The Content Marketing Two-Step Trap

Every where you go on the Web these days you hear blog and Twitter talk about "Content Marketing."

Seems it's the new buzz word among Internet marketers. But if you're like me, an independent professional who does her own marketing, and who doesn't use paid advertising, you're no stranger to Content Marketing. You've already been doing it.

Anytime you write content on the Web (or elsewhere) you present yourself, your personality, and your knowledge so that readers get to know you. They like you (you hope!), they begin to trust you, and they eventually become clients or customers, or at least regular readers.

Or not. It's not always easy to write quality content that works to actually bring in business.

Although it seems self-evident, it's not. Why not?

1. If you write to educate and entertain, people may love you for it, but so what? They read, say "hmmm!", then click away, and it's bye-bye. Gone. Where's the money in that?
2. If you write to persuade people to hire you or buy from you, then you risk turning them off with sleazy sales copywriting techniques. You may make a few sales, but readers won't subscribe and they won't come back.

This is what I call the content marketing two-step trap.

Real content marketing lies somewhere between these two extremes.

To make things a little trickier, every business, and every niche is a little different.

• What works for you in your business?

• What kinds of content work to attract and stay in touch with readers, build your KLT factor (Know, Like & Trust), and makes sales?

These aren't rhetorical questions. I'm actually asking you to reply to this post in the comments section.

What are you using in the way of content to attract ideal clients, build a list of potential customers, and grow your business?

Do you use a newsletter? Blog? Contests? Surveys, give-aways, teleseminars, social media like Facebook and Twitter?

• What does Content Marketing mean to you in your business?

• How are you doing it now?

• How does it work, and how isn't it working like it should?

Just hit the comment button and tell us what you're doing with your "Content Marketing" and what results you're getting. What works for you? What doesn't work and you're not doing anymore?

Comments

[patmcgraw]

Great post and questions - my initial reaction is that with most people reading my content, I want them to remember me after they leave. (I have moved to blog posts and Twitter after great success with e-newsletters - my audience was changing their preferences and I needed to be there with them.) My goal with these 'cooler prospects' is to build awareness and a positive impression.

Eventually, when they are ready, they will engage. I will get a comment to a post or an email or a phone call. That's the next level - starting the relationship.

In that phase, I want to be more 1:1, offering insight that's of greater personal value with more of a personal approach and delivery.

That leads to the next stage - asking for the business. Based on what I hear in the previous stage, I gain insight into the individual's pain so I can begin to position myself as the solution. At a certain point, I simply ask - if I were to do X, would that help you with Y?

Now we're talking business.

[Jenny Pilley]

Again, great post. I think writing to attract is all about what you can do for your customers and (without over selling) writing to inform. I think continuous writing is key, get out there, do all of the things you've mentioned but check what your writing is having an effect, sometimes it's a case of trial and error.