How To Use Content To Build An Effective Sales Funnel

Do you need a process for creating content and turning it into a sales funnel? Yes. Yes, you do! Creating content is hard, but with a process that helps you create relevant content for your audience and repurpose it to help you build a funnel of customers, it can be a lot easier. The content you create can help you establish your authority in your industry, grow trust with your audience, and shorten your sales cycle when it’s time for a customer to buy. Today’s episode gives you a few tactics to do for homework that will get you started with what content to create. We’ll continue with this series over the next few weeks to show you what to do next and give you some resources that will make content creation easier… Amen!

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Full Audio Transcription of this Podcast Episode:

(00:00):

Hi friends. Thanks for joining me on today's episode before we get to the show, I want to just give you a few announcements. First of all, you probably noticed that there was not a motivation Monday episode this week. I'm going to be changing the podcast and how many episodes I do at least for the foreseeable future. Um, I have some things happening in life that, um, require my attention and have to become a priority for a little while. And I also am doing some re-evaluation about my business and the podcast and where I want to take my brand. Um,  I've talked to you guys a lot on my Motivation Monday episodes about being a believer that clarity only comes from doing the action. And that's exactly what I did when I started the podcast. I, I knew what services I could offer in a business.

(00:55):

I knew, you know, what I have done for the last 20 years where my experiences it experiences are, and what I enjoy doing. And so I just jumped in with two feet. I just jumped in and I started because I knew that I didn't want to waste any more time trying to figure it out without taking some kind of action. And so I feel good about that because it has brought me a lot of clarity, but within that, there are some tweaks that I want to make to the podcast and to the content that I'm creating and to my business and the overall brand of my business. So I am taking some extra time to figure that all out. And so, because of that, I'm going to do one episode a week, at least for the first of your foreseeable future, until I get that all worked out and get some rebranding done.

(01:46):

Um, I've started on that process and quickly realized there's going to be a lot of logistical work to do before I can accomplish that. So in addition to still kind of, um, trying to pray about getting some answers on exactly where I want the brand to go. Uh, in the meantime, I'm working on some of the backend logistical stuff that happens when you do a rebrand. So, um, that is why there's only gonna be one episode a week for the foreseeable future. And I hope you guys will still find the content valuable each week. And if you do find it valuable and you know, others would as well, please share the show with them in your podcast app. Um, most podcasts app allow you to share an episode, uh, or you can email a friend or tag them on Instagram. When you see me sharing the information about the weekly shows, I sure would appreciate you sharing it with others.

(02:41):

Um, one more announcement. Um, I am going to start reading a review for the podcast, um, probably once a month or maybe twice a month. I'm not sure yet. It depends on how many reviews I get. Um, but here's the deal. So listen, listen, listen up. Um, I am to feature a review on the podcast that you leave, but if you also send me a DM on Instagram and tell me what your business is, what's your favorite social media platform handle is, and what your website is. I will also feature that at the end of your review. So we're doing a, you helped me, I help you swap. Um, I'm a big supporter of supporting other businesses and what other entrepreneurs are doing. And so, um, I'm asking for your help to review my podcast so that my podcast can continue to grow. And in return, I would also like to help you and your business grow and give you some free promotions on the show.

(03:45):

So, um, to enter into this review, swapper, you help me, I help you, swap. I don't know what I'm calling it. Um, leave a review for the show on iTunes. And, um, if you would please screenshot that and then send that to me on Instagram, you can tag me on Instagram @AmberGlus and then send me a DM and just let me know, you know, what's your Instagram handle or Instagram, isn't your gig. Um, you know, send me what your other handle is on your favorite platform, your website address, and just a quick sentence or two about what you do. And I would be happy to include that when I do the review, when I read the review on the show, all right. Um, I think that's it for announcements. I've got a lot going on. And so I'm like trying to keep my stuff together.

(04:33):

Have y'all ever felt that, like, you just go through some of those busy seasons where you're like, I'm just going to be good if I make it through the day? All right. Um, so let's get into today's episode today. We are talking about how do you use content marketing as a sales funnel? And this is part of a series that we're going to be doing, um, is content marketing, what it is, why it's important for your business, how to use it. So I mentioned this, um, I think it was like four or five weeks ago when I did the episode on what is content marketing. And I mentioned that I'm going to have some other episodes coming up. That's going to explain more about how you can use content marketing. And some of those episodes include some guests that I want to bring on the show who have some specialties that I think you're really going to appreciate next week is one of those guests.

(05:25):

And you guys, I can't even tell you how excited I am for next week's podcast episode. This guest is going to introduce you to a platform that he's the co-founder of that is a game-changer when it comes to creating content for your business. So if you're not subscribed to the show, you definitely want to be so that you don't miss that episode. It's going to be a good one. All right. So today's episode is a one of one in those series of content marketing and how do we use it and how do we get better at it? And what are some resources to help us out with that? So today we're talking about how do you use content marketing to build the sales funnel? And like, what does that mean? Why would you want to do it? The number one reason that you want to use content marketing to build your sales funnel, is it shortens your sales cycle.

(06:19):

So I'm going to talk a little bit more about why that is today, but there's a ton of reasons you guys, why content marketing is amazing for your business. It can build your business organically. It can set you up as an authority in the industry. It helps you really differentiate yourself, your services, or your brand in an industry that may be saturated online, but out of all of the good things that content marketing can do for you. My favorite thing about content marketing is that it can shorten your sales cycle. So we're going to get into that a little bit today. Thanks for joining me and listening to the announcements. Let's dive into today's episode,

(07:09):

Welcome to The School of Copy and Messaging, a podcast where we help you craft your message and promote it online to build the business as unique as you are. I'm your host, Amber Glus. Professionally, I'm a copywriter marketing guru and communications professional, who has spent the last 20 years in media relations for elected officials and marketing for a national brand, creating copy and messaging that turns prospects into paying customers. Personally, I'm a breast cancer survivor and lover of all things, coffee, who believes that Friends is still the best TV show ever. I bring my "get things done" attitude here each week with episodes that share tactical lessons on how to craft your message promoted online and build a business that brings you joy and freedom. Whether you're an entrepreneur creating your own message, your copywriting and marketing, or a freelancer who wants these skills to increase your business. You are in the right place. Let's dive in together to today's episode. All right, you guys

(08:22):

Content marketing. Why would you want to use this as a sales funnel? And how do you do that? That's what we're having a conversation about today. So content marketing is not direct selling. In my opinion, it's more of a form of nurturing your soon-to-be clients or your current clients. I like content marketing because I believe content marketing basically is the modern form of marketing. And it's where marketing is going in the future. I don't think it's ever going to go away. Um, I think it's grown significantly in the last couple of years and will continue to do so. So content marketing, if you, you might remember, we talked about in one of the previous episodes, that content marketing is how you answer the questions, solve the problems, or provide useful information to your customers that you know, that they are seeking. And within content marketing, it allows you to create a system to do that consistently.

(09:24):

It allows you to create a system to solve problems, provide useful information or answer questions that your audience has on a consistent basis. Now, we're going to talk about how do you set up a system to do that. But first I want to talk about why, why would you want to do this? So a sales funnel basically you'll hear some various versions of this. Some people say there are three to four to five stages of a sales funnel, but I like the model of a sales funnel that shows like if you can picture a funnel-like you would have in your kitchen. And the top of the funnel is your awareness. And then the middle of your funnel is the evaluation period. And then the end where the funnel gets really, really narrow, that part of your funnel is your sale or your conversion of somebody becoming a customer.

(10:18):

Okay. So awareness, evaluation, and then sale or conversion of some kind. That's the model of a sales funnel that I like number one because it's simple and I can remember it. Um, but number two, I think the longer versions really, you could take some of the longer versions of a sales funnel and boil them down into those three categories. So, because content establishes your authority in an industry, answers questions that, you know, your customers have solves a problem that they have or gives them useful and valuable information. Those types of things happen at the awareness level, the top of the sales funnel. So when you're creating content that does those things, it is bringing awareness from your customer to you, your brand, your business, your services case, it's helping them become aware that you provide something that they need. Okay? Then the sales funnel can help you go from the top of the funnel at awareness to the bottom narrow part of the funnel to conversion much quicker.

(11:27):

Now, the reason I say that is in today's online world. There are so many things biting for our time and your customers are smart and savvy, and they have the answers they need at their fingertips. Your job is to insert your brand or your business in front of them and be there when they're ready to buy something. But in that, when they're not ready to buy something, you need to be in of them with useful information so that you stay top of mind and content can help you do that. Then when that customer is ready to buy, because you have a system to be in front of them consistently, when they're ready to buy, they think of you because you are in front of them consistently. And now because you've been pre-creating content, that's valuable to them. They know you, they like you, and they trust you about those three things.

(12:21):

And having those things done ahead of time before somebody gets to the narrow part of your sales funnel is why I say content marketing to build your sales funnel will shorten your sales cycle dramatically. And this is why, because by the time the customer gets to the conversion, the sale part of your funnel, they already know like, and trust you, you have been solving their problems, providing valuable information, and giving them the answers to the questions that they had. They trust you. They see you as an authority in your industry. So now when they're ready to buy that decision to buy is much quicker because they've been contemplating it the whole time. They've been seeing your content and the whole time that you've been dripping on them with content marketing. So that's, that's the number one reason out of all of the good things that content marketing does.

(13:15):

So the number one reason why I believe it's so incredibly important to your business is that it will shorten the sales cycle. Now that's the long game. It is it it's not going to happen overnight. Um, you know, to be just full disclosure here, this content marketing to build a sales funnel is not a one-and-done answer to your customers, buying something. This is the nurture campaign. This is the build know like and trust campaign, but this also builds very, very loyal customers who will tend to buy from you over and over again, and refer other people to you religiously. So it's not gonna be the quick fix. It's not going to be the, you know, run a Facebook ad and fill a sales funnel by next week type, of system. But in the long run, using content marketing to fill your sales funnel, I believe helps you build a very solid, very loyal customer base.

(14:18):

So let's talk a little bit about how do you do this. So we've mentioned in some of our previous episodes where we talked about content marketing, there are a couple of different platforms that you can do this on. Um, social media can be a platform that you can provide content on. I don't believe social media should be your only like your main platform, but it can be a part of your content marketing process. Now, I believe that you should have long-form content that you do at least once a week. I know a lot of, a lot of people do more than once a week, but at least once a week, that you are providing valuable content to your customers. Now that can be a blog. It can be a podcast, it can be a YouTube channel. And right now I still say it can be a clubhouse room or club.

(15:09):

If you don't have a club, that's okay. You can, you can do rooms, um, schedule rooms, and that can be content. Um, I, I still am kind of like calling clubhouse the odd man out for, for the top four ways that you can create a brand platform. We talked about that last week. Um, it is up and coming and I do believe that right now you can use that as a stage to build your brand. So I'm going to include again, YouTube podcasting and blogging and clubhouse right now because I think that's possible. So those are the four long-form content platforms that you can use to create a content marketing sales funnel. That content your goal is to raise awareness about your products or services and serve your audience so that they, once they become aware of you want to continue to follow you.

(16:02):

So the key again, serve, serve, serve, serve your audience. Um, my podcast now currently weekly, but it used to be three times a week serves. Um, that is my way of serving my audience. It's my way of giving away educational information, um, possibly entertaining. If you think I'm silly, I may not be on purpose. It's usually because I'm a little goofy. Um, but that is my way to serve, to educate, to entertain, to offer valuable information. I try to cover information that I know you guys are looking for help with. And so that's my way of serving. I use podcast mostly, um, I do also transcribe my podcast into a blog and then, uh, in the future, I'm going to be doing YouTube videos for them as well. Um, but you guys know, I like to show up, uh, looking like a hot mess in my slippers and just record my podcast on audio.

(16:57):

And so I've, I'm working in YouTube. Uh, I do have a plan for that, but it's, I'll be honest. It's not my favorite. You guys, it's not my favorite. So, um, and that was totally a side note. Uh, anyway, you want to show up on one of those four platforms with the idea of serving your audience with content that can raise awareness about your products, your brand, your business, your service. You want to tell your audience though what to do every time you're talking to them. So give them something to do every week. You guys hear me talk about, um, you know, tag me on Instagram and share the show or get on my email list by downloading the freebie that I have for you or my courses are coming out this summer, go get on my waitlist. Um, those kinds of call to actions, I'm always telling you what to do and what the next step is.

(17:49):

And any time you are serving your audience with content, the goal is to move them through the sales funnel. And so you always want to tell them what to do. What is the call to action and what step do you want your audience to take? And it can be simple. It can be "share the show this week with a friend tag", a friend that, you know, needs this information, follow me on social media. Um, send me a picture of what summertime looks out, looks like outside your window. Um, it can be, you know, send me questions or topics you want me to cover on the podcast. Anything like that? Those are all examples of calls to action. And the goal of that is twofold. The first is moving people through the sales funnel and the second is keeping people engaged with you. So that the know, like, and trust factor grows with your audience and expands your audience.

(18:41):

So when you ask people to share your show or share your content or join you on a Facebook live or something like that, you're, you're getting engagement from your audience and you're kind of dating them like you're, you're kind of courting them, right? Like you're starting this relationship and you're getting to know like, and trust one another. And eventually, that relationship is going to, to pursue some kind of sale it's whether you have a product or a service. And in the meantime, you have to let that customer get to know you and invite other people into the sales process because in doing so, it helps validate your business. Like when somebody shares the show, the person they share with instantly gives that show more credibility because somebody recommended it to them. So you're not only telling your audience what to do to move them through the sales funnel, but you're also expanding your audience at the same time.

(19:35):

Um, so let's talk for just a second. Um, I know that when sometimes when people hear a sales process or a sales funnel, it sounds like icky. And I really want to encourage you guys, um, to, think about it totally the opposite your sales funnel should be seen as something that helps your customer solve a problem. You are walking them down the path to a solution that you know is going to solve a problem for them. And so that shouldn't feel icky or salesy. It is literally you providing information to your customer that you know, is going to get them to the destination that they want to be in. And you're helping them do that. You're guiding them on the path, that's going to get them there. So don't let this feel like it's salesy. The main reason that I want you to have a content marketing process is so that you have a system that saves you time, that you can repurpose the content that you know, serves your audience, and build your brand with your customers in a way that creates trust and loyalty.

(20:46):

And of that should feel icky or salesy because you guys, to me, this is the better way to do sales. This is 100% better. Like I don't think that there's anything wrong with sending Instagram DMS or, you know, doing cold calls. If you want to, or doing emails for sales, there's nothing wrong with any of those, in my opinion. And if those fit you and your business, then go have at it, those in, in my system can be a piece of your content marketing funnel. But all of those activities to me go much, much easier. And they're not cold contacts because these customers that you're reaching out to if you've been providing valuable content already know you and they already like you, and they already trust you, and they're already aware of what, what you do, and what you sell, or what type of service you offer.

(21:42):

And it takes the salesy out of sales because now they know that you're providing valuable information that they need. So to me, yes, it's a sales process. It's part of a sales process, but that shouldn't feel salesy because you're creating a relationship with your customer and you're serving them and you're providing them value. And I believe that doing it this way actually takes the sales out of being salesy. If that makes sense. Okay. Anyway, um, next, um, after you give your audience valuable content and you give them a call to action, uh, again, that can be something very, very simple. The next thing that you want to do in a content marketing funnel is have some kind of a goal in mind for getting feedback. Now, when you're doing, when you have a sales funnel created by content, you have the ability along the way to ask your customers for feedback, create a feedback loop that allows your customers to tell you if what you're providing is valuable and what else do they need?

(22:51):

So you guys have heard me on the show say, Hey, send me a DM on Instagram. Let me know what topics you want me to cover. Let me know if you're finding value in this podcast. Um, and to give an example, uh, last week I had a couple of ladies who sent me Instagram, DMS, which I completely appreciate you guys. Um, and thank you so much. I take them very seriously and they sent me, some questions. They have some information that they need for copywriting and I'm working on including those in some future episodes, because that to me is so helpful to have that feedback loop from people, listening to the show to say, Hey, thank you. This is great information. Can you also include topics such as this? And that really helps me to know exactly what my listeners need. So create a feedback loop within the content that you were sending out.

(23:43):

That can be, um, again, something simple, like don't overthink it. If you're sending an email to your list, it can be something as simple as emailing me back. Let me know if you found this helpful, or if you try this tip today, can you let me know if it works and what happened when you tried it? Um, maybe it's, you know, send me an Instagram DM and let me know what, what kind of information I can provide. That's valuable to you. Um, it can be having, you know, other people come on your show to do like a Q and A type thing where you're getting the audience to hear the questions that someone else has. So make sure that you're giving your audience, um, the opportunity to have feedback. I have a mentor who used to always say, you have to weigh into buy-in. Uh, and I think that's so true when people have the opportunity to weigh in. They're more likely to buy-in. And so giving your customers the opportunity to participate in the content that you're giving them, not only ensures that it's going to be valuable to them, but it also helps you ensure that what you're creating is valuable for your audience. And it can help you kind of hone in on what it is that your audience needs more of. So keep that in mind.

(25:00):

All right. So we talked about what are the platforms you can create content on, why are we going to create content to use as a sales funnel? Next, let's talk about the type of content. So we kind of hit the high level, right? Like, solve a problem that, you know, your customer has, um, provide useful or valuable information, answer questions that, you know, your customers ask, entertain your customers, um, inspiration, something that's inspiring to you and to them, or educate about a related topic. Let me go through those again, solve a problem, provide useful or valuable information, answer a question, provide entertainment, provide inspiration, educate on a related topic. So these are some of the big categories that you can think of when you create content. Now, a way to think about this, like it doesn't you guys, it doesn't have to be monumental. All right.

(26:04):

Like me just doing those motivation Monday episodes, um, truly I'll tell you a secret. Those episodes were as much for me as they were for you because I like a good dose of inspiration at the beginning of a week. And I'm a total sucker when it comes to like good quotes and things that people say that are just inspiring. And I love watching, you know, other successful people succeed and, and share what they learn when they succeed. And so I'm just a total like groupie when it comes to inspiration. And so those episodes were as much for me as they were for you, but that was me offering some inspirational content. Um, education today's podcast is more educational related. Cause I'm talking to you about how you can use content and build a sales funnel in your business. Um, providing valuable information. Now, this can be something like a resource.

(27:01):

Um, next week is a good example of that next week. I have a guest coming on the show, um, that I mentioned in the introduction that you guys are not going to want to miss because he's amazing. And he's going to introduce us to a platform that he was the co-founder of that is a game-changer when it comes to creating content. So that's an example of me providing content to you guys that has valuable information. It's a good resource. Um, anytime I'm recommending books that might be considered that are, you know, providing useful or valuable information. So, um, just to give you guys a question or excuse me, just to give you guys like an example that, um, answer a question. The PI the cast questions that came to me through Instagram last week. Now I know that my audience has a question. I'm going to answer that question in a future episode.

(27:51):

So I'm going to cover that. So those are just some examples of when you're sitting down to create content and you, and I know you guys, this looks, listen, creating content is not easy. Let me say it again. And I know you can't hear me putting my fist on my desk. Creating content is not easy. Now let's just, let's chat here for a second about this, because I know, I know, I know, I know that you guys see industry leaders online and they make this look so stinking easy that it makes you want to scream your head off. Am I right? I know I'm right. Y'all are out there nodding your head, just like I am because they make this look so darn easy. And you guys, it is not creating. Content is difficult. Now there is a process that you can learn to make it easier, but I do not ever want any entrepreneurs out there to feel like you are not doing a good job, building your business, just because creating content is hard.

(28:53):

Did you hear me? I'm going to say, and again, for the people in the back, I do not ever want somebody to feel like we're not doing a good enough job. It's your business? Just because creating content is difficult and it is difficult. And I think I'm totally off on a rampage here, but I see so many women who were like having second thoughts about their businesses, because, because they can't seem to create the content. They don't have the time. They can't keep up with social media and, and they want to give up because it's so dang hard. And you guys, I know because I've been there. I am there a lot of days when I get behind in business and I have to try and keep up with, you know, creating a podcast episode and showing up on social media. And by the way, I haven't emailed my list in like three weeks.

(29:38):

Like you guys, I am not immune to this either. It is hard, but I have discovered that it can be a heck of a lot easier when you create a content marketing sales funnel. So that's why I'm talking about this today and why I'm so passionate about it because I know that it makes the process easier. It makes your sales cycle shorter. It sets you up as an industry authority and is a leader in your industry. And it can make a very difficult process, much, much easier, much easier. And so that's why that's another reason why this is so dang important for your business. And I know cause you're like if you're out there going, okay, great. Tell me how, um, I am. I'm telling you what kind of content to create. I'm telling you what platforms to create it on, why it's so important.

(30:28):

Um, and you guys don't overthink it. If you put out content once a week that serves your audience, it will help you build your business organically. It just will. And I do have you guys know, my courses are coming, I'm working as fast as I can to get them out this summer. Um, but my signature course is going to be, and I didn't plan on saying this, but I guess I'm gonna, my signature course is going to be the content marketing master masterclass. And so if you're not on my waitlist, go to my website, um, the school of copy and messaging.com, there's a little banner right at the top that you can click on that says waitlist for courses. And you can get on the waitlist. Um, those are coming this summer and I'm super excited about those you guys, because, uh, it does take this process and make it a system and make it so much simpler for you to be able to create good content that serves your audience, repurpose it, and put it everywhere online in the right formats.

(31:28):

So that you look like a rock star who is visible all over the place online. And you're going to make it look easy. Like all those millennials do. Okay. It's like the millennials came out of the womb knowing how to do this stuff. And I don't know how or why, but they did. And so I created a process for the rest of us to know how to do it. Um, and I think you guys are really gonna appreciate it. It's, it's helped me a lot in my business. Um, so anywho, that was a total rabbit hole and now I've lost my spot on where I was at in my notes. Um, let's see.

(32:04):

Oh yes. Okay. Sorry, you guys are going to hear all that cause I don't have time to edit the podcast today. Uh, okay. So we talked about the types of content to create. Now let's talk about kind of getting into a system. All right. Um, you guys, what I would recommend is that you, you can do this in Trello. You can do it on a calendar. You can write it on a piece of paper. It doesn't have to be hard. Um, what I would recommend is that you write out 52 things that, you know, your customers deal with and I'm going to, if you guys are like, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. I have more episodes coming on this over the next couple of weeks as we are in this series of content marketing. And I'm going to explain some of these a little bit more, but just to kind of get you started, what I would recommend is that you write down 52 things that, you know, your customer needs, again, that could provide useful or valuable information.

(33:01):

It could be, answer a question, provide entertainment, give inspiration, do something educational, um, and also include your brand. Like sometimes it's okay to just throw in content. That's like, here's what I do. And here's why I do it. Um, and so right out of those categories, write down 52 main topics. And then under those, I want you to write a couple of sub topics that your customers would need to know about. Let me give you an example. If you're a health coach and one of the things you write is that you're going to talk about an exercise plan. Well, underneath that exercise plan, you may need to talk about modifications for exercises, or you may need to talk about, um, nutrition as a topic, but under that, maybe you talk about how to break out, you know, micro, whatever they're called, uh, micronutrients. Um, maybe if you're talking about, um, let me think if you, Oh, I have a friend Marla who has journals, um, uh, traveler notebooks that she sells, maybe one of her topics could be how to use a traveler notebook within, underneath that.

(34:07):

It could be the different ways, um, that you could do pictures in your notebook. Like you got to think about the major questions and then you underneath that can think about the subtopics. So I want you guys to write that out 52 topics, and then at least under each of those 52, write one, at least one sub-topic. If you can come up with more great, but at least one, I want you to start there. That gives, starts to give you the big structure of your content plan. Now there are 52 things because I'm going to start teaching you guys how to plan for a year's worth of content. And I know if anybody just fell out of your chair, just get on back up and listen to me because you guys, when I figured this out, um, and I did this for my own business, I was like, Holy cow, this is actually possible to schedule out 52.

(35:03):

You guys really, that's not that many. Like I know it feels like it is when you're creating content, but in the big scheme of things, 52 things that your customer thinks about or needs to know are really not that many. When you include things that are inspirational or educational or just provide valuable information. And so I'm giving you guys the kind of overall umbrella structure that is going to help you create a content marketing plan. So we're going to get into more of this, but just for today, you have homework for today's podcast. I want you to write out 52 things with one subtopic underneath. And again, those categories you can solve a problem, provide useful or valuable information, answer, question, entertain them, givens operation, or provide some kind of education. All right. So write down 52 things and put one subtopic underneath each one, at least subtopic.

(35:58):

Now, once you've done that, you have a structure for the content that you're going to create. Now I do it again, it can be on a piece of paper. It can be on a Trello board. It can be on, you know, outlook or Gmail or whatever you use for a calendar. You're going to put those topics in once a week now to make it easy. I put them in on Monday, cause that just makes my life easier. And then I want you to start thinking about how can you fill in the rest of your calendar using that one piece of content. And that can be that you're going to take a quiz out of whatever content you gave in the car. Well, it's going to go on Tuesday and then maybe on Wednesday you take a picture and you put the top three things that we're doing important from that piece of content.

(36:46):

And yeah, then maybe the next day you do a video that explains your favorite thing about that episode. And then maybe the next day you say, um, you know, did you find this valuable? Do you have questions or something that I missed? And so you're, you're just starting to think about like, what are the follow-up things that I can do after I create a piece of content, and this is going to start to show you on your calendar, how you can repurpose that one piece of content, but still be visible online, everywhere. And you're adding some things in that are more relatable to your customers so that it makes them want to go consume the content, makes them realize why it's valuable and why they need it. And then you're increasing your conversion rate that they're actually going to go consume that content. So that's what you're doing.

(37:29):

And you're doing all of that with one piece of content and being visible online. That's and I know you guys, it sounds easy and you're like rolling your eyes. Cause you're like, why do I keep hearing this? And nobody tells me how I am. I'm giving you the very introductory version of what's coming in the content marketing masterclass. Um, so we're going to get into it in the class, into the nitty-gritty of how to do this. And I'm going to show you guys examples. I'm going to give you my Trello board. I'm giving you the templates, you guys in the class. So you don't even have to do the work of that. Um, but in the meantime, if you want to get started on this, those are some things you can do for homework after today. And if you need a coat budging session for like, Hey, I just need help mapping this out.

(38:17):

Um, go to my website, let's grab a coaching session. And in an hour we can start to map all of this out for you in the meantime. All right. So we talked about what is content marketing? What are the platforms you can do? What type of content should you be providing to your audience? We talked about doing that at least once a week, and I gave you the first few steps to how to structure that content marketing plan. Now, the last thing we're going to talk about today is the process behind when you're creating content, when you actually ask for the sale now, um, really it depends. It depends. It depends on what you have going on in your business. Um, one of the things I'm going to show you how to do in the content marketing masterclass is looking at your launch schedule. So when I do my content, I'm going to put in the launch schedule first, and then I'm going to go in and put in things like, you know, holidays, um, because those aren't gonna, those aren't going to move and I can plan on them and I know where they go.

(39:18):

And then I'm going to go in and put in my personal stuff, to be honest with you, because that's a priority for me. So like, if I know I'm going on a vacation, you know, when we can do that more and more soon, I hope, um, or I know like I've got my niece's wedding coming up and that's going to be, you know, busy, cause I'll be gone a couple of days. Like I put those personal things in my content calendar because I want content during that time, that's easier for me to create or that I can make sure I create ahead of time. So I don't want to be in the middle of like launch season when I know I'm going to be gone for a week. Right. So you got to think through those things, like make your content marketing plan fit your business.

(39:57):

Like yes, you were serving your audience, but you guys, this is also for you. This creates a system for you to not be a stressed-out hot mess in front of a computer on the day that you're supposed to have content coming out. Like I just, I decided I decided there is a better way. And there is, I found one and I'm sharing it with you guys because I just think that there's more to business than that. And who in the heck started a business, wanting to spend the day in front of their computer, like stressed out about content, right? And wondering if business is passing them by, because they're not showing up all over the place online, like other industry leaders. And so you guys have to think about building a content plan that works for your business and for your life. If you have a kid who is graduating from high school or college or something, you probably don't want to put a launch content plan in the middle of that.

(40:52):

So calendar all of that out, think through what you want that to look like, and then fill in your content topics. And so then you've got your lunch. If you are a product-based business and you know, you're going to be promoting a big product around Christmas, then you probably need to have some kind of content ahead of time. That's going to tell your audience why that's going to be so important and why they need to buy this. Um, so that's the first thing is fill in all of that kind of stuff. Then you can decide where your sales content goes. That can be based again on, maybe you have a product. Um, my friend, Chris, who is a CPA and bookkeeper, um, you know, she probably isn't going to want to have sales content going out right before the tax deadline, because that's a busy time.

(41:41):

So you have to think through some of those things. And then once you get all of that, then you can start to fill in when, where you want your regular content and where is going to be sales content. And the way that those two things work together is when you're not in a sales process or some kind of a launch, then your content should be much heavier on the education side. Um, solving problems, providing useful information, and answering questions that you know, your customers have. It should be much heavier on that kind of service side of your content. But then when you have a launch coming up, then you kind of have to start to shift gears a little bit and your content is going to be becoming more about here's the service I provide and why this is the solution to the things I know you guys are looking for.

(42:32):

And you should be answering objections during sales time. So if you have a sales time coming up, you have a launch. You also want to make sure that your content that prior to that launch is answering any objections that your customers typically have before they buy. Now, if you've been providing really good content, the whole time, those objections are going to be less and less, and this will shorten that sales cycle for somebody to buy your products or services. But because you're heading up to a launch period, you want to make sure that you are addressing any objections that you know, your, your customers would typically have, so that the overall 30,000 foot big picture of how you can schedule your content and then build it into a sales funnel. So you're nurturing your audience. You're, you're building relationships of know, like, and trust and providing information, and providing good service.

(43:27):

And then when you come into a sales period, those people already know like, and trust you, and they are aware of your brand. They know what service you provide and that conversion or sale at the bottom of your funnel is going to happen a lot quicker. All right. So I know that's a lot of information. Um, as I said, you guys, if you're not on the waitlist, um, for my courses coming up, please get on the waitlist on my website. Um, and also don't forget about the announcements this week. Um, if you want to go leave a review for the show on iTunes, and then also on Instagram, send me a DM with some information about your business. And I'll include that when I read the review on the podcast, if you were not an Apple user, you can still leave a review for the show by screenshotting the show that you're listening to sharing it on Instagram and tagging me, and then send me a DM with your business information.

(44:22):

And I will include it that way as well for any of my Android users. I love you guys too. I'm an Android girl, so I'm not leaving my Android users out. All right, you guys, I'm more coming in the next three to four weeks on how to use content marketing to build your brand and your business. Again, next week, we have a special guest coming on. Who's going to show us a platform that I know you guys are going to love. It's going to help a lot, a lot, a lot with knowing what content to provide, giving you ideas, making sure your content is relevant. And you guys hear me, hear me, hear me because this is so important. The platform we're going to be talking about will dramatically help you increase how content drives your search engine optimization. Okay. That basically means it helps you make content that Google likes so that Google finds you more when people are searching organically.

(45:17):

Okay. So lots of important stuff coming up, um, in the next couple of weeks, as we continue to talk about how to use content marketing in your business and how to use it, to build a sales funnel, making your life much easier. So you can show up and be visible online and make it look easy. Like all of those other millennials do. All right, you guys, thanks for joining me today. I hope you found some value in the episode. And if you did, please go share it. Share the love for the show. I sure would appreciate it. Have a great week. And until next time go share your unique message with the world.

(46:01):

Thank you for listening today, friends, and spending a piece of your day with me. If you found this episode valuable, please share it on all things social and tag me @AmberGlus with your thoughts. It would also mean the world to me. If you would leave me a five-star rating and a raving review on iTunes or whatever your favorite podcast listening app is ratings and reviews. Help me to grow the show and get great guests on here for you to get more information on copywriting, creating your message, and marketing it for your business. Follow me on Instagram @AmberGlus, or go to my website, amberglus.com. I want this podcast to be packed full of value for you. So please consider sending me a DM and tell me what topics you'd like for me to cover on the show. I answer all of my DMS personally, and I'm happy to share my insights with you or answer questions that might help you with your own business until next time friends go share your unique message with the world.