You see a post on Twitter and it makes you curious.
You pop over to the website and see branding that’s congruent with your Twitter experience.
They’ve just passed your first, often subconscious, “trust test”: A consistent experience across platforms.
Next up?
Sharing specific content which serves a dual purpose:
- Educates the prospect about your business and
- Shares content in such a way that it help move them along the Know-Like-Trust line/lets them know you are/are not a good fit.
The skill comes in knowing how to put together content which meets both purposes. The good news? While you can hire a copywriter, you don’t need to. You have all the info you need.
3 Steps to Creating Compelling Content
Grab a pen/paper or your favorite word processing app and:
- 1. List the most common questions you receive from prospects. These are the ones you’re asked time and again from those considering hiring you or wanting to know more about your business. I keep a notebook to track these questions and, once several people have asked the same question, know it’s time to create content around it – whether a report or just a website update.
a. If you’re a naturopathic doctor, for example, they may ask how you’re different from a medical doctor, do you take insurance, how are you different from the practitioner up the street, etc.
- 2. List the questions you wish prospects would ask. The things you want them to know about you.
a. Tell your story. Why you do what you do. Include your core values if it makes sense. What else do you want them to know?
- 3. Address any questions or misconceptions about your industry, company, etc.
a. Following our naturopathic doctor example, you may wish prospects to know that there are federally-accredited schools and that they should ensure any ND they consider going to has a degree from one.
Once done with the above, organize the information so it’s helpful for someone looking to learn more about the industry.
In our naturopathic doctor example, you could name the report “9 Things to Know About Partnering with a Naturopathic Doctor Before Your First Appointment” or “7 Ways to Choose the Right Naturopathic Doctor For You.” Make sense?
Now pick your media of choice and record, video or write up your responses to the above. You’ve just created content that’s valuable to new prospects (notice how the sample titles address the prospect’s “What’s In It For Me” or WIIFM) and also showcases your business.
You can repeat the above steps in creating content for different stages of working with your business. This both saves you time (versus repeating the same info again and again) and positions you as an expert in the eyes of your ideal customers, clients and patients.