3 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Want to Stand Out Online
VIDEO POST: I’m going to ask you 3 questions, that will not only help your business but save you a therapy session (Thank me, later).
Watch the video at the end of the article.
Before you hop online and start pumping out content into the ether. Ask yourself, "Does the content I am creating reflect the business I want to build and maintain"?
It's important you ask yourself tough questions throughout the building of your business because if you don't —one unsolicited comment, unfortunate mishap or unforeseen roadblock may force you to re-evaluate EVERYTHING.
HowEVA, the first question I originally posed to you is not a part of the 3 questions below, but it is the overarching question, once you've done the homework. Trust me, this question (Does the content I am creating reflect the business I want to build and maintain?) will pop up as you level-up.
Do the work now to address it by asking yourself these 3 questions. And if you can't answer them honestly, you won't be able to generate and sustain that content marketing machine energy.
Question One: "What adjectives do people consistently use to describe you?"
Do some digging into past testimonials, references and/or online commentary on an Instagram photo. You should take notes on how people introduce you to others. And be hypervigilant about the compliments or praises people dote on you. It all counts.
Take the GOOD adjectives and begin to EMBODY them as part of your identity.
For you will present this identity online —similar to creating a brand persona.
Celebrities do this all of the time.
Have you ever been face-to-face with your favourite TV Show character? Rarely are they ever the same person in real life. As the saying goes, “Never meet your heroes”…because they may disappoint you. Generally, most celebrities can't keep their likeable on-screen image switched on at all times. Despite this fact, that on-screen image makes them money.
This is why I suggest you embody an identity centred around what you naturally do —what people notice and like about you. That way, you can keep the same energy no matter online or off.
Assignment: Embody it.
Question Two: "What is it that your colleagues, friends, and/or clients come to you for?"
The only effort on your part for this question is to PAY ATTENTION.
Someone in your life is already coming to you for this consistently (personal or professional). It's the let me pick-your-brain scenario. Think about what people most often need your advice, feedback or help on?
Create from this space.
In other words —turn the advice, feedback or help into a service and/or product. Let this be the inspiration you need to create that solution to the problems people need solved, BY YOU.
This is the #1 organic way to market yourself without coming off sales-y.
It's the same as not investing into things you don't believe in or promoting products to a friend without knowing for sure it won't give them a rash. Only create projects that you know can help someone and it also pours back into you.
In the video, I share what people come to me for: I make things simple, fun and help your true personality rise to the surface. In a nutshell, I am a Passion Activist.
Assignment: Create it.
Question Three: "What’s your superpower?"
What energizes or ignites you? Your true passion(s)? What you believe? Your values? How you operate?
For me, I can get real. Real quick. It's a gift and a curse, truly, because not everybody is built to put their right hand on the bible.
Nevertheless, I am not everyone's cup of tea and that's okay! It is important to attract people to your brand, just as it's important to repel. As hard as it may be, you should draw a line in the sand. The fact of the matter is you won't stand out if you're for everybody.
Determine what and how you do what you do...
The way you achieve interesting or uncommon results.
What's so uncommon about you? Once you figure it out —unapologetically execute from this space.
Operate from your superpower.
Play unfair.
Assignment: Execute it.
This is how you sustain the content marketing machine energy because all you're really doing is being YOU in High Definition (HD).
Comment Below “What’s your superpower?”
How to Keep Your Content Marketing Machine Running on a Full Tank of Gas + The P-T-R Method
In this video post, you’re going to discover the only way to build a content marketing machine without burnout (depression, imposter syndrome, misery etc...).
*This is a blog + video post — to watch the video scroll to the bottom of the page.
If you're reading this, then you know how critical creating content is for your business and also, hashtag fact, this sucka can burn you out.
Let's sidestep depression, imposter syndrome and misery all in one swoop with this thing I call the P-T-R method. It's going to make you rethink the way you create content going forward. ANNND...if…can you…really keep your content marketing machine running on a full tank of gas? #QTNA
P - Produce
Screenshot from video.
Here's how you create content with intention and timelines.
We want to avoid being on the hamster wheel of generating content for our audience. Re-think about how you create content —aside from purposeful planning and savvy scheduling. Start producing seasons and episodes of your content to premiere on this <date> and the season finale on this <date>.
TV Series have 8 - 13 episodes (on average). And they already do this method because they know they can't pay people year 'round to write for shows and actors to cast. In doing so, they can then create a variety of TV shows when they limit it and "lure 4 distinct audiences instead of two audiences".
There are fall seasons, spring, winter and summer shows that only come out in those months. That's why you're able to see 13 seasons of a show because they take intentional breaks.
You should too.
Furthermore, consider the period of time that you will need to distribute and market the content you produce. Blog in the summer. Shoot & publish videos in the winter. Host events, speaking engagements in the spring.
As we talk more about the P-T-R method, I'll share what to do in the alternative seasons when you're not publishing a specific piece of content.
T - Tell
You're probably already doing this. It's so simple and can be done as you wait in the grocery line.
Tell Real Stories.
What do you do in your day-to-day business that you can share with your audience? Nothing that breaks an NDA but maybe you had an interesting conversation with a client regarding money or a personal dilemma around doing your business taxes or an emotional teachable moment you've overcome that can help someone else.
Daily life in business is content and you will never run out of those stories as long as you're breathing —for your email lists, social media posting and/or website. You just got to capture those moments on paper.
R - Recycle
We're not doing all of the above to just sit on it and let it be forgotten in the past, present or future. We're going to dig in the crates, pull from the archives and spin it to relevant content for today.
This is appropriate for every season.
Snippets from speaking events, podcasts clips, webinars, workshops and blog posts are all suitable material to reshare to your existing and new audience.
Recycle those babies!
The P - T - R method will keep you sane when you want to accidentally spill coffee all over your keyboard.
Produce your content for a reason.
Create for a season.
And it can be recycled for a lifetime.
Please believe, I will be recycling this content and in the summer —video recording and publishing will cease. Okur.
Need more help? HIRE ME to implement the “P-T-R” method for your content.
Organic Reach is Not Dead💀 --Stale Content is The Rotting You Smell
There are numbers that suggest paying for advertising "reach" is the only option but that doesn't mean those who are paying to play share interesting or engaging content.
[ short answer ]
Is organic reach on social media dead?
No. Low reach usually comes from stale content, not the algorithm. Algorithms reward accounts that give their audience what it wants, and a big follower count means nothing without engagement. Five ways to make better content: expert round-up posts, FAQ tutorials, resource lists that shout out useful tools, being the go-to source for industry news, and customer success stories.
It's wildly possible, you feel algorithms have something to do with the low exposure you have on Social Media.
Skyrocketing numbers of paying players online
There are numbers that suggest paying for advertising "reach" is the only option but that doesn't mean those who are paying to play share interesting or engaging content.
IT'S ALSO reckless to believe you can't do anything about it.
"66% of marketers say growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority." (HubSpot, 2016)
Although, we'd all like to blame it on the algorithms. Unfortunately, there is a bigger culprit at play but I think I addressed that in the title of this article. I respect you way too much to mince words.
You already know the importance of SEO, website traffic, and content marketing...Yes? Well, no "online Influencer" worth their Tummy Tea, talks about engagement as much as they talk about growing the number of followers on Social Media. Like the number of followers is going to magically slide more business your way. Or make you an industry expert on all the things.
💡 Related: The Future Of SEO + Google + Viral Content (yup and an infographic)
You've seen it!
Social Media accounts with 42.1.K followers but no comments 🚫 or just under 500 likes.
What gives?
They have FORTY-TWO THOUSAND followers!
The brutal truth is their content is rotten and they probably paid for all forty-two thousand followers too. You've probably been brainwashed to believe statistics on "best time of the day to post" but even that's a lie because it's general and not at all specific to your brand. Things are shifting on the interwebs. The only way to spike engagement on your timeline is to produce and distribute EPIC CONTENT.
It starts with knowing what your audience want. The algorithm rewards Social Media accounts who do.
<<Click to Tweet Your New Wisdom>>
Thank heavens, I'm not only here to talk about how to get a flat stomach but dish out real strategies to up the ante on your content...and stop the stench from spreading.
If your content stinks, how do you expect people to believe you can help them? Not rhetorical.
Here are 5 Paths to Epic Content (that also make you look like the hero):
#1. Round-Up Post
These type of post may take extra sweat to put together but the immense value your audience obtains from your effort is priceless.
Round-up posts require you to seek out experts in a specific industry or skill and grab a quote from them to help solve your audience's pressing pain. Click to see what it looks like. It makes you look knowledgeable, even though you weren't quoted --you have access to a database of knowledgable people.
#2. FAQ Tut ⁉
Bloggers & Pinterest aficionados do this extremely well. I can even throw YouTube Vloggers into the mix. *Tutorials, tut for short...anyone who's anyone knows that, tuh. These tutorial masters answer the questions often asked in their line of business and respond through step-by-step content. Images, video, GIFs, movie clips, whatever it takes! --They're thorough.
The genius thing about all of this, when asked a question in the future (about your business) from a potential client you can direct them to YOUR content and not have someone else steal your thunder. If you can answer the frequently asked questions BEFORE you're asked, you become the go-to expert of online influencers. Watch Tara Hunt from Truly Social talk about "Feeding The Content Beast" and steal my YouTube Channel thunder. I'm okay with that, truly.
"The most important content for marketers is (only one choice allowed): Original Written Content (45%); Original Visual Assets (34%); Original Videos (19%); Original Audio Content (2%)." (Social Media Examiner, 2016)
#3. Resource Linking 🔗
Sorta like the Round-Up Post. This requires you to dig into your business toolbox of what worked for you or someone else doing the thing your audience needs help doing as well. See what it looks like here. *A new window will open. I too think, it's annoying when it doesn't.
7 Time-Saving Tools To Make Content Marketing, Stupid Simple by @tennilecooper https://t.co/mHYWwpak3t
— Paul Thomson 💻📹 (@ThomsonAUS) July 2, 2016
What business doesn't like a shoutout?
Think of tools and articles you've bookmarked that has helped you solve a struggle in the past. It might help someone else out. Bonus level is when the business shares your post to their followers on Social Media. I've had app giants like Buffer share my posts on several occasions, including companies and online influencers with an audience base of 1000's. This has led to broader visibility and new subscribers wanting to know what else I know. You will garner the same.
💡 related: 7 Time-Saving Tools To Make Content Marketing, Stupid Simple (+ Infographic)
#4. Newsworthy Source 📣
What's brilliant about this path is you become the source of *insert industry here* news/gossip. The downside is staying on top of all the new news in your industry.
- You can dish on the latest apps
- You can be the first to know things before they come to market
- You can share insights from top media stories
#5. Passionate People 🔥
This is the fool-proof path of epic content.
People love to be highlighted but even better than that is we love a good story. Case Studies of how a product/service worked for someone else is the holy grail of content. Here are 8 tips on how to write a great one by Kissmetrics.
Have a potential client not fully sold on your idea? Tell a story of how your product worked for someone in similar shoes.
Top three content marketing tactics: Blogging (65%); Social Media (64%); Case Studies (64%). (LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community, 2016)
💡 related: Email Challenge to #3 on Amazon's Best-Sellers List (Real Quick)
Rotting content is fixable...if you put understanding your audience, creating engaging content, repurposing it like a savage, never slack on visual content and tell a really dope story --PRIORITY.
Comment below
Which one will you do today from the list?
(Yes, today)
Why Not Being Online is Hurting Your Business + an Infographic
It's 2017, more than a map of directions should pop up in your search results. Here's why not being online hurts your business:
"My business is doing just fine."
- Said every offline business owner.
It's okay to admit you'd like for your business to do more than fine. How about booming?
In less than 2 years, traditional marketing (print material, foot traffic) will not be enough to get people through the door. Everything is "Googleable". We're going to go ahead and use that as a word.
It's 2017, more than a map of directions should pop up in your search results.
Here's why not being online hurts your business:
Customers Search You on Their Mobile Device
Here's that Google thing again.
72% of consumers who did a local search visited a store within five miles. (WordStream, 2016) Your website should be one of those things that pop-up. And it needs to be more than a place you just throw up information.
- Is your website SEO-friendly?
- Mobile responsive?
- Can customers readily contact you?
You'd be surprised, many business owners don't have a clue about what I just asked above.
If a web designer created a website for you, go back and ask them these questions. To be "Googleable" SEO-friendly (Search Engine Optimization), helps you get found. Certain keywords on your website put you in the rankings with your competitors.
Related: The Future Of SEO + Google + Viral Content
These days everyone accesses the internet on their phone.
Exactly, one-third of people use their smartphone as their primary device to access the internet. (HubSpot, 2016) If a customer lands on your website and is having a hard time looking around. Your website is not mobile responsive. It should automatically fit the shape of your phone --whichever way it's being held.
(Try it now: if you're reading this on your mobile device --switch from portrait to landscape viewing by flipping the phone on its side. Do the words still fit the screen? FYI:This site is mobile responsive.)
Do you make it accessible for a customer to contact you through your website?
Suuure. A contact page is a good idea but a live chat stationed on every page on your site is a better one. (Try Zopim)
If you don't have a website, there is no excuse these days. WordPress, Squarespace, and even Weebly make it drag-and-drop simple.
Customers Read Up On You
Do you have a blog? A free opt-in? Maybe a newsletter?
Like I said earlier, throwing up some information on your website about you or your company's mission is cute. But your customers need more --before they whip out their visa. 1 in 10 blog posts are compounding, meaning organic search increases their traffic over time. (HubSpot, 2016) Which means, consistently answering your customer's questions, educating, and adding value to their lives through content --puts you at the front of the line.
- Think, free checklist to help get their poses together and decrease overwhelm over a photoshoot as a photographer.
- Think, video tutorial of a Paleo recipe to help them lose weight in 30 days as a health coach.
- Think, ebook to help them know if their website is customer-friendly as a web designer.
Related: 17 Lead Magnets That Prove You Don't Need Tricks to Grow Your Email List + a Swipe File
Think about adding your insight to what you do in your industry.
Anybody can write an article about the "10 things you need to stop XYZ". Very few can share what it's like to work with them, their expertise and passion about their business in the same article. The bonus perk is Google will index your blog with the relevant keywords in their search engine. You know, the SEO thing of getting found in search engines.
If you're going to do anything at all for your customers, show you care and show your passion. Don't ever leave it out. That is your competitive edge. Here's how I can help you with this.
Customers Want to Interact With You
Consider social media as one of your PR methods.
YOU CAN CONTROL what is said about you and how people can interact with you online. You'll have to do some investigation on what channel works best for your business. But I can tell you the most popular networks to consider: Facebook and LinkedIn. You may have thought I would have said Instagram or Twitter instead of LinkedIn, huh?
Linkedin is on the rise to become one of the best places to source new business
(Click to tweet)
In the past two years, content consumption on LinkedIn has increased 21%. (HubSpot, 2016) It is my prediction that number will rise. Get your LinkedIn profile prepared with this PDF guide.
While 72% of adult internet users use Facebook. (Pew Research Center, 2015) It is pretty clear Facebook is not going anywhere for a very long time. It has been dominating the internet space since 2004.
Your Facebook Fan Page should become a customer support hub for your fans to interact with your business. Facebook is phenomenal at capturing a target market for you to talk directly to. You can run Facebook ads to show to those who've visited your website in the last 60 days. Or directly to your mailing list. Or your LinkedIn contacts. Or only to your fans on the page. POSSIBILITIES.
These are all warm leads and it can be less expensive (when done right) than traditional marketing (direct mail & flyers). For now, at least. It is my prediction these bigger corporations will soon bully this avenue of promotion.
At the minimum, your business should be doing the above.
Being found through a search engine, content readily available and customers interacting with you online. You can start at any budget & company size, it's just a matter of how deep you want to go down this bunny hole.
SHARE Me ☟
7 Time-Saving Tools To Make Content Marketing, Stupid Simple (+ Infographic)
If you want to insert your business along a buyer's decision-making process, it needs to get done or hire someone like me who does this while drinking (green tea...what were you thinking??). PLUS a Content Marketing Infographic. You're welcome.
Content marketing is like the pop-up meeting, that drags on and on.
Then you're left wondering, WHY. WON'T. IT. END? It doesn't have to be a pain.
It doesn't have to be hard.
And it certainly won't take up any more time than actually writing the content (PLUS, I have a Content Marketing Infographic that you can rub in the teams face).
If you want to insert your business along a buyer's decision-making process, it needs to get done or hire someone like me who does this while drinking (green tea...what were you thinking??).
People like reading up on things before they invest.
And if you can be what they read or introduce them to the content that made a difference in how they do something...you've skipped past the hard pitch and entered into "Are we a good fit?"
I'll start you off with the free stuff and work my way towards the "give-up the loot" content marketing tools.
1. IFTTT
"If This Then That" Automation at it’s finest.
It triggers “this” when “that” action is taken. Hence the name.
Clever. Very clever.
You create recipes for all your social media automation desires.
Stupid Simple Use:
Recipe Idea: Connect your Instagram to your Twitter account, and have your Insta pictures show up native on Twitter (aka view as full-size picture's instead of a text URL on Twitter. Click the image below to get it.)
This is the easiest way to share a URL without spelling out the alphabet.
Stupid Simple Use:
When you live stream (and you will) your call-to-action can be a bit.ly link, you can remember and most importantly your audience can too. Think, long URL slugs/title of your blog posts...(Ex. bit.ly/buzzhot VS. sheisepic.com/hot-new-freebie-I-will-never-remember-to-share).
There's nothing left to say here.
Cost: FREE
3. Yoast
Welcome to SEO one-on-one. The dreaded task you hate doing but helps your content get found.
It's a Wordpress plugin, you would download and it will show you how poor your focus keyword is. But it also shows you how to correct your erroneous ways and funnel more visitors to your website to read your stuff. Giving you the power to determine what picture and words will be shared on social media as your preview. Don't leave it to Facebook to decide what picture should represent your brand or post.
Stupid Simple Use:
Sprinkle your focus keyword in your headline, first line of text and body. Don't try to tick off every checkmark or you risk sounding like a bot rather than a human in your content.
Cost: FREE
4. Evernote
Note taking just got effortless.
Ideas come in waves and when the waves hit, you need an electronic device that can be accessed from either mobile or desktop. So that, you can pick-up from where you left off and finish your ingenious thought.
Stupid Simple Use:
Pre-write messaging for social media platforms to copy & paste on your timeline (Think: Instagram hashtags, Facebook stories, a Tweet series)
It's very easy to be profound with your next random thought for social media…when it’s pre-written.
And you gotta love clean looks.
Cost: FREE & Monthly or Annual subscription
5. Buffer
I love me some Buffer.
It’s simple. It’s clean. It’s easy. All the yeses!
I was with Buffer from its inception. Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of similar social media automation tools like HootSuite (because it’s clunky and hard to navigate sometimes, which I used with a nameless company in the past).
Stupid Simple Use:
Download the Chrome Extension and re-post or schedule any popular posts/tweets right from your browser. So no need to copy & paste or switch between apps. Buffer leaves your hands clean. Too simple, it’s almost cheating.
Cost: FREE & Monthly or Annual subscription
6. Post Planner
Hands-down the secret weapon to staying content-relevant minus the hustle.
It survey's the web for the most popular articles or graphics; helping you distribute content to remain relevant and look well informed.
Stupid Simple Use:
Pick a day to source the content that is relevant to your brand with this tool and schedule them to later recycle itself for future auto-posting.
I found this through one of those AppSumo deals (free for life) and I never looked back.
It allows you to hijack...well, maybe not hijack. Hijack is a strong word. It gently inserts your call-to-action on the links you share online. (See what I mean here: http://snip.ly/y8ugj)
It's on double duty, shares your call-to-action and shortens links. Huzzah!
Stupid Simple Use:
Don't share another piece of content from Post Planner without first "snipping" it with your call-to-action. So people can discover you while they read (exact text is taken from the snip.ly website).
*And you may have already seen me use it throughout this article.
Cost: Monthly or Annual subscription
Take back your time and sanity with these tools, you're welcome.
SHARE this article, if you now feel like a content marketing superhero (or at the very least --more equipt to sweat less).
VIDEO POST: Here are my 5 under-rated idea generating sources for your content creation process, you can use over and over again without becoming repetitive or predictable.