Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

How to Get Started with Content Marketing, Part Two

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Other posts in this series:
How to Get Started with Content Marketing, Part One
How to Find Your Groove as a Content Marketer, Part One and Part Two
The Evolution of a Content Master, Part One and Part Two

In Part One, we talked about the prerequisites of this first stage of the content marketing journey – have you got those crucial tools in place? We also went over the process of finding your audience, developing your core content and practicing your writing skills.

There are a few other things to consider on the road to content mastery, so let's jump right in.

Building on your basic content marketing platforms

  • Targeted website – As you learn more about the people you consider to be your ideal clients, you'll be able to tweak the language on your website to address their specific needs. They will feel understood, welcomed and supported once they find their way to your online office.
  • Basic pink spoon – An important addition to your website will be a pink spoon, a free taste of your expertise and coaching style, delivered electronically as a downloadable document (or audio/video file). To access the pink spoon, visitors enter their name and email address, and agree to hear from you again.
  • Blog – As your audience becomes more clearly defined, launching a blog is a natural way to increase your contact with them and provide different types of content. 

Where might a Content Starter look for support?

If you're a writer, start getting to know some virtual assistants (VAs) who are willing to work on smaller, one-off projects while you're still building your business and managing your cash flow.

In most cases, it makes good sense to hand over the whole job of publishing your monthly newsletter instead of spending the time to do it yourself. You can earn more in that time than you will pay your VA.

If you're a talker, and you know that you're never going to have the time, patience or aptitude for writing, get started now with the tools that will allow you to create great written content with your voice. With Audio Acrobat, you can record your thoughts and share the file with a VA or transcription service.

Or try Dragon Naturally Speaking and watch your words appear on screen immediately as you speak.

For additional support, contact me to learn more about our services.

What's next for you as a Content Starter?

Once you're comfortable generating one new piece of content each month, you can move up to the level of Content Marketer. This next post will help.

How to Get Started with Content Marketing, Part One

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Other posts in this series:
How to Get Started with Content Marketing, Part Two
How to Find Your Groove as a Content Marketer, Part One and Part Two
The Evolution of a Content Master, Part One and Part Two

If you're new in business or new to online marketing, you're probably aiming to publish new content about once a month at this point. In other words, you're a Content Starter (see A Content Marketing Model for criteria of the other two stages of content marketing).

Prerequisites for Content Starters

Here are the crucial content marketing tools you'll need to have in place before you launch your journey towards content mastery (please note that some of these are affiliate links):

  • Basic website and/or blog – Somewhere you can publish and archive your content, so that you can link to it from emails as well as from your social network updates. I use Typepad for my blog and website.
  • Mailing list sign-up form – A widget, form or piece of HTML code that you can get from your email service provider. Put this right into your sidebar template so that it displays on every page, no matter where someone may land when they visit.
  • Time for your content – Commit to spend at least two hours per week on content marketing tasks.

Finding your audience, and helping them find you

You're finding new clients through connections, through former work relationships, through networking or through other forms of prospecting. You're gaining experience and confidence as a coach and as a marketer.

You're probably still saying YES to everyone, but you're noticing that conversations with certain clients light you up like the others don't. Pay special attention to these – your audience is finding you!

As you get to know your audience better and experience client successes, notice also any patterns that signify the underlying model or process that is creating those successes.

Listen to any and all feedback about the content you're publishing. Which topics generate comments, questions or inquiries about your services?

Generating your core content

Start making notes about the topics you're talking about most often with those clients who particularly inspire you. You'll develop these into core pieces of content that provide valuable assistance and concrete solutions to your readers, while introducing them to your ideas and services.

You may also write some preliminary thought pieces as you're developing your services and business model, though at this stage you may choose not to publish them.

You'll also be looking at around at what other people are doing to serve the same types of clients you want to work with. This research will lead to new relationships and potential collaborations for you, and connective pieces of content for your readers.

Learning and practicing basic article writing skills

In your online research, begin studying the basic structure of effective articles (ones that you liked, ones that have been linked to a lot or ones that have been rated, e.g., with a star system) and try to incorporate that structure into your own monthly articles.

Choose one writing reference guide so that you can make sure to handle writing issues the same way all the time.

As well, lay out all of the tasks involved throughout the month, from brainstorming about article topics all the way to publishing on the specific date you've promised (e.g., the second Tuesday of the month). Build the discipline of consistency now when there's less content to manage.

In Part Two of this post, we'll look at how to build on your basic content marketing platforms, as well as some of the support systems that will help you take the next steps towards content mastery.

A Content Marketing Model: Are you a Content Starter, a Content Marketer or a Content Master?

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Your content marketing level will reflect your business level

As you learn how to effectively apply the strategy of content marketing to grow your business, you will progress through three stages of development with your content: Content Starter, Content Marketer and, eventually, Content Master.

These stages directly relate to where you're at in your business. For example, if you're a Content Starter, you're likely either brand new in your business or you're brand new to online marketing. 

If you're a Content Marketer, you're getting established online and building your following. You're crystal clear about what you do in your business and who you do it for.

If you're a Content Master, you have a high level of visibility online. In your business, you're transitioning into a true leadership role, where your systems and teams leave you free to develop new ideas and to deliver high-end services.

(Check out these similar three-stage models of business growth recently published by my colleagues Tina Forsyth and Alexis Neely.)

How much content are you generating every month?

If you're a Content Starter and brand new to content marketing, you're creating just about one new piece per month, likely a newsletter article. You're building an archive of core pieces as you learn more about the needs of your current and ideal clients.

If you're a Content Marketer, you've bumped up to 2-5 posts in a month, and it's likely that you've got a blog as well as a newsletter. Hopefully you're also posting your articles in other places.

You're more confident about your writing now, whether you're doing it yourself or you're getting ghostwriting or editing support. That's freeing up your creativity to put out more original and innovative thought pieces.

And with stronger networks and more time online, you're probably adding more connective pieces into the mix as well. Meanwhile, you're still providing lots of value to both your new readers and your regular readers with core pieces, and packaging them together for sale. 

As you move into content mastery, you're generating content at the rate of 6-10 pieces per month (or more), a rich combination of the three different types of content. You're posting consistently to your own blog as well as maybe writing some guest posts.

Your content is sharply targeted to provide stellar value to your readers and to engage with them at all levels of your product and service funnel. Your content packages are larger, serving as "flagship products" that reinforce your brand, expertise and value. And you can easily see the next flagship just up ahead.

No matter where you are right now in your business, how confident you feel about your writing and what you have to say, there is a place for you in this content marketing model. Even better, there is always a place for you to grow next.

Stay tuned for a series of blog posts where I will explain what you need to have in place before you get to each stage of this content marketing model, and the specific strategies you'll be working on as you climb the path to content mastery.

May article ideas for coaches

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Just imagine – if you were to spend some time over the next couple of weeks brainstorming and drafting, your May newsletters and/or blog posts could be a real breeze! Here are some potential topic ideas for your May articles: 

  • Life coaches: Happy Mother's Day! 10 Ways to Celebrate Being a Mother
  • Parenting coaches: May is Family Wellness Month – 10 ways that wellness can bring your family together
  • Marketing coaches: The Tweet-Up – Take your online networking offline in the warmer months
  • Money coaches: Were Taxes a Pain? Take action now to create an easier tax season for next year
  • Career coaches: The Spring Job Fair: Plan ahead to stand out from the crowd

Writing prompt: Use these sample titles as a starting point for topics that are relevant for your clients, prospective clients and readers.

Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Three: The core piece

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Other posts in this series:
Content Marketing à la Carte: Mix and match these three types of online content (Part One: The thought piece)
Content Marketing à la Carte, Part Two: The connective piece

The third and final type of online content we'll be discussing is the core piece. Core pieces are articles or blog posts where you present your concrete and systematic methods for solving the unique needs of your audience. Eventually you can combine these to create a larger "flagship product" that encompasses all of your products and services and reinforces your brand.

Unlike thought pieces, core pieces will always contain actionable, practical suggestions that your reader can apply to their situation. Of course there can also be coaching opportunities for reflection and learning.

Examples of core pieces are:

  • "How to" articles that take the reader through a specific set of actions (including lists)
  • Question and answer posts (a different format for "how to" material)
  • "How NOT to" articles that point out common mistakes or warning signs
  • Articles that illustrate a theory or model that your reader will learn to apply
  • Assessments that help your reader self-identify as a member of a tribe (YOUR tribe)

Continuing with the tribe metaphor, with a core piece you're taking the role of a tour guide versus an expedition leader, as Cath Duncan differentiates in her thought piece. You're guiding your audience along a path you've carved out of your own experience of using these methods yourself and/or with other clients.

The format is relatively short (500 words or so) and structured, with sub-headings and lists for better readability. There is one main topic that answers the question, "What's the point?" about a targeted topic that your ideal client cares about.

So what's better to write, a thought piece, a connective piece or a core piece? That depends on your stage of business (whether you are a Content Starter, a Content Marketer or a Content Master) and what you've got to say at this point. Your choice will also depend on your writing style and preferences. Some people write a lot of thought pieces.

Until I wrote this series and really sat down to think about these three different types of content, I was usually picturing a core piece when I wrote about article marketing or content marketing. Even though I used and recommended the other types, I wasn't clear about how or when.

Personally, I loved writing this series of thought pieces because I feel like I stepped fully into a realm I haven't always given myself permission to visit.

On the other hand, I also feel newly empowered to NOT write thought pieces if I don't want to, or feel any pressure to always produce mind-blowing or stunningly innovative work. The truth is that much of what we write will combine elements from thought pieces, connective pieces and core pieces.

Since any one of these content types can help you build a relationship with your ideal client, the only important thing is to keep publishing quality content consistently.