PROCESS
Working together to create a documented content marketing strategy starts with a quick discovery call. This is where I learn about your business, current challenges, and goals. If we decide to move forward, I'll take 1 to 2 days to develop a proposal.
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Your exact goals, along with how long you've been in business and how well you already know your audience will all influence the scope of the project.
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You'll receive the proposal via email, outlining the work to be done, associated fees, and expected timelines.
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When you accept the proposal, I'll send along the terms of agreement, and get to work on your project right away!
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I use a wildly successful 5-step process for creating winning content marketing strategies. Once we design and build the right audience for your business, they'll likely be customers and ambassadors for life. The most exciting part is that you can use that audience to start movements, benefiting your bottom line and improving the community where you do business.
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Stories really can change the world. Let's craft some great stories together!
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Research
Research
Research
The preliminary research is where I dig deep to learn all about your company - what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. I discover your brand's voice, core values, and worldview. I analyze your current marketing strategies and those of your competition. I pour over any data you already have about your audience. Getting clear on this information will inform the 5-step process to follow. If any of this sounds daunting, don't worry! I'm here to help.
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WHY
Why are we creating content? Make no bones about it - we are doing this to increase sales. Creating 'buzz' or brand awareness, ranking in search results, providing value to your prospects, and creating a community will all be by-products of what we do. But, the bottom line really is the bottom line. We'll keep this in mind and track whether the strategy is achieving that goal. All the buzz and clicks in the world don't matter if they don't convert to sales.
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WHO
This is the most important step in the process, and represents the bulk of the work. It's also the most fun! This is where we design your audience so we can build it to our specifications! Many marketing efforts fail because companies aim to please everyone. If you're speaking to everyone, you're speaking to no one. We'll get really specific about who your exact ideal customer is, and create all of your content as if it's written for that person. Knowing our 'who' will lead to more research as I dig up the language they use, the problems and desires they have, and how they like to be spoken to.
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WHAT
This is where I determine what content to create. Now that we know our 'who,' the protagonist in our story, and what problems they have, we'll develop some cornerstone categories and topics to organize our efforts. We'll focus on what they need to know - and what they'll be asking next. This makes the difference between randomly churning out content hoping to get noticed, and creating content designed to fit a strategy and achieve specific goals with an identified 'who' in mind.
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WHEN
Getting intentional about the order in which the content is received is a crucial, and often overlooked step. Each piece must logically lead to the next, pulling the prospect along the 'buyer's journey' until they become a customer. The rational sequence must meet the prospect where they are, and tell a story over time. I'll create one or more 'content journeys' to satisfy the objectives for this particular campaign.
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HOW
With our content journey mapped out, we delve back into the 'who' to fine tune how that content needs to be delivered. We'll refine your brand voice and attitude to keep the content consistent over time. The primary mechanism for delivering the content is email. It may not sound as flashy as social media or tv commercials, but email is the number 1 sales conversion tool in use today. It's 40 times better than social with an average $42 ROI for every $1 spent. If you don't already have an email list or E-newsletter, fear not! That's why you have me.
At first, the content created will focus on the unifying commonalities of your audience as we build the size and sense of community therein. With email software we'll be able to start segmenting your audience into groups and speak to them on an even more personal level. We'll tweak the 'what' and 'how' as we learn more about the audience to make the strategy even more effective. Refining the strategy over time is critical. Staying receptive to what the data is telling you about the community you build allows you to respond to their wants and needs - remaining the trusted, likable expert for the long haul.
MOVEMENTS
The most powerful outcome of really building communities is the ability to start movements. What are your personal or brand values? Wouldn't it be great to serve an audience that shared and acted on those values consistently? You want to have a customer base that fervently supports Outdoor Education? Or Environmental Stewardship? Or Shopping Local? You can. People love to belong to something bigger than themselves. You can lead a movement with your content, and be blown away by the results!