In this post, I'm covering my 3-phase, step-by-step content empire blueprint for building a 6-figure business right now (because things have changed!)
What would you do if you had to start from scratch all over again with your business?
Would you do things differently? Or stick to relatively the same steps?
That’s the question I’m answering today as I walk you through the exact steps I’d take to take my business from brand new to multi 6 figure content empire.
I was recently interviewed on a podcast and I got a question that stumped me. It wasn’t the question was difficult but it was a BIG question with a multi-layered, complicated answer and one that I just blanked on in the moment. The exact moment you dread happening to you in this kind of situation. (Side note: Please send your questions ahead of time, us introverts need time to think through things so we can give a thoughtful answer).
This was the question that got me (and never will again): What would you do if you had to start your business from scratch today to build up the multi-6-figure business you have?
It wasn’t that my brain couldn’t think of anything, but that it had so many things popping up as potential solutions.
So not able to stop thinking about this for days after, I put pen to paper and mapped out my exact plan for this hypothetical situation. And the funny thing I realized through the process was that what I came up with is core to everything I’m already teaching through my teeny tiny digital products, my signature course and doing for clients through my services. Whether a piece or the whole thing, it all comes back to this core plan that actually has helped create other 6-figure content empires as well as my own.
Blueprint Phase 1: Giving My Content A Purpose
For starters, I would focus my attention on giving my content a purpose before I worried about getting it in front of all the people. You might think you want to jump straight on TikTok or Instagram, but without doing this first, you’ll just be spinning your wheels wondering why you’re spending so much time working on your business without seeing growth on the things that matter.
So I’d start with a few things:
#1 – Create a really simple automated sales system – this would require getting clear on the messaging for my core offer, phrasing it in the language of who I want to use it, coming up with a freebie that will attract and validate the right people and thinking through what the follow-up experience will look like and eventual invitation to my offer.
I’d save getting fancy for later and bench things like live launches, stacking multiple funnels, thank-you page offers and more in-depth freebies like webinars or quizzes for later.
#2 – The second thing I’d do is set up my content banking system. Before I spend a ton of time creating content, I want to make sure I have a system set up to view the bigger picture and make sure I’m not only creating the right content but am set up to use every piece I do create multiple times and in multiple ways. I’m STILL all about quality over quantity when it comes to content and the reputation you build up for putting out epic content is a pillar of having a 6-figure content empire.
The quicker you can step into the mindset of “I’m a professional” when it comes to your content, the quicker that evolution will happen. And that starts with taking your content seriously enough to store it in a way that helps you maximize its potential.
#3 – The final thing I’d do in phase 3 would be to set up a simple measurement system. Before I start creating content and focusing on traffic, I want to keep a close watch on what’s happening on my website and in my funnel. For each of these, I’d identify 1-2 lagging/result metrics (i.e. number of sales or traffic), 2-3 leading metrics, or input/KPI numbers (i.e. number of posts, number of freebie sign-ups) and 3-4 supporting metrics. And that’s it.
I’d save the fancy dashboards and 360* analytics for a later stage and just do these 3 things before moving onto phase 2 which is:
Blueprint Phase 2: Turning Your Website Into A Hot Spot For Your Audience
This second phase has 3 main things I’d do as well. Starting with:
#1 – Create a profit-prioritized content plan. Now I’d start thinking about my content output but I still want to make sure it’s focused on (a) attracting the right people and (b) getting them back to my website.
Because guess what? YouTube, Instagram and Facebook will all survive even if you don’t drive traffic there. The better play for you is driving traffic from those places back to your own digital property (aka your website) but to do that, you have to have a reason for people to come. Which is, drumroll, your content. Trust me, no one is going to come to your website to check out your homepage more than once. One of the biggest purposes of your content is to create traffic for your website – and just like a brick and mortar store is concerned with generating foot traffic, your concern is driving digital traffic. Because the more people who are coming back to your site, the higher the chances are that they’ll mosey on over to your offer pages or your freebie sign-up form.
So I’d make sure I’m reverse engineering an intentional content plan based around my core paid offer.
#2 – Next, I’d focus on the most important system for any content creator to have – a core content workflow that includes every single step you take to get your blog post and its supporting content created and published.
For me, this includes a weekly video, accompanying social media for the week, images and a newsletter.
The reason this is so important at this stage is because building up a consistent content habit will be much harder if I don’t have systems in place, that help me maximize for efficiency and create as much quality content as possible in the time I have available for it.
Finally #3 of Phase 2 – Cultivate community through email marketing. A big focus of mine at this point would be to create connection and community with my email list through engaging newsletters and givebacks. In phase 1, I laid out my plan for getting people on the list, but in this step, it’s all about keeping them happy and nurtured while they’re there.
I know that everyone on my list is a person and I don’t take them being there for granted.
Once I have those pieces in place, now and only now, am I ready to turn my attention to traffic, which is covered in phase 3:
Blueprint Phase 3: Scale The Number Of Eyeballs On Your Content
The first thing I’d do in this phase is
#1 – Get streamlined with social media and Pinterest. I’d choose 2 platforms to focus on building first. One for engagement and having conversations with my people. And the second for generating traffic.
For the engagement platform, I’d choose something like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Groups (others, not my own to start with), etc. But I’d consider my strengths and preferences for engaging before deciding. Then I’d create a 30 day plan for this platform along with a few things I want to measure, set a goal for the number of daily conversations I want to be having and set aside 30 minutes a day to go and engage on this platform. Then I’d measure at the end of 30 days, tweak the plan and run it again. Of if I’m done with this platform, pick something else and focus there instead.
For the attraction platform, I’d definitely choose Pinterest to start with. I’d go through the keyword optimization process, set up my profile and boards and then pin original content based on my content, freebies and offers daily. In month 2 or 3, I’d start playing with promoted pins. I’d keep focusing on Pinterest until I felt I had a good system and a good amount of traffic built up that I could streamline or outsource before choosing another attraction platform to focus on.
After I had a handle on those things, I’d move on to #2 – Start collaborating with peers who have complementary audiences. I’d start focusing on networking with other business owners who have similar audiences to mine, getting on coffee chats and arranging mutually beneficial collaborations – like guest post swaps, JV webinars or teaching in each others’ communities. For me, this would involve coming up with a signature training that I could easily “take on the road” and customize for other audiences with a call to action to grab a free gift and by doing so join my community and email list.
Finally #3 – I’d delve into paid ads. Before I do so, I’d make sure that simple sales system I set up at the very start was converting and get it to numbers I’m happy with, but after that paid ads, here I come. I’d choose one platform to start with, create a 4-week ad plan with a defined budget and start testing things out.
For all of these, if I wasn’t sure where to start, I’d get support either through a course or a 1-1 service provider (I still love taking courses at my own pace).
Ready to Create a Revenue Plan that Helps You Build a 6-Figure Business?
Here's a quick recap of the steps to build a 6-figure business and revenue plan:
Phase 1: Giving Your Content A Purpose
Phase 2: Turn Your Website Into A Must-Visit Hot Spot For Your Audience
Phase 3: Scale The Number Of Eyeballs On Your Content
And Afterwards, Learn the Perfect Content Strategy for New Businesses (Grow Quickly and Start Seeing Results ASAP)?
Get instant access to my E.A.S.E. Content Strategy Workshop where you'll learn the 4 content platforms and strategies to focus on to scale your results and sales from content. Plus you'll get my exclusive EASE Content Planning Spreadsheet for FREE ↓
