Content Marketing Changed my Business

I’m not a guru.  I’m sharing this as a person about 1.5 years into my adoption of Content Marketing.  But good things are happening for me, and I want them to happen for you.

I realized that Content Marketing works when I decided to work with a consultant on my LinkedIn presence.  I had read his posts.  I had read some newsletters.  Then I heard him on a podcast and he said “If less than 1 out of 3 people are accepting your LinkedIn connection requests, there is something wrong with your profile.”

Less than 1 out of 3 were accepting my requests.  So I decided to reach out.  When I talked to him for the first time, I felt as if I were talking to a person I had known for a while.  After all, I had read his work, and heard him talk, and I had an idea of what he was talking about.

That’s when I knew that Content Marketing works.  It had just worked on me.

Then he explained to me that if I want to scale my marketing efforts, I need to stop thinking one-to-one and start thinking one-to-many.

As a salesperson, I can only talk to one person at a time.  A video or blog can be watched by multiple people at once, at whatever time they desire.  It’s scalable in a way that my time is not.

I couldn’t fight the idea.  I knew it would work because it had worked on me.

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

The Power of Content Marketing

Content marketing has become a cornerstone for many businesses.  It can have the same value for Nonprofits, Social Services, and Human Service organizations. The premise of content marketing is that you create valuable content for your consumers in the form of blog posts and video. By providing this information upfront, you can establish trust and credibility, ultimately attracting more leads and customers.

Why does it work? --  Reciprocation

As humans, we are hard-wired to want to reciprocate.  It’s part of living in a society.  If someone gives you a gift, you want to return it in kind. 

When you answer the key questions your clients and consumers have, you are giving them the gift of knowledge.  They are searching for information they don’t currently have, and they want to acquire that knowledge. 

By answering common questions and addressing pain points, you are building trust and establishing yourself as a knowledgeable resource in your industry.

Everybody has questions, and everyone is selling something

I can imagine that some people receiving this newsletter might object to the idea that you are selling something.  Perhaps you are a nonprofit homeless shelter. 

You’re not trying to create a profit.  Maybe you’re working for a 501c3 especially because you want to avoid the corporate world. 

Everyone is selling something.

Nonprofits are always trying to recruit board members.  What are the most common questions that board members have?

What is the time commitment?  How many meetings?  How much money will you expect me to give?  Why do you need me to be involved?

Or perhaps you are fundraising for an event and you are trying to recruit donors.  What are their questions?

What is your cause?  Why is it a necessary cause?  How will you use the funds?  What kind of exposure will the gift give?

Everyone is always trying to recruit talent.  What are their questions?

What will they get paid?  What are the hours?  What are the perks?  What is the value of working with your organization?

Creating Educational Content

Think about the last time you were considering a product.  What did you do?  Did you google it?  That’s what I do.

What happens when you land on a website with very little information and the only way to get your answers is info@.......

Do you call?  Email?  Or do you must move on?

Regardless of your industry, creating educational content can have a significant impact on your business. Whether you are a home health provider or an insurance broker, sharing valuable insights and answering frequently asked questions can help potential customers make informed decisions. Through content marketing, you can position yourself as a thought leader and attract a more engaged audience.

You will be surprised how much time people are willing to engage with your content if they are serious about engaging with your organization.  I have one client who watched every single video that I made about her type of business.  That means she watched 45 minutes of videos about insurance.

The same thing could be true about a person who is serious about engaging with your organization.

Building Trust and Credibility

Content marketing allows you to build trust with your audience without the need for direct interaction. By providing valuable information online, you are enabling potential customers to learn more about your brand and offerings at their own pace. This helps to establish credibility and can lead to stronger relationships with your target audience.

On more than one occasion, by the time somebody reaches out to me after consuming my content, they have decided to work with me before I ever talk to them.

One individual in Kentucky was thrilled she got to talk to the person who made the videos about sober homes.  The relief in her voice that she got to talk to a subject matter expert was palpable.

Several other nonprofits have reached out to my agency and declared they’ve done the research, and they’re ready to do business with my firm.

They came to this conclusion independently by watching videos and reading blog posts.

Improving Your Value Proposition

Creating content forces you to think critically about your value proposition and how it resonates with your target market. By articulating your message through videos and blog posts, you can refine your pitch and better understand the needs of your customers. This practice can be invaluable when it comes to engaging with prospects and closing deals.

I’ve been in numerous meetings when a customer asked me a question I answered in a blog post.  I started reciting what I wrote in the blog post.

The practice made me sharper.

Recommended Reading and Resources

I know this can feel like an overwhelming topic at the beginning. 

If you are looking to dive deeper into content marketing, consider exploring the following resources:

• They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan

• Content Inc by Joe Pulizzi

• Content Warfare by Ryan Hanley

• On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Final Thoughts

Content marketing has done great things for me and my business.  The effects do not happen overnight.  It’s taken a year of diligent work to see an increase in web traffic and leads.

But now those leads come in every week.  They’re pre-qualified.  They’re ready to do business with my firm by the time they reach out.

The same benefits can be had by you and your team.

As Ryan Hanley has said many times – it’s not hard work, but it is work.

Embrace content marketing.  It can do great things for you.