's so much
4
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:22,620
buzz out there about marketing
and content strategy from people
5
00:00:22,620 --> 00:00:26,040
who aren't actually doing the
work themselves. And then
6
00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,250
there's us the true small
business owner who is simply
7
00:00:29,250 --> 00:00:32,730
trying to make an impact in
their own small circle of
8
00:00:32,730 --> 00:00:33,510
influence.
9
00:00:33,870 --> 00:00:36,690
I'm Abby Herman, fractional
Marketing Officer, content
10
00:00:36,690 --> 00:00:40,200
strategist and podcast manager
for business owners who want to
11
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,890
make their marketing feel easier
and more streamlined, so they
12
00:00:43,890 --> 00:00:47,400
can get back to serving their
clients and making those sales.
13
00:00:47,730 --> 00:00:51,060
Here we talk about real
marketing strategies for those
14
00:00:51,060 --> 00:00:55,170
who are in the weeds and doing
the work, not outsourcing it to
15
00:00:55,170 --> 00:00:59,880
big teams, you'll hear from real
business owners, just like you
16
00:00:59,910 --> 00:01:03,570
who are marketing on a budget
looking for easy to implement
17
00:01:03,570 --> 00:01:06,660
strategies and want some
guidance from people who are
18
00:01:06,660 --> 00:01:10,110
accessible and real. Thank you
so much for being here.
19
00:01:10,830 --> 00:01:15,420
I know that you want to make an
impact with your content, you
20
00:01:15,420 --> 00:01:18,030
want to make sure that people
get something out of it, and
21
00:01:18,060 --> 00:01:21,930
that they take action on it. And
that's probably why you listen
22
00:01:21,930 --> 00:01:27,330
to this podcast. But what does
it actually mean to make an
23
00:01:27,330 --> 00:01:30,750
impact with your content? And
with your marketing? How do you
24
00:01:30,750 --> 00:01:36,390
get people to interact with your
content, you create content that
25
00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:40,890
sparks something in them that
teaches something, or that
26
00:01:40,890 --> 00:01:44,610
compels them to take the next
step with you.
27
00:01:45,180 --> 00:01:48,330
So this week, on the podcast,
we're going to talk about
28
00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:53,340
creating impactful content, what
that actually means. Some
29
00:01:53,340 --> 00:01:58,350
strategies for creating content,
impactful content on a
30
00:01:58,380 --> 00:02:02,160
shoestring budget, how to figure
out like what content you should
31
00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,590
create in the first place that
resonates with your audience,
32
00:02:04,590 --> 00:02:09,150
and then building out a content
calendar for that impactful
33
00:02:09,150 --> 00:02:14,100
content. Now, next week, we're
going to talk about engaging
34
00:02:14,100 --> 00:02:16,860
your audience with that content.
So this was kind of like the
35
00:02:16,860 --> 00:02:20,370
precursor to next week's
episode, so make sure that
36
00:02:20,370 --> 00:02:24,570
you're subscribed so you can
tune in next week as well.
37
00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,270
Alright, so what makes content
impactful? Its ability to
38
00:02:30,270 --> 00:02:36,600
engage, inform and drive action
without necessarily direct or
39
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,050
quote, unquote, salesy
promotion. And this is really
40
00:02:40,050 --> 00:02:45,420
crucial for building trust and
authority in the b2b or business
41
00:02:45,420 --> 00:02:51,210
to business space. So what makes
content impactful when you focus
42
00:02:51,210 --> 00:02:55,410
on creating content that
educates, solves problems, or
43
00:02:55,410 --> 00:03:00,270
addresses specific needs of your
b2b audience, and this again,
44
00:03:00,270 --> 00:03:05,460
creates and fosters trust and
credibility, impactful content
45
00:03:05,460 --> 00:03:10,770
positions your business and you
as the CEO, as an industry
46
00:03:10,770 --> 00:03:14,490
leader, and it helps you to
build long term relationships
47
00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:19,500
with your audience, which is,
again, essential for the b2b
48
00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:22,710
audience and essential essential
for their decision making
49
00:03:22,740 --> 00:03:23,700
process.
50
00:03:24,690 --> 00:03:29,100
So what does that impactful
content look like? So some of
51
00:03:29,100 --> 00:03:34,470
the key elements that contribute
to a to your contents impact
52
00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:39,330
include making sure that it's
relevant to your target
53
00:03:39,330 --> 00:03:43,110
audience. So the key thing here
is to tailor your content to
54
00:03:43,110 --> 00:03:47,520
address the unique challenges
and questions of your target
55
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,450
market? How do you know what
this is you ask them, I
56
00:03:51,450 --> 00:03:55,470
recommend doing an audience
survey once or twice a year, or
57
00:03:55,470 --> 00:03:58,950
if in your if your business
shifts in any way, so that you
58
00:03:58,950 --> 00:04:03,660
can find out what your people
want and need. If you're not
59
00:04:03,660 --> 00:04:06,390
sure how to do this, I have a
free audience survey challenge
60
00:04:06,390 --> 00:04:11,340
that you can get access to at
the content experiment.com/ask
61
00:04:11,700 --> 00:04:17,430
It walks you through the process
step by step. And impactful
62
00:04:17,430 --> 00:04:20,610
content also has actionable
insights. So it should have some
63
00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,660
like key advice or takeaways
that the audience can implement.
64
00:04:25,050 --> 00:04:29,670
And this gives your audience
immediate value. It should also
65
00:04:29,670 --> 00:04:32,340
be really compelling to your
audience. So make sure that
66
00:04:32,340 --> 00:04:36,630
you're telling a story solving a
problem and in general, just
67
00:04:36,630 --> 00:04:43,410
being really authentic. So let's
say that you have a shoestring
68
00:04:43,410 --> 00:04:48,060
budget, and you want to know how
to create some really impactful
69
00:04:48,060 --> 00:04:53,370
content on that shoestring
budget. I get it. A lot of
70
00:04:53,370 --> 00:04:56,700
businesses are cutting expenses
right now. So business owners
71
00:04:56,700 --> 00:04:59,670
are creating their own content
or trying to market their
72
00:04:59,670 --> 00:05:03,840
business says on a smaller
budget. So here are some
73
00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:06,480
strategies that might help you
with this.
74
00:05:06,780 --> 00:05:11,970
So first, focus on what I like
to call Minimum Viable content
75
00:05:11,970 --> 00:05:15,840
marketing. This is creating the
minimum amount of content that
76
00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,330
you need to create to make sure
that you continue to have
77
00:05:18,330 --> 00:05:21,810
visibility and then stopping
there, you do not have to be in
78
00:05:21,810 --> 00:05:26,280
all of the places, it's enough
to create one piece of pillar
79
00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:30,930
content a week, or every other
week and pillar content I define
80
00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:36,240
as a podcast, your YouTube
videos, or a blog post. So
81
00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,080
publish one of those every week
or every other week. Post a few
82
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,800
times a week on one social media
platform wherever your audience
83
00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:49,320
is hanging out. And make sure
you have a way for people to
84
00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,280
join your email list. And make
sure you're emailing your
85
00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:57,960
audience at least every other
week, preferably weekly. And
86
00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,740
this is probably enough to stay
visible and present online when
87
00:06:01,740 --> 00:06:08,340
you are in a mode of really
trying to shoestring your
88
00:06:08,370 --> 00:06:13,170
marketing. Other ways to develop
content on a small budget
89
00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,820
include leaning on case studies
and testimonials from clients.
90
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,570
Your clients are a great
resource for fresh content,
91
00:06:21,570 --> 00:06:26,160
ideas and social media posts.
You can leverage AI tools like
92
00:06:26,190 --> 00:06:30,360
chatGPT to help cut back on the
amount of time you're spending,
93
00:06:30,540 --> 00:06:35,310
creating content. I had ChatGPT
create the outline for this very
94
00:06:35,310 --> 00:06:38,820
podcast episode and then I put
my own spin on it, you can
95
00:06:38,850 --> 00:06:45,450
listen to episode 257 of the
podcast for more on how to do
96
00:06:45,450 --> 00:06:52,080
this. And I also have a guide
for chatGPT prompts that you can
97
00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,590
access at
thecontentexperiment.com/shop.
98
00:06:57,190 --> 00:07:01,570
Other ways to shoestring your
budget your marketing budget
99
00:07:01,570 --> 00:07:05,050
expert interviews, you can
conduct interviews with industry
100
00:07:05,050 --> 00:07:10,120
experts within your network to
provide valuable insights to
101
00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:15,190
your audience at a low or no
cost. And if you have a podcast
102
00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:18,550
I hope you do this often. I hope
you have guests on your podcast
103
00:07:18,730 --> 00:07:22,120
to share. And by the way, for
those of you who are tired of
104
00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,590
hearing me talk by myself on the
podcast, guest episodes are
105
00:07:26,590 --> 00:07:31,450
starting back up soon. So stay
tuned. You can also repurpose
106
00:07:31,450 --> 00:07:35,560
your content, maximize the value
of the content that you create
107
00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:40,690
by repurposing existing
materials into multiple formats
108
00:07:41,110 --> 00:07:45,700
like blog posts, podcasts and
infographics that will help you
109
00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:49,450
to extend the reach and
engagement without additional
110
00:07:49,450 --> 00:07:55,180
costs or at a minimum cost. So I
have a client who we repurpose
111
00:07:55,420 --> 00:08:00,850
YouTube videos on a regular
basis using repurpose.io. I have
112
00:08:00,850 --> 00:08:06,550
another client who has a
podcast. And we also we meaning
113
00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:11,560
her Podcast Producer, films it
and we put it on their YouTube
114
00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:19,300
channel. And then we create
clips using get munch.com. Both
115
00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:23,110
of those are paid services, but
they are low cost paid services.
116
00:08:23,110 --> 00:08:26,560
And they're it's really easy to
repurpose content that way. You
117
00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,430
can also take one piece of
content that you originally
118
00:08:30,430 --> 00:08:34,780
intended to be a single piece of
content like a blog post or a
119
00:08:34,780 --> 00:08:39,310
podcast episode and repurpose
that into an infographic or
120
00:08:39,310 --> 00:08:44,230
multiple infographics, you can
create a series of social media
121
00:08:44,230 --> 00:08:49,600
posts with that one piece of
content. Or you can even take it
122
00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:56,260
and break it up into chunks for
a webinar or shorts on YouTube.
123
00:08:56,650 --> 00:08:58,630
So lots of different ways to do
that.
124
00:08:58,630 --> 00:09:04,360
And then you can also update old
content, refresh and republish
125
00:09:04,390 --> 00:09:07,270
the content that you already
have out there with updated
126
00:09:07,270 --> 00:09:12,040
information, new data, maybe
recent trends, and that helps
127
00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:17,080
you to increase its lifespan.
I'm doing this over at the
128
00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,680
content experiment lab at my
shop where you can get low cost
129
00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:24,280
marketing and content tools that
you can use in your own
130
00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:30,190
business. I'm taking old
masterclasses and old tools that
131
00:09:30,190 --> 00:09:36,220
I created years and years ago, I
am revamping them and re sharing
132
00:09:36,220 --> 00:09:40,270
them and publishing them selling
them on The Content Experiment
133
00:09:40,270 --> 00:09:44,290
Lab shop. So that is again at
thecontentexperiment.com/shop.
134
00:09:45,970 --> 00:09:51,370
And I'm adding new products over
there on a regular basis. All
135
00:09:51,370 --> 00:09:51,730
right.
136
00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:55,840
So we've talked about creating
the content on a shoestring
137
00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,730
budget. Let's talk about like
understanding your audience. and
138
00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,090
making sure that you're creating
what your audience actually
139
00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,710
needs and wants. The whole point
in creating content is to help
140
00:10:08,710 --> 00:10:12,160
your audience understand how you
can support them in their
141
00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:17,470
challenges. It is meant to help
support them and answer their
142
00:10:17,470 --> 00:10:21,970
questions, educate them, and
showcase how you are the
143
00:10:21,970 --> 00:10:27,970
solution for them. No longer is
content like podcast episodes,
144
00:10:27,970 --> 00:10:31,960
blogs and YouTube videos are the
go to for audience growth,
145
00:10:31,990 --> 00:10:37,660
though. Instead, these pieces of
content are how we nurture your
146
00:10:37,690 --> 00:10:40,420
audience members who have
already found us through things
147
00:10:40,420 --> 00:10:44,410
like podcast guesting speaking
on summits and stages being a
148
00:10:44,410 --> 00:10:49,330
part of bundle giveaways among
other things. So you have to
149
00:10:49,330 --> 00:10:55,060
know what the challenges of your
audiences is in order to deliver
150
00:10:55,090 --> 00:10:58,570
the content that they need and
want. So hopefully, you're doing
151
00:10:58,570 --> 00:11:03,700
the attraction pieces in your
marketing by showing up in in
152
00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:07,660
front of other people's
audiences. Now you need to
153
00:11:07,900 --> 00:11:13,210
understand what your new
audience members actually need
154
00:11:13,210 --> 00:11:13,990
and want from you.
155
00:11:14,260 --> 00:11:16,780
So I've already talked about my
free Ask Your Audience
156
00:11:16,780 --> 00:11:20,980
challenge, which again, is that
thecontentexperiment.com/ask.
157
00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:25,210
But there are some other things
that you can do to better
158
00:11:25,210 --> 00:11:30,130
understand your audience also
things that you should do on an
159
00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,310
ongoing basis. So this is not
just something you do once or
160
00:11:33,310 --> 00:11:36,970
twice a year, this is something
that you do multiple times a
161
00:11:36,970 --> 00:11:41,470
week. So first, pay close
attention on social media to see
162
00:11:41,500 --> 00:11:45,730
what people are talking about. I
have been spending 30 minutes a
163
00:11:45,730 --> 00:11:49,780
day, almost every day of the
week chunk checking in on
164
00:11:49,810 --> 00:11:53,710
LinkedIn, and certain Facebook
groups to see what people are
165
00:11:53,710 --> 00:11:57,670
posting and sharing and what
they're commenting on other
166
00:11:57,670 --> 00:12:01,120
people's posts and shares. I
also make sure that I'm looking
167
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,270
at comments that people have
made on my content and the
168
00:12:04,270 --> 00:12:08,200
content of people who are also
in the marketing world. So I'm
169
00:12:08,470 --> 00:12:13,180
really trying to get a pulse on
where people are right now. You
170
00:12:13,180 --> 00:12:17,350
also want to listen to what your
clients are saying, both on
171
00:12:17,350 --> 00:12:23,050
social media, in their emails in
to you on calls, write down
172
00:12:23,050 --> 00:12:26,770
their challenges, even if
they're outside of your level of
173
00:12:26,770 --> 00:12:30,400
expertise, or even your field
altogether, knowing what's
174
00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,750
important to them, will help you
speak more closely to potential
175
00:12:34,750 --> 00:12:39,820
customers just like them. And
honestly, through conversations
176
00:12:39,820 --> 00:12:43,750
with clients, I have modified
and just and adjusted my own
177
00:12:43,780 --> 00:12:48,910
services, and my own contracts,
to make sure that I'm serving my
178
00:12:48,910 --> 00:12:53,770
clients even better and in a way
that feels good for me. You can
179
00:12:53,770 --> 00:12:57,580
also create polls on social
media to encourage people to
180
00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:00,670
comment and share their
thoughts. This also helps to
181
00:13:00,670 --> 00:13:04,810
foster more community which is
very powerful right now. The one
182
00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:09,850
warning I will say about using
polls on social media is to just
183
00:13:09,850 --> 00:13:13,450
realize that some of the people
who comment and respond may not
184
00:13:13,450 --> 00:13:18,010
be your ideal customers. So just
keep that in mind. Take
185
00:13:18,010 --> 00:13:22,330
everything that is said in those
polls with a grain of salt.
186
00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,630
And of course analytics review
in a couple of weeks. We're
187
00:13:25,630 --> 00:13:28,000
going to talk more about this,
but make sure that you're
188
00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,750
regularly reviewing website and
social media analytics so that
189
00:13:31,750 --> 00:13:36,250
you understand what content
performs best and why that way,
190
00:13:36,250 --> 00:13:41,620
you can create data driven
content strategy adjustments.
191
00:13:42,070 --> 00:13:46,420
If you want to uplevel your
content and get more organic
192
00:13:46,420 --> 00:13:51,070
traffic, you can also leverage
some SEO, SEO tools to help so
193
00:13:51,070 --> 00:13:54,310
you might need to hire an SEO
professional to get you started,
194
00:13:54,490 --> 00:13:57,580
or your friendly neighborhood
fractional marketing officer
195
00:13:57,580 --> 00:14:01,690
like me, that's a good place to
start to, but know what keywords
196
00:14:01,690 --> 00:14:05,290
you're ranking for, what you
like to rank for where your
197
00:14:05,290 --> 00:14:08,920
competitors are ranking, and
then optimize your website
198
00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,420
content and your social media
posts to support those goals.
199
00:14:14,290 --> 00:14:17,380
Now we're going to talk quickly
about building a content
200
00:14:17,380 --> 00:14:21,040
calendar. Because if you want to
create impactful content, you
201
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:26,830
should have a content plan of
some sort. It's really important
202
00:14:26,860 --> 00:14:30,040
to have that put together so
that you know what direction
203
00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,740
you're going in your content,
you know where you're focusing,
204
00:14:32,770 --> 00:14:36,700
you know what your ultimate
goals are. So I teach you how to
205
00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:40,180
create a content calendar in
your 90 day content plan. This
206
00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:45,220
is a private audio feed that you
can get access to in the content
207
00:14:45,220 --> 00:14:48,700
experiment lab shop. And again,
I'm not going to mention again
208
00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:53,200
that there's a link in the show
notes for that. And this whole
209
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,710
thing starts creating your
content plan starts with knowing
210
00:14:56,740 --> 00:14:59,830
what your zones of genius are
those topics that you can talk
211
00:14:59,830 --> 00:15:03,670
about. forever and ever and ever
without getting tired of it, or
212
00:15:03,670 --> 00:15:06,520
maybe you get tired of it, but
you don't actually run out of
213
00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:11,350
things to say, then with results
from your audience survey, you
214
00:15:11,350 --> 00:15:17,320
can plan out your content for 90
days at a time. These content
215
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,190
themes are the zones of genius
that you create can help you
216
00:15:21,190 --> 00:15:25,690
plan out an entire month of
content based around a few key
217
00:15:25,690 --> 00:15:30,910
ideas. And consistency is one of
the most important things to
218
00:15:30,940 --> 00:15:35,440
keep in mind. I recommend
finding a cadence that works for
219
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:40,180
you and your time or your
financial budget that you can
220
00:15:40,180 --> 00:15:45,610
stick with over a long period of
time, one month, six months.
221
00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:50,200
That's not enough to determine
whether your content and your
222
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:51,520
marketing is working.
223
00:15:52,330 --> 00:15:55,270
You can publish your pillar
content, so your podcasts or
224
00:15:55,270 --> 00:15:58,960
blogs, or your YouTube videos at
least every other week, which
225
00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,070
I've mentioned before, and do it
weekly if you can, and make sure
226
00:16:03,070 --> 00:16:08,020
that you're emailing your list
regularly. Again, I recommend
227
00:16:08,020 --> 00:16:13,000
weekly, you want to stay in
front of these people who want
228
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,800
to learn and get into more
information with you. There are
229
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,400
tons of tools available to help
you with your content creation,
230
00:16:21,430 --> 00:16:25,240
I use a mix of airtable and
clickup. Depending on where each
231
00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,580
piece is in the process. Google
Docs is my own go to for writing
232
00:16:30,580 --> 00:16:33,910
up things like my show notes, my
emails and my social media
233
00:16:33,910 --> 00:16:39,280
posts. And if you already have
your 90 day content plan, if
234
00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:44,020
you've already purchased that,
send me an email at Abby at the
235
00:16:44,020 --> 00:16:48,610
content experiment.com. And let
me know I'll double check that
236
00:16:48,610 --> 00:16:53,500
you have it. And I will send you
the template that I use for my
237
00:16:53,500 --> 00:16:58,120
own content. And if you buy it
now it will have a link to the
238
00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,340
template inside. I'm adding that
in there.
239
00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:04,060
If you found value in what you
learned here today, I would be
240
00:17:04,060 --> 00:17:07,690
so honored if you would leave a
rating and review and don't be
241
00:17:07,690 --> 00:17:10,690
shy about sharing the episode
with someone who might need it.
242
00:17:11,020 --> 00:17:14,230
The more you share this podcast
with others the more we can get
243
00:17:14,230 --> 00:17:17,980
it into the earbuds of more
business owners just like you
244
00:17:18,010 --> 00:17:22,060
who are looking for easy to
implement strategies and want
245
00:17:22,060 --> 00:17:25,930
some guidance from people who
are accessible and real. That's
246
00:17:25,930 --> 00:17:29,140
what you'll find here. Thanks so
much for being here. Until next
247
00:17:29,140 --> 00:17:30,400
time, take care.
00:00:09,810 --> 00:00:12,900
Hey there, and welcome to The
Content Experiment Podcast, a
2
00:00:12,900 --> 00:00:15,420
podcast for service driven
business owners who are ready
3
00:00:15,420 --> 00:00:19,080
for some real talk when it comes
to marketing. There's so much
4
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:22,620
buzz out there about marketing
and content strategy from people
5
00:00:22,620 --> 00:00:26,040
who aren't actually doing the
work themselves. And then
6
00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,250
there's us the true small
business owner who is simply
7
00:00:29,250 --> 00:00:32,730
trying to make an impact in
their own small circle of
8
00:00:32,730 --> 00:00:33,510
influence.
9
00:00:33,870 --> 00:00:36,690
I'm Abby Herman, fractional
Marketing Officer, content
10
00:00:36,690 --> 00:00:40,200
strategist and podcast manager
for business owners who want to
11
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,890
make their marketing feel easier
and more streamlined, so they
12
00:00:43,890 --> 00:00:47,400
can get back to serving their
clients and making those sales.
13
00:00:47,730 --> 00:00:51,060
Here we talk about real
marketing strategies for those
14
00:00:51,060 --> 00:00:55,170
who are in the weeds and doing
the work, not outsourcing it to
15
00:00:55,170 --> 00:00:59,880
big teams, you'll hear from real
business owners, just like you
16
00:00:59,910 --> 00:01:03,570
who are marketing on a budget
looking for easy to implement
17
00:01:03,570 --> 00:01:06,660
strategies and want some
guidance from people who are
18
00:01:06,660 --> 00:01:10,110
accessible and real. Thank you
so much for being here.
19
00:01:10,830 --> 00:01:15,420
I know that you want to make an
impact with your content, you
20
00:01:15,420 --> 00:01:18,030
want to make sure that people
get something out of it, and
21
00:01:18,060 --> 00:01:21,930
that they take action on it. And
that's probably why you listen
22
00:01:21,930 --> 00:01:27,330
to this podcast. But what does
it actually mean to make an
23
00:01:27,330 --> 00:01:30,750
impact with your content? And
with your marketing? How do you
24
00:01:30,750 --> 00:01:36,390
get people to interact with your
content, you create content that
25
00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:40,890
sparks something in them that
teaches something, or that
26
00:01:40,890 --> 00:01:44,610
compels them to take the next
step with you.
27
00:01:45,180 --> 00:01:48,330
So this week, on the podcast,
we're going to talk about
28
00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:53,340
creating impactful content, what
that actually means. Some
29
00:01:53,340 --> 00:01:58,350
strategies for creating content,
impactful content on a
30
00:01:58,380 --> 00:02:02,160
shoestring budget, how to figure
out like what content you should
31
00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,590
create in the first place that
resonates with your audience,
32
00:02:04,590 --> 00:02:09,150
and then building out a content
calendar for that impactful
33
00:02:09,150 --> 00:02:14,100
content. Now, next week, we're
going to talk about engaging
34
00:02:14,100 --> 00:02:16,860
your audience with that content.
So this was kind of like the
35
00:02:16,860 --> 00:02:20,370
precursor to next week's
episode, so make sure that
36
00:02:20,370 --> 00:02:24,570
you're subscribed so you can
tune in next week as well.
37
00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,270
Alright, so what makes content
impactful? Its ability to
38
00:02:30,270 --> 00:02:36,600
engage, inform and drive action
without necessarily direct or
39
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,050
quote, unquote, salesy
promotion. And this is really
40
00:02:40,050 --> 00:02:45,420
crucial for building trust and
authority in the b2b or business
41
00:02:45,420 --> 00:02:51,210
to business space. So what makes
content impactful when you focus
42
00:02:51,210 --> 00:02:55,410
on creating content that
educates, solves problems, or
43
00:02:55,410 --> 00:03:00,270
addresses specific needs of your
b2b audience, and this again,
44
00:03:00,270 --> 00:03:05,460
creates and fosters trust and
credibility, impactful content
45
00:03:05,460 --> 00:03:10,770
positions your business and you
as the CEO, as an industry
46
00:03:10,770 --> 00:03:14,490
leader, and it helps you to
build long term relationships
47
00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:19,500
with your audience, which is,
again, essential for the b2b
48
00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:22,710
audience and essential essential
for their decision making
49
00:03:22,740 --> 00:03:23,700
process.
50
00:03:24,690 --> 00:03:29,100
So what does that impactful
content look like? So some of
51
00:03:29,100 --> 00:03:34,470
the key elements that contribute
to a to your contents impact
52
00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:39,330
include making sure that it's
relevant to your target
53
00:03:39,330 --> 00:03:43,110
audience. So the key thing here
is to tailor your content to
54
00:03:43,110 --> 00:03:47,520
address the unique challenges
and questions of your target
55
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,450
market? How do you know what
this is you ask them, I
56
00:03:51,450 --> 00:03:55,470
recommend doing an audience
survey once or twice a year, or
57
00:03:55,470 --> 00:03:58,950
if in your if your business
shifts in any way, so that you
58
00:03:58,950 --> 00:04:03,660
can find out what your people
want and need. If you're not
59
00:04:03,660 --> 00:04:06,390
sure how to do this, I have a
free audience survey challenge
60
00:04:06,390 --> 00:04:11,340
that you can get access to at
the content experiment.com/ask
61
00:04:11,700 --> 00:04:17,430
It walks you through the process
step by step. And impactful
62
00:04:17,430 --> 00:04:20,610
content also has actionable
insights. So it should have some
63
00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,660
like key advice or takeaways
that the audience can implement.
64
00:04:25,050 --> 00:04:29,670
And this gives your audience
immediate value. It should also
65
00:04:29,670 --> 00:04:32,340
be really compelling to your
audience. So make sure that
66
00:04:32,340 --> 00:04:36,630
you're telling a story solving a
problem and in general, just
67
00:04:36,630 --> 00:04:43,410
being really authentic. So let's
say that you have a shoestring
68
00:04:43,410 --> 00:04:48,060
budget, and you want to know how
to create some really impactful
69
00:04:48,060 --> 00:04:53,370
content on that shoestring
budget. I get it. A lot of
70
00:04:53,370 --> 00:04:56,700
businesses are cutting expenses
right now. So business owners
71
00:04:56,700 --> 00:04:59,670
are creating their own content
or trying to market their
72
00:04:59,670 --> 00:05:03,840
business says on a smaller
budget. So here are some
73
00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:06,480
strategies that might help you
with this.
74
00:05:06,780 --> 00:05:11,970
So first, focus on what I like
to call Minimum Viable content
75
00:05:11,970 --> 00:05:15,840
marketing. This is creating the
minimum amount of content that
76
00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,330
you need to create to make sure
that you continue to have
77
00:05:18,330 --> 00:05:21,810
visibility and then stopping
there, you do not have to be in
78
00:05:21,810 --> 00:05:26,280
all of the places, it's enough
to create one piece of pillar
79
00:05:26,280 --> 00:05:30,930
content a week, or every other
week and pillar content I define
80
00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:36,240
as a podcast, your YouTube
videos, or a blog post. So
81
00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:40,080
publish one of those every week
or every other week. Post a few
82
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,800
times a week on one social media
platform wherever your audience
83
00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:49,320
is hanging out. And make sure
you have a way for people to
84
00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,280
join your email list. And make
sure you're emailing your
85
00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:57,960
audience at least every other
week, preferably weekly. And
86
00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,740
this is probably enough to stay
visible and present online when
87
00:06:01,740 --> 00:06:08,340
you are in a mode of really
trying to shoestring your
88
00:06:08,370 --> 00:06:13,170
marketing. Other ways to develop
content on a small budget
89
00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:17,820
include leaning on case studies
and testimonials from clients.
90
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,570
Your clients are a great
resource for fresh content,
91
00:06:21,570 --> 00:06:26,160
ideas and social media posts.
You can leverage AI tools like
92
00:06:26,190 --> 00:06:30,360
chatGPT to help cut back on the
amount of time you're spending,
93
00:06:30,540 --> 00:06:35,310
creating content. I had ChatGPT
create the outline for this very
94
00:06:35,310 --> 00:06:38,820
podcast episode and then I put
my own spin on it, you can
95
00:06:38,850 --> 00:06:45,450
listen to episode 257 of the
podcast for more on how to do
96
00:06:45,450 --> 00:06:52,080
this. And I also have a guide
for chatGPT prompts that you can
97
00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,590
access at
thecontentexperiment.com/shop.
98
00:06:57,190 --> 00:07:01,570
Other ways to shoestring your
budget your marketing budget
99
00:07:01,570 --> 00:07:05,050
expert interviews, you can
conduct interviews with industry
100
00:07:05,050 --> 00:07:10,120
experts within your network to
provide valuable insights to
101
00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:15,190
your audience at a low or no
cost. And if you have a podcast
102
00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:18,550
I hope you do this often. I hope
you have guests on your podcast
103
00:07:18,730 --> 00:07:22,120
to share. And by the way, for
those of you who are tired of
104
00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,590
hearing me talk by myself on the
podcast, guest episodes are
105
00:07:26,590 --> 00:07:31,450
starting back up soon. So stay
tuned. You can also repurpose
106
00:07:31,450 --> 00:07:35,560
your content, maximize the value
of the content that you create
107
00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:40,690
by repurposing existing
materials into multiple formats
108
00:07:41,110 --> 00:07:45,700
like blog posts, podcasts and
infographics that will help you
109
00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:49,450
to extend the reach and
engagement without additional
110
00:07:49,450 --> 00:07:55,180
costs or at a minimum cost. So I
have a client who we repurpose
111
00:07:55,420 --> 00:08:00,850
YouTube videos on a regular
basis using repurpose.io. I have
112
00:08:00,850 --> 00:08:06,550
another client who has a
podcast. And we also we meaning
113
00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:11,560
her Podcast Producer, films it
and we put it on their YouTube
114
00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:19,300
channel. And then we create
clips using get munch.com. Both
115
00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:23,110
of those are paid services, but
they are low cost paid services.
116
00:08:23,110 --> 00:08:26,560
And they're it's really easy to
repurpose content that way. You
117
00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,430
can also take one piece of
content that you originally
118
00:08:30,430 --> 00:08:34,780
intended to be a single piece of
content like a blog post or a
119
00:08:34,780 --> 00:08:39,310
podcast episode and repurpose
that into an infographic or
120
00:08:39,310 --> 00:08:44,230
multiple infographics, you can
create a series of social media
121
00:08:44,230 --> 00:08:49,600
posts with that one piece of
content. Or you can even take it
122
00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:56,260
and break it up into chunks for
a webinar or shorts on YouTube.
123
00:08:56,650 --> 00:08:58,630
So lots of different ways to do
that.
124
00:08:58,630 --> 00:09:04,360
And then you can also update old
content, refresh and republish
125
00:09:04,390 --> 00:09:07,270
the content that you already
have out there with updated
126
00:09:07,270 --> 00:09:12,040
information, new data, maybe
recent trends, and that helps
127
00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:17,080
you to increase its lifespan.
I'm doing this over at the
128
00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:20,680
content experiment lab at my
shop where you can get low cost
129
00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:24,280
marketing and content tools that
you can use in your own
130
00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:30,190
business. I'm taking old
masterclasses and old tools that
131
00:09:30,190 --> 00:09:36,220
I created years and years ago, I
am revamping them and re sharing
132
00:09:36,220 --> 00:09:40,270
them and publishing them selling
them on The Content Experiment
133
00:09:40,270 --> 00:09:44,290
Lab shop. So that is again at
thecontentexperiment.com/shop.
134
00:09:45,970 --> 00:09:51,370
And I'm adding new products over
there on a regular basis. All
135
00:09:51,370 --> 00:09:51,730
right.
136
00:09:51,910 --> 00:09:55,840
So we've talked about creating
the content on a shoestring
137
00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,730
budget. Let's talk about like
understanding your audience. and
138
00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,090
making sure that you're creating
what your audience actually
139
00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,710
needs and wants. The whole point
in creating content is to help
140
00:10:08,710 --> 00:10:12,160
your audience understand how you
can support them in their
141
00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:17,470
challenges. It is meant to help
support them and answer their
142
00:10:17,470 --> 00:10:21,970
questions, educate them, and
showcase how you are the
143
00:10:21,970 --> 00:10:27,970
solution for them. No longer is
content like podcast episodes,
144
00:10:27,970 --> 00:10:31,960
blogs and YouTube videos are the
go to for audience growth,
145
00:10:31,990 --> 00:10:37,660
though. Instead, these pieces of
content are how we nurture your
146
00:10:37,690 --> 00:10:40,420
audience members who have
already found us through things
147
00:10:40,420 --> 00:10:44,410
like podcast guesting speaking
on summits and stages being a
148
00:10:44,410 --> 00:10:49,330
part of bundle giveaways among
other things. So you have to
149
00:10:49,330 --> 00:10:55,060
know what the challenges of your
audiences is in order to deliver
150
00:10:55,090 --> 00:10:58,570
the content that they need and
want. So hopefully, you're doing
151
00:10:58,570 --> 00:11:03,700
the attraction pieces in your
marketing by showing up in in
152
00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:07,660
front of other people's
audiences. Now you need to
153
00:11:07,900 --> 00:11:13,210
understand what your new
audience members actually need
154
00:11:13,210 --> 00:11:13,990
and want from you.
155
00:11:14,260 --> 00:11:16,780
So I've already talked about my
free Ask Your Audience
156
00:11:16,780 --> 00:11:20,980
challenge, which again, is that
thecontentexperiment.com/ask.
157
00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:25,210
But there are some other things
that you can do to better
158
00:11:25,210 --> 00:11:30,130
understand your audience also
things that you should do on an
159
00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,310
ongoing basis. So this is not
just something you do once or
160
00:11:33,310 --> 00:11:36,970
twice a year, this is something
that you do multiple times a
161
00:11:36,970 --> 00:11:41,470
week. So first, pay close
attention on social media to see
162
00:11:41,500 --> 00:11:45,730
what people are talking about. I
have been spending 30 minutes a
163
00:11:45,730 --> 00:11:49,780
day, almost every day of the
week chunk checking in on
164
00:11:49,810 --> 00:11:53,710
LinkedIn, and certain Facebook
groups to see what people are
165
00:11:53,710 --> 00:11:57,670
posting and sharing and what
they're commenting on other
166
00:11:57,670 --> 00:12:01,120
people's posts and shares. I
also make sure that I'm looking
167
00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,270
at comments that people have
made on my content and the
168
00:12:04,270 --> 00:12:08,200
content of people who are also
in the marketing world. So I'm
169
00:12:08,470 --> 00:12:13,180
really trying to get a pulse on
where people are right now. You
170
00:12:13,180 --> 00:12:17,350
also want to listen to what your
clients are saying, both on
171
00:12:17,350 --> 00:12:23,050
social media, in their emails in
to you on calls, write down
172
00:12:23,050 --> 00:12:26,770
their challenges, even if
they're outside of your level of
173
00:12:26,770 --> 00:12:30,400
expertise, or even your field
altogether, knowing what's
174
00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,750
important to them, will help you
speak more closely to potential
175
00:12:34,750 --> 00:12:39,820
customers just like them. And
honestly, through conversations
176
00:12:39,820 --> 00:12:43,750
with clients, I have modified
and just and adjusted my own
177
00:12:43,780 --> 00:12:48,910
services, and my own contracts,
to make sure that I'm serving my
178
00:12:48,910 --> 00:12:53,770
clients even better and in a way
that feels good for me. You can
179
00:12:53,770 --> 00:12:57,580
also create polls on social
media to encourage people to
180
00:12:57,580 --> 00:13:00,670
comment and share their
thoughts. This also helps to
181
00:13:00,670 --> 00:13:04,810
foster more community which is
very powerful right now. The one
182
00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:09,850
warning I will say about using
polls on social media is to just
183
00:13:09,850 --> 00:13:13,450
realize that some of the people
who comment and respond may not
184
00:13:13,450 --> 00:13:18,010
be your ideal customers. So just
keep that in mind. Take
185
00:13:18,010 --> 00:13:22,330
everything that is said in those
polls with a grain of salt.
186
00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,630
And of course analytics review
in a couple of weeks. We're
187
00:13:25,630 --> 00:13:28,000
going to talk more about this,
but make sure that you're
188
00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,750
regularly reviewing website and
social media analytics so that
189
00:13:31,750 --> 00:13:36,250
you understand what content
performs best and why that way,
190
00:13:36,250 --> 00:13:41,620
you can create data driven
content strategy adjustments.
191
00:13:42,070 --> 00:13:46,420
If you want to uplevel your
content and get more organic
192
00:13:46,420 --> 00:13:51,070
traffic, you can also leverage
some SEO, SEO tools to help so
193
00:13:51,070 --> 00:13:54,310
you might need to hire an SEO
professional to get you started,
194
00:13:54,490 --> 00:13:57,580
or your friendly neighborhood
fractional marketing officer
195
00:13:57,580 --> 00:14:01,690
like me, that's a good place to
start to, but know what keywords
196
00:14:01,690 --> 00:14:05,290
you're ranking for, what you
like to rank for where your
197
00:14:05,290 --> 00:14:08,920
competitors are ranking, and
then optimize your website
198
00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,420
content and your social media
posts to support those goals.
199
00:14:14,290 --> 00:14:17,380
Now we're going to talk quickly
about building a content
200
00:14:17,380 --> 00:14:21,040
calendar. Because if you want to
create impactful content, you
201
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:26,830
should have a content plan of
some sort. It's really important
202
00:14:26,860 --> 00:14:30,040
to have that put together so
that you know what direction
203
00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,740
you're going in your content,
you know where you're focusing,
204
00:14:32,770 --> 00:14:36,700
you know what your ultimate
goals are. So I teach you how to
205
00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:40,180
create a content calendar in
your 90 day content plan. This
206
00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:45,220
is a private audio feed that you
can get access to in the content
207
00:14:45,220 --> 00:14:48,700
experiment lab shop. And again,
I'm not going to mention again
208
00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:53,200
that there's a link in the show
notes for that. And this whole
209
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,710
thing starts creating your
content plan starts with knowing
210
00:14:56,740 --> 00:14:59,830
what your zones of genius are
those topics that you can talk
211
00:14:59,830 --> 00:15:03,670
about. forever and ever and ever
without getting tired of it, or
212
00:15:03,670 --> 00:15:06,520
maybe you get tired of it, but
you don't actually run out of
213
00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:11,350
things to say, then with results
from your audience survey, you
214
00:15:11,350 --> 00:15:17,320
can plan out your content for 90
days at a time. These content
215
00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,190
themes are the zones of genius
that you create can help you
216
00:15:21,190 --> 00:15:25,690
plan out an entire month of
content based around a few key
217
00:15:25,690 --> 00:15:30,910
ideas. And consistency is one of
the most important things to
218
00:15:30,940 --> 00:15:35,440
keep in mind. I recommend
finding a cadence that works for
219
00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:40,180
you and your time or your
financial budget that you can
220
00:15:40,180 --> 00:15:45,610
stick with over a long period of
time, one month, six months.
221
00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:50,200
That's not enough to determine
whether your content and your
222
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:51,520
marketing is working.
223
00:15:52,330 --> 00:15:55,270
You can publish your pillar
content, so your podcasts or
224
00:15:55,270 --> 00:15:58,960
blogs, or your YouTube videos at
least every other week, which
225
00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,070
I've mentioned before, and do it
weekly if you can, and make sure
226
00:16:03,070 --> 00:16:08,020
that you're emailing your list
regularly. Again, I recommend
227
00:16:08,020 --> 00:16:13,000
weekly, you want to stay in
front of these people who want
228
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:17,800
to learn and get into more
information with you. There are
229
00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,400
tons of tools available to help
you with your content creation,
230
00:16:21,430 --> 00:16:25,240
I use a mix of airtable and
clickup. Depending on where each
231
00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:30,580
piece is in the process. Google
Docs is my own go to for writing
232
00:16:30,580 --> 00:16:33,910
up things like my show notes, my
emails and my social media
233
00:16:33,910 --> 00:16:39,280
posts. And if you already have
your 90 day content plan, if
234
00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:44,020
you've already purchased that,
send me an email at Abby at the
235
00:16:44,020 --> 00:16:48,610
content experiment.com. And let
me know I'll double check that
236
00:16:48,610 --> 00:16:53,500
you have it. And I will send you
the template that I use for my
237
00:16:53,500 --> 00:16:58,120
own content. And if you buy it
now it will have a link to the
238
00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:00,340
template inside. I'm adding that
in there.
239
00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:04,060
If you found value in what you
learned here today, I would be
240
00:17:04,060 --> 00:17:07,690
so honored if you would leave a
rating and review and don't be
241
00:17:07,690 --> 00:17:10,690
shy about sharing the episode
with someone who might need it.
242
00:17:11,020 --> 00:17:14,230
The more you share this podcast
with others the more we can get
243
00:17:14,230 --> 00:17:17,980
it into the earbuds of more
business owners just like you
244
00:17:18,010 --> 00:17:22,060
who are looking for easy to
implement strategies and want
245
00:17:22,060 --> 00:17:25,930
some guidance from people who
are accessible and real. That's
246
00:17:25,930 --> 00:17:29,140
what you'll find here. Thanks so
much for being here. Until next
247
00:17:29,140 --> 00:17:30,400
time, take care.
