Content Development Archives

Category: Content Development

How to Boost Conversions and Create Leads That Last with Storytelling Content

Service professionals have a shocking advantage when it comes to the benefits of content creation. They can use their expertise as well as human connection to drive sales in ways they may not have thought of before. The trick is finding the balance that will grasp attention spans. These tips will help you get one step closer to achieving just that!

The online platforms of today make it incredibly easy to combine storytelling and valuable, actionable information for your leads. However, many service professionals like financial advisors may not realize the striking advantage that they have in this department! Their expertise is so versatile that they can create content in many ways on several different platforms. We help you master the tactics that people use in storytelling for your brand, you can use this method beyond simply generating leads.

1. Approach it with Empathy

Think about some of the most memorable advertisements that you’ve seen. We all have at least one commercial that has stuck with us since we were kids. You may not be using TV advertising, but it’s a helpful outlet to think about in this context. You may have seen the ASPCA commercials that pop up around the holidays. Rather, they pop up more around the holidays. That’s not without reason!

People are generally more empathetic around the holiday season because they’re already in the mindset of giving. This is the perfect time for an organization like the ASPCA to gather new donations (which is their form of lead generation) because people are already actively seeking ways to donate. Plus, cute animals and sad music trigger other emotions, making them even more willing to pick up the phone or visit their website.

As a service professional, you wouldn’t necessarily go to these drastic lengths to empathetically reach your audience. However, you do need to think about what makes you stand out as relatable and sincere. What stories can you tell that would make your audience feel like they know you?

2. A Hero’s Journey

Literature has various methods that they’ve used to tell stories for generations. The more prominent ones are often taught in school. But, it doesn’t end when the books are closed. Advertising uses these tools as well, albeit with a slightly different approach. When you’re mapping out your content, think about the roadblocks that you’ve faced. If your audience sees your story as a hero’s arc, it is equal parts motivating and entertaining. Your own origin story is a great place to start. Going back to your roots and being candid about the obstacles you faced in the beginning makes you more approachable. Some of the most successful influencers have gotten to their positions of power because of their relatability.

3. You’re the Expert

When we talk about content creation, we often discuss how good content can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. Blogs, YouTube videos, and other formats are amazing ways to do this. These places offer short and long-form platforms for you to share your knowledge and present yourself as a credible resource to your leads.

Let’s say that you have a lead who is an avid reader of your blog. They’re subscribed to your mailing list, never miss a post, and always leave you comments that just make your day. One day, you mention a service that you offer within the blog post. A little self-promo doesn’t hurt anybody! The lead in question then goes to research your service a bit more. Then, they finally take the plunge and decide to work with you. It was an easy decision because they already trusted you based on the actionable information that you provide them every week.

4. Learn About the Platforms

There are so many social media platforms these days. It can get very overwhelming trying to balance them all. But, each one can provide different things in terms of lead generation. For example, a solid base of Instagram followers can help you generate sales directly through links in your Stories. As far as storytelling through content goes, you can create your online persona or voice as someone that is consistent and reliable through anecdotes and relatable feelings or situations. Boosting engagement also works with content storytelling. The audience will feel like they’re involved in the story as they’re interacting with you in your comments section.

Social platforms like Twitter are another great source for short anecdotal content. This could be a place where you can tell stories about your struggles when you first started in business. Naturally, this comes with compliance laws, but you can leave out certain details and still make the stories entertaining and relatable.

Try and map out different ideas that you have. Think about the format that you’d need to tell these stories. Which social channel would help you tell this story in its truest form?

5. What Makes it Shareable?

Certain things will also be more eye-catching online. Memes are incredibly popular. They’re funny, often anecdotal (notice a theme here?) and shareable in nature. It’s so easy to share memes, whether that be in the form of a retweet on Twitter or sharing them to your story on Instagram. Most platforms make posts shareable by simply pressing a button. This is such an easy way to generate leads through content storytelling because when someone reposts it this way, new leads are automatically linked back to your profile. It all comes full circle!

To summarize, the biggest goal in content storytelling is relatability and reliability. Establishing yourself as a standout expert in your niche online can truly be as simple as allowing your audience the opportunity to get to know you. With all that being said… what stories do you have to tell? Let me know your ideas in the comments!

Is your brand telling an engaging story? Complete our New Client Questionnaire so that we can understand your needs and provide the best fit solutions.

05 AprContent DevelopmentWebsite

6 Tips to Generate Content Based On Your Buyer Persona

First impressions are crucial. When your goal is converting leads into sales, the first impression is generated through your Buyer Persona. These 6 tips can help you create the most effective content based on your Buyer Persona.

Lately, we’ve been focusing on sales funnels and how to use that process to convert leads. While a sales funnel is an incredibly effective tool to create long-term clients and customers, understanding your Buyer’s Persona is what keeps the funnel flowing steadily. Think of a Buyer’s Persona as an avatar for your clients. Your Buyer’s Persona will help you define that demographic and be the basis of how you develop content to keep their attention for the long haul.

Creating engaging and relevant content that is catered to your Buyer’s Persona is the easiest way to grasp that attention. There are several ways to do this, so it’s time to get creative! First, let’s define your Buyer’s Persona.

In short, you’ll want to really tell a story with this person. Start with the basics:

Their name
Their age
Their gender (if you feel that this changes your conversion rates)
Their likes and dislikes
Their motivation/goals

The fun part is writing their story. You can really get as creative as possible here. Personify them until you can see them.

Once you have that clear image in your head, it’s time to generate content!

1. Talk to Your Audience

Understanding your audience’s needs is easiest when you get clear instructions from them directly. You can do this by:

Running a survey. This can be done through sites such as SurveyMonkey or even Google Surveys. You can attach this survey in an email since you’ll already have their attention in your monthly newsletter
Interact through the comments in your Ask an engaging question at the end of a blog post. This approach makes you relatable and reliable to your readers. They’ll see that you care about their needs, and this, in turn, strengthens your relationship

2. Scope Out Your Competition

Now, don’t get us wrong here. We don’t want you to copy what your competition is doing to a t. However, use their analytics to your advantage. See what content drives more engagement. If your products and services are recognizably similar, this will help even more. You’ll be able to draw ideas from their successes seamlessly.

3. Remember Your Funnel

The goal here is to move leads through your sales funnel. And, you’re attempting to do so quickly. Having multiple platforms and varying kinds of content generates more leads because you’re amplifying your message to more people at once. Sounds easy enough, right? There are tons of platforms out there where you can publish amazing and helpful content!

Blogs

First of all, it’s so important that you have a blog for your business. This is where you can post content once a week (or, more than once) that can inform your readers on subjects that are relevant to your services. Blog posts are typically a 5-minute-or-so read, and they can also help you promote new products or services.

For example, we provide Digital Marketing & Growth Strategies, where we can help you effectively communicate to your Buyer’s Personas.

4. Do Research

Start on Google. Pretend you are a lead. Making things broader at first will get you introduced to concepts like SEO (Search Engine Optimization). You’ll begin to learn what keywords are attracting the most traffic. From there, narrow in your searches by using platforms like Quora. This will give you the exact questions that your audience is asking. You’ll be able to create content based on those questions.

5. Shop Around Platforms

Pros: there are tons of social media platforms to publish content onto.

Cons: there are tons of social media platforms to publish content onto.

The plethora of social media platforms may be confusing at first glance, but learning their strengths will help you better understand where to place your content for the best results. Also, depending on what it is you do, certain platforms will attract more traffic based on the platform’s demographic. That, in turn, generates even more leads.

Let’s have a quick rundown of the ones to watch.

Tik Tok

This is one of the newest social media crazes in general. Tik Tok is the short-form content king at the moment. Videos are no longer than 90 seconds, and the topics at hand are limitless (as long as they adhere to the app’s user guidelines!). Tik Tok has an easy interface that makes it simple for editing newbies to get the hang of it.

Tik Tok has everything from viral dance numbers to business professionals sharing their tips to food videos to… you name it! If you have some tips that you can share with your audience in 90 seconds or less, it’s worth checking out! Its algorithm also makes it really easy to go viral, if you’re into that.

YouTube

YouTube is Tik Tok’s older, more experienced sister. It’s pretty much like Google 2. People often use it synonymously with a search engine these days. This is where you go to post longer videos, within the 10-15-minute range is best, and share your expertise! You can make YouTube videos about anything you want and edit them as intensely or casual as you’d like.

Instagram

Instagram isn’t just for pretty scenic photos or your best selfie. Posting engaging content on Instagram is one of the quickest ways to get people to check out your website, or to promote a new service or product. You can also actively engage with your audience easily on this platform. Their comments section is one of the easiest to navigate.

6. Understand Your Audience’s Problems

The first place that people tend to go for problem-solving these days is the internet. Google can solve all our problems, right?

If you understand how your products and services can help them solve their own problems, that will draw in more leads. If your Buyer’s Persona is detailed enough, you’ll be able to know what their problems are and generate content that answers these questions.

Once you’ve established your Buyer’s Persona, you will know have the tools on how you to get them to know like and trust you and your brand. Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to create new and exciting content.

What does your Buyer’s Persona look like? Let us know in the comments!

Do you need help creating the right content to drive your buyer persona to your website? Complete our New Client Questionnaire so that we can understand your needs and provide the best fit solutions.

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