69. Turning Content Into Your Best Salesperson

Transcript

Welcome To the High-Performance Marketing podcast, a show focused on helping small business owners connect with their ideal customers using simple marketing and quality content. I'm your Marketing Guide, Ali Garbero.

Do you ever find yourself walking into a room and you can’t remember why you walked in there? Or even worse, forgetting words? At first I thought “well this is it, this is how my mind starts to deteriorate toward dementia.” But that’s not the case at all. It’s actually pretty common and due to the fact that we are constantly going from one mode of thinking to another, scrolling on social media, transitioning from a phone, to a desktop, to text messages, to emails. 

The continuous change is definitely causing some serious issues with our attention spans.

Which means that as business owners not only do we have to find effective ways to stay focused and productive but that we are also fighting harder than ever to capture the attention of our audience.

The good news is that all of these same things that distract the lifeblood out of us, are the very things that lead to sales. Think about it - social media content, ads, emails, text messages. 

On today’s episode of the Podcast let’s talk about how we can use content and it’s Dr. Evil like powers to to build trust, establish long-term customer relationships and of course drive sales.

First let me start by sharing a quick piece of data with you. In today’s market an average of 70% of the buying decision is made before your prospect ever speaks with anyone at your company. And this applies to both the business to consumer and business to business space. 

How are these buying decisions made? By conducting online research of course. Think about it, when was the last time you bought a car, a camera, a kayak - anything. Most likely you went to Google, maybe Youtube or Amazon. You started your process with research - not by calling Best Buy or Costco right? I mean those were old school ways of doing research.

The modern consumer now reads up to 30 pieces of your content, some even go as high as 300, before they buy your product or decide to hire you out for services. 

Now that you understand this buying shift, which department in your organization would you say, has the greatest impact on the actual sale? Is it sales or marketing? 

I hope you can see that it’s marketing. Because if your marketing team isn’t writing blogs, emails, articles, or creating content for social - then how will anyone ever find you - unless you really like interrupting people during their day, calling them or showing up at their house to sell your product or service.

Yet most often, during a recession, or when a company needs to cut back on spending, they almost always cut out marketing first. I’ve even been told “sorry, Ali, marketing is just an extra and we don’t have budget for it right now.” That is such counterproductive thinking. And here’s why - 

If you hope to compete in a digital marketplace it’s pretty clear that you’ll need to lean into content creation. 

So I’m going to share a few ways you can do that because I know that as a small business owner or entrepreneur, it’s really hard to actually make time to create content for your own business - all the time. 

Here’s a few ways to get started if you haven’t and to get ahead if you’re already doing it.

First your mindset around content should shift from “this is a marketing extra” - to” holy cow, if I create really great content, I’m literally building a salesperson - who never takes a day off or sleeps.” Content, when created and used strategically, plays a pivotal role in creating revenue for you.

And think about how lucky we are in our current business environment. In the past, content creation was limited to traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines, and television. But we’re well aware that that's not the case anymore. With the emergence of the internet, content creation and distribution is possible for all of us.  

Now, anyone with a smartphone and wifi can create and share content and blast it out to the masses.  It just means that we’ve shifted how we consume our content. You’re no longer limited to when people are sitting in front of their TV, or driving and listening to the radio. But now you can catch people literally anytime. When they’re up late at night scrolling, when they’re working out in the early morning catching a podcast, or on a random Saturday afternoon when  your YouTube ad catches their attention while listening to one of their favorite songs.

However, with the over abundance of online information, the modern consumer has become more selective about the content they consume. That means we can’t just create content for the sake of creating. We’ve got to put thought, effort, sit in the seat of our target audience’s mind, walk in the shoes of their daily life, to write and produce high-quality, relevant content and to do so consistently.

High quality content that your audience will love falls into a few buckets - educating and informing. Content with a unique ability to educate and inform customers about your products or services. Informative content might include things like talking about your competition.

You might be cringing right now, but yes it’s important to talk about your competitors but if you do make sure you are as UNBIASED as possible. People can tell when you’re trying to swing their opinion in one direction.

For example, years ago there was a discount real estate brokerage that started to make a lot of noise in the state in which I live. This brokerage of course had massive advertising dollars which the average real estate agent couldn’t compete with. 

Now imagine, if you were a real estate agent in my local market and I told you to create a video or write a blog about this company - let’s call them ABC Real Estate. A video bashing their terrible service would have been flagged as completely one sided. 

However the same video, addressing the pros and cons of working with ABC company where you shared information like: “hey if you don’t mind showing your own home, and you’re a talented photographer with mad skills, if you enjoy negotiations and feel comfortable with contracts because you really do enjoy the art of negotiation and you can do this without emotion - and you’ve got the time to dedicate in addition to your other responsibilities, then yes, of course this could be a fantastic opportunity for you to save thousands of dollars on commission. Here’s a few things you’ll just want to make sure you know first.” 

You can see how a video like this would help you build trust with the viewer because they know you aren’t just trying to sell them on your service but to really offer guidance and expertise.

Another content piece to consider is showcasing your unique value proposition. This is where I’d definitely invite you to consider opening up about your pricing. 

This might feel really counterintuitive. There’s this balance of “but if I tell them how much I cost I might miss out on the chance of getting them on the phone.” 

But think about it - why wouldn’t you want people to know how much your product or service costs? Do you really want to spend time with a client who can’t afford you? You’re doing them and yourself a favor by at least providing a price range and more importantly help people understand the value behind what they get.

For example as a copywriter I’m continually fighting Fiverr or even AI as ways that people can use “cheaper options.” So for me, I’d want to lean into explaining why my services cost more. Well I’ve got years of sales experience and training and certifications that help me turn words into money. A lot of writers use weak, vague and even confusing writing that doesn’t drive the same impact. 

Another example, is let’s say you’re a mortgage officer, well provide transparency about your closing cost fees - what they cover and WHY they’re higher (if they are.) Otherwise you’re just crossing your fingers hoping that clients won’t shop you because you didn’t address your unique value at the start.

You can even use this as an opportunity to create content that addresses the common objections clients have for not working with you. Imagine if I came to your website and read a blog that said “We are not for XYZ clients and here’s why.” A blog like that immediately speaks to your ideal client and weeds out the people you don’t want to work with.

Content serves as a platform to showcase your unique value proposition effectively. Through compelling storytelling, case studies, and customer testimonials, you can highlight the benefits and advantages of your products or services. By demonstrating how your offerings can solve problems or improve the lives of your customers, you create a persuasive argument that nudges them toward making a purchase decision.

Next, tailoring your content for the different stages of your  customer journey is something I’ve spoken about previously. The customer journey is that path your clients take from I’ve never heard of you all the way to doing business with you. And while sales calls and follow ups can help - sending the right content at the right time helps you reach your prospects in the different stages of awareness and engagement so that you can customize your message. If you see it as a funnel, then at the top of the funnel, you want to focus on creating awareness and generating interest through blog posts, social media content, and informative videos. 

In the middle of the funnel, provide more in-depth content such as case studies, whitepapers, and product comparisons to help prospects evaluate their options. 

Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, offer content that provides a clear call-to-action, such as free trials, demos, or limited-time offers, to convert prospects into paying customers.

Finally, repurpose the content you create. For example, I’ve got a podcast right? Well, I can take a podcast episode and modify it a bit and turn it into a blog post, I even like to take a few key talking points or snippets of my show and turn them into quotes that I can use for social media, or even use some of it for my weekly emails. 

Let’s say you just recorded a free webinar, or you were a speaker somewhere, or you made a youtube video to highlight a new listing - you can turn that content into reels, social graphics and include them in your printed newsletters and emails.

Repurposing content simply means taking one asset and reusing it somewhere else. This method can help save you so much time - and this way you don’t have to start from scratch every single time. 

Finally, content can help you nurture long-term relationships to support your sales efforts now as well as for repeat business. 

See, content isn't just about making a one-time sale; it's also about nurturing long-term relationships with your customers. By delivering consistent and valuable content through newsletters, email campaigns, or loyalty programs, you stay top-of-mind with your audience, reinforcing their trust and loyalty. 

Additionally, providing post-sales support, tips, and educational resources further enhances customer satisfaction, leading to repeat purchases and increased customer lifetime value.

What’s an example of this? Well think about a real estate agent or even a financial planner - they help people make one really big purchase one time. But that doesn’t mean the relationship ends there. You want to continue to send home maintenance tips, or annual home value letters with updates on the increased value of the home, or in the case of a financial planner - sending your client a yearly update on their product portfolio - ways to save or earn more money during the recession. 

The key take away I hope you see is that content can be a great salesperson because it educates and persuades potential customers about your product or service. 

And unlike traditional sales techniques that sometimes are known to rely on pushy tactics, content marketing takes a more subtle approach by providing answers to the questions your prospects are asking themselves about your product or service and then helping them make an informed buying decision.

If you’re struggling with content creation - my dears,  that’s what I do. Schedule a discovery call with me at writebrandmarketing.com 

Thanks for joining me today, I’m Ali Garbero, copywriting is what I do, content marketing is what I create, more customers is what you get.