Warm and fuzzy... Yep, I went there, and I mean it. Well-executed content that hits the right audience with the right story in the right tone can build warm and fuzzy feelings for your brand. And ultimately lead to more happy, paying customers.
Allow me to explain.
I have a client that took the leap and invested a chunk of their marketing budget into original content creation. As their thought-leadership content began to float out into the digital marketplace, the CEO immediately began to see the value of the investment. "Since we started publishing," she told me, "all I hear from our advisory board members is how much they love the content, and that our business must be doing well."
"Since we started publishing," she told me, "all I hear from our advisory board members is how much they love the content, and that our business must be doing well."
That right there is warm and fuzzy, isn't it?
Content + happy advisory board members = big thumbs up.
Then, when we began interviewing my client's customers to create pieces of original thought leadership content, things just kept getting warmer. You see, content breathes life into businesses that otherwise sell products and services for profit. If a brand can strike the correct balance between being part of relevant and timely conversations AND showcasing the value of their product, they are on the right track.
If a brand can strike the correct balance between being part of relevant and timely conversations AND showcasing the value of their product, they are on the right track.
I can't tell you how legit it makes a startup feel when their partners, investors, advisory board members read and like their content, share it, and act as ambassadors for the brand organically. Warm and fuzzy all around.
And that is where the magic begins.
Yes, I said begins, because the more a business produces great content for and with their customers, the happier those customers become. And we all know what happens when customers are happy... they tell others! Oh, how powerful word-of-mouth is. Word-of-mouth will always be one of the most valuable marketing channels, and guess what? Original content that delivers real value heavily promotes word-of-mouth spread. It really does!
And what happens when your customers start sharing the love for your business? Leads, leads, leads.
And so, as promised, I’m going to tell you today, step by step, how to create original content for your business that your target customers will love. But I'm going to give you more than just that. I'm going to tell you how to build an entire series of posts that will last you weeks, months, maybe even a full year! A series of content that will bring smiles to your investors' faces. A series of content that will engage your customers by literally ENGAGING them. It totally works, and people love it.
So, let's begin.
Spell out your target customer personas.
I always start here, for obvious reasons, because you already know who your target customer is. But for the purpose of this exercise, I want you to take out a pen, pencil, crayon or marker and physically write your target customer persona or personas down on a piece of paper. I am a huge fan of pen and paper, by the way, because it is the fast track to deep thinking and unbounded creativity. Laptops are great and all, but I personally find them to be a block to my full creative force. So take a minute and go dig up a pen and some paper... or a crayon if you find yourself surrounded by Crayola products, like I am most days.
I am a huge fan of pen and paper because it is the fast track to deep thinking and unbounded creativity.
Now, write down your customer personas. Any and all details that are relevant. Titles, industry, responsibilities.
Get super clear on the problem your product solves for your customers.
If you haven't gone through the process of really identifying the problems that your product solves, you need to hit the pause button and think through that. But most startups build their businesses on solving a problem, so let's assume you're one of them. Now, again with the pen (crayon, whatever), write down as many problems as possible that your product solves for your target customer. Why exactly do your target customers need your product? What will it do for them? Will it save them time? Will it help them reach THEIR target customers? I want you to flip your thinking here. I don’t want to know what your product is and what it does. I want to know what problems it actually solves for the real people that you envision using it. Write it down.
Mine your industry for themes.
Now that you’ve got the main points of this exercise written out in front of you, take a moment to think.
THINK: How can you connect the dots between who your customer is and the problem you are helping them solve - using original content?
What are the topics that come out of this 'think?' What kinds of articles would benefit your target customer?
ANSWER: Articles that live in the intersection of their unique role and the problems your product solves for them.
Is it possible that you could speak knowledgeably about one of these topics in article form? In a 30 second video? Write these topics down. All of them. Remember, you are trying to help them solve this problem using the unique expertise that you've gained from building and selling your product to their peers.
You're looking for articles that live in the intersection of your customer's unique role and the problems your product solves for them.
Summarize your content idea in two to three sentences.
Now that you've got a few content ideas written down, I'm going to challenge you to come up with a brief summary of a content series. This is an overview of what your content will deliver to your target customer over time. Your idea should have longevity and you should be able to visualize what you'd want to discuss over the next several months.
The process of building a series of content always begins with a summary. The summary communicates the Ws (who, what, where, when, why) together in one place so that you can refer to it as needed. And as you begin to craft the start of your own content series, this summary will keep you anchored. You’ll look back at it constantly, kind of like my relationship with recipes while I cook anything. Except in this case you won’t be pulling your summary out of the trash each time you refer to it (like I do with recipes when I cook.)
Carefully (and deliberately) name your content series.
When you look at your target customer personas, your topic and your summary — all laid out nicely in front of you in written form — think about what you might call this series of content. Come up with a name that will appeal to your target customers, but one that clearly illustrates the value they will receive from it. The title must feel like a natural read while also piquing interest.
Come up with a name that will appeal to your target customers, but one that clearly illustrates the value they will receive from it.
One of my clients builds mobile applications for collegiate athletics programs across the country. In our early strategy work, we landed on a title for an original content series that has worked so hard for them over time. When we looked at the intersection of their target customers (college athletic directors) and the problems their product solves (simplifying athletics marketing and promotions), we decided on the series title Gameday Insider.
This content series, which is alive and well today, takes an inside view of college gameday through the lens of those people that actually do the work... the athletic directors, the student-athletes, the governing bodies. The series delivers content that athletic directors can understand and appreciate, and this makes everyone involved feel warm and fuzzy.
Of course, original content makes the cold-calling much easier too. Original content that successfully reaches the target customer - no matter what the platform or distribution channel - warms up the lead pipeline and makes cold calling much less painful. Just ask a sales rep that has been blessed with a body of content to support his or her efforts!
So, go ahead, write a few titles down and pick one.
Original content that successfully reaches the target customer - no matter what the platform or distribution channel - warms up the lead pipeline and makes cold calling much less painful.
Do a headline brain dump.
Headline writing is a refined art. It is possibly one of the most challenging things to do as a writer, but it is one of the (if not THE) most important parts about creating content. I often find myself obsessing over titles right down to the minute before an article is published.
Anyone feel me on that?
With headline writing, you do want to be direct, but you also want to attract eyeballs and eventually clicks. If your headlines are boring, no one will click. Simple as that. So, the final step in the process of creating a content series that sells (ahem, creates warm and fuzzy vibes) for your business is to write headlines.
If your headlines are boring, no one will click. Simple as that.
It's important to note that if, during this brainstorm, you cannot come up with five headlines for your series right away, you've probably got to rethink your topic. When you have landed on a content series 'with legs' you will know, because you will be able to write headlines ALL DAY.
You'll be laying in bed at night writing headlines, dictating your headlines to Siri while you drive... (Yes, I do this a lot.) You won't be able to stop. And typically, when you've landed on a great content series idea, you've become perfectly aligned in your thinking. You've found the balance between your expertise and the problem your product solves for your target customer. That's the sweet spot of content marketing.
When you've landed on a great content series idea, you've become perfectly aligned in your thinking. You've found the balance between your expertise and the problem your product solves for your target customer.
Start publishing your content!
It goes without saying that once you've landed on your content series idea and you've got five to ten headlines written, you're ready to begin publishing. On your own blog, on LinkedIn, within your social channels. Wherever your heart desires. With a bit of effort upfront, you'll soon be on your way to impressing your advisors, building brand awareness and generating those warm and fuzzy leads you so desire.
If you want to take this exercise a step further, I walk you through the content series building process in greater detail in my downloadable guide to creating a content series that sells.
And if you're a sports technology pro who is ready to invest in original content creation, let's talk!
Thank you for reading, and best of luck on your content creation journey!
