How To Implement An Effective Content Cycle
If you don’t know where your next client is coming from, your content cycle needs some tweaking.
What is your current practice for creating and sharing your content? Are there certain steps you follow? Are you consistent?
Without a clear plan and regular action, results suffer … or are non-existent. But no need to despair, there is a way out.
The Content Cycle
An effective content cycle includes creating a new piece of content and following these next steps:
- Post new content to your website blog.
- Email your subscriber list.
- And share the new blog on social media.
Three fairly simple and straightforward steps. And yet, many business owners only do this part of the way, or occasionally, or even not at all.
Why All 3?
When you fall short of creating valuable new content and sharing it on your blog, in email marketing, and on social media, you are leaving money on the table. A comprehensive content marketing strategy checks all three boxes. That’s what makes it thorough, aligned, and well, … comprehensive!
The Blog
The blog on your website is truly your real estate online. You design the layout and the messaging and the customer journey once people are there. As I’ve done here in this blog, you can direct people to a related topic in another blog like this one on Content Strategy and the Customer Journey. You decide the pathway and create the steps.
Another strategy is to position your opt-in in the sidebar, at the end of the blog, or as a call to action. For example, as we talk about the content cycle, here’s some help for you to avoid these 3 Common Content Mistakes.
This way when new people find you and come to your blog they have even more opportunity to learn about you, explore more of the website, assess your expertise and credibility, and to stay more connected by becoming a subscriber.
Your Email List
Your email list of subscribers … so often neglected or bombarded with promotion. And these are the people most likely to buy from us.
The sweet spot in email marketing is regular, engaging conversational emails to share valuable content that sparks discussion and a desire to learn more. When you create new content on the blog this is a prime piece of content to share with your audience of subscribers.
And rather than just plop it into the email, give people an introduction and some context to build an interest in reading what you have to share on the blog and then drive them to the blog post with a link.
Social Media
Social media posting is not just for cat videos and your latest vacation spots. It’s an ideal way to connect with potential clients, referral sources, collaborators, and other online business owners who can enrich your online business journey.
And yet many business owners view this as a nicety, an after-thought. Social media is an integral part of a comprehensive content cycle. That newly created piece of valuable content on your blog needs to be shared on social media … and not just once. Circulate and repurpose your content over time.
Encourage and prompt conversation on the topic. Listen to what people are saying. Continue the conversation and when appropriate, offer to take it further into a private message or a call. This is how we move from social media to potential sales conversations that lead to enrollment.
And it all starts with your content.
Here’s a quick video about making the content cycle work for you in your business.
Click the image below to watch it now.
Do you have a content cycle and are you following it? Tune in to the conversation about mapping out a strategy for new content so that you can attract and enroll more of you best paying clients.
Posted by Deb Coman Writing, Editing and Coaching on Friday, December 6, 2019
Your Turn
I hope this gives you some ideas about how to improve your own content cycle. I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.
