Creating content that resonates with your target audience builds credibility and establishes trust with your prospects before you ever meet them in person. This article explores the four pillars of creating content and addresses common pitfalls.
Common Pitfalls in Current Content Strategies:
1. Excessive self-focus: Focusing primarily on your company, partnerships, and achievements rather than the value your prospects will get from your offerings.
2. Misaligned target audience: Focusing on impressing your peers instead of speaking directly to your prospects.
3. Lack of consistency: Sporadic content creation and intermittent social media presence can undermine credibility with prospects.
The Four Pillars of Credibility-Building Content:
Pillar 1: Defining Your Bran
To create a strong brand presence, address these 2 questions:
– What sets you apart? Share your unique story and highlight your differentiators, such as personal experience, distinctive approach, or specific niche.
– What do you excel at? Identify the problem you solve better than others and be precise about the value you provide and how you help clients achieve their objectives.
Answering these questions helps build brand consistency and create a likable, credible image that resonates with your audience.
Pillar 2: Identifying Your Ideal Prospect
– Clearly define your target audience by considering their:
– Demographics: Location, revenue, industry, number of employees, etc.
– Psychographics: Values, interests, attitudes, and behaviors
– Pain points: The challenges and problems they face in their personal or professional lives.
– How you can help them solve their problems: Clearly articulate your solutions and the benefits they can expect from working with you
A deep understanding of your ideal prospect enables you to create content that speaks directly to their needs and desires, making your message more compelling and effective.
Pillar 3: Crafting Your Message
Use storytelling techniques to engage your audience, following the seven-part story brand framework:
1. Character: Your ideal prospect as the main character.
2. Goal: What your prospect wants to achieve.
3. Problem: Obstacles preventing them from reaching their goal.
4. Guide: Position yourself as the guide who helps the main character overcome challenges.
5. Plan: Provide a clear, actionable plan for your prospect to follow.
6. Failure avoidance: Highlight the consequences of not taking action or working with you.
7. Success: Paint a picture of the success your prospect can achieve by following your plan.
Focus on telling your prospect’s story, not your own, to help your audience see themselves in the narrative and understand how your solutions can help them achieve their goals.
Pillar 4: Speaking Directly to Your Prospect
When creating content on platforms like LinkedIn, focus solely on speaking to your ideal prospect, avoiding the temptation to chase popularity among peers. While this approach may result in less engagement, it helps build genuine connections with your target audience.
Use language and terminology that resonates with your prospect, addressing their specific pain points and demonstrating how your solutions can help them overcome challenges. Maintain consistency in your messaging and a regular presence on the platform to build trust and credibility over time.
While creating credibility-building content is crucial, it’s not the only factor in generating inbound leads. Engaging in conversations and sending personalized messages to prospects remains essential.
By following the four pillars of creating content – defining your brand, identifying your ideal prospect, crafting your message, and speaking directly to your prospect – you can establish credibility and turn connections into conversations and, ultimately, clients.
Consistency is key. Regularly creating content that resonates with your target audience helps build a strong, credible brand that attracts the right prospects and grows your business. Embrace the four pillars of credibility-building content to enhance your influence and impact.
Resources:
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- Connect with me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andyneary/
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- Connect with me on Instagram: instagram.com/andy_neary/
Business is no longer about who you know. Business is about who knows you. In a noisy industry like we’re in gang, you got to get people to know who you are.