The #1 Mistake You’re Making With Your Content Strategy

Feel lost in the social media maze and think you might be making this BIG content strategy mistake?

Dive into this episode where we talk about the #1 mistake you’re making with your content strategy (hint: it’s all about nailing that sweet spot between catching new eyes and keeping the old ones engaged!)

Here’s a preview of what we're talking about …

• Attraction vs. Engagement Platforms: It's all about mixing platforms that pull in fresh faces (hey, newbies!) with those that keep the regulars coming back for more.
• Oops, We Tilted the Scales: Highlighting the pitfalls when focusing solely on either attraction or engagement, including stagnation, list atrophy, and missed sales opportunities.
• Simplification and Strategy: Think of cutting the clutter and zooming in on one newbie magnet and one old-friends club. It's all about big growth with cozy chats on the side.

An Invite For You

If you are craving more simplicity (without sacrificing results, of course), this strategy is going to be revolutionary for you. I know it’s been a game changer for my clients who’ve implemented it to start doing more with less time spent grinding out new content and way less feeling guilty if they’re not showing every minute of every day. So I’m peeling back the curtain and sharing it with you, for free on September 7th. So get your booty signed up over at www.yourcontentempire.com/EASE

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome back to the Content Coffee Break podcast. We're on our second official episode. Last week, we discussed the myth that you have to be present everywhere in your content and the immense pressure that comes with it. Today, we'll explore the idea that if you don't need to be everywhere, where should you actually be? Specifically, I want to address the most common mistake I see in businesses concerning content. This is based on my experiences as a coach, strategist, and through interactions with course participants and casual coffee chats. So, let's get into it.

September is just around the corner, and like many, I embrace the autumn season. Even though I've been out of school for years, September still feels like a second new year. Maybe it's because my husband teaches, so by association, I'm reminded that September symbolizes back to school. Kudos to all my academic planners out there! Speaking of which, I'm eagerly awaiting my new planner, which is due to arrive this week.

I've also been preparing a new workshop for September 7th about the “Ease Content System”. In this workshop, we'll outline a potent yet simplified content strategy that I've applied with my clients over the years. This strategy forms the foundation of our launch funnels in the agency. And it ties back to our topic today.

Last week, we highlighted the misconception of needing to be everywhere with our content and the inherent pressure. Seeing peers or competitors everywhere can be daunting, but it's vital to understand that being everywhere isn't always beneficial. So, where should one be? We'll address this question and clarify what an alternative strategy might look like.

Next week, we're offering a preview of the workshop. So, for a glimpse of what's in store, tune in to the next episode.

Now, let's discuss the primary mistake concerning content strategy. The “EASE Content System” is an acronym that stands for the four content platforms every business owner might consider incorporating into their strategies:

1. Expertise Platform: This is where you showcase your knowledge and present your unique ideas. It's crucial to validate and attract your audience.
2. Attraction Platform: Here's where you work on drawing in new eyes.
3. Selling Platform: It's essential to convert leads into sales. Whether you call it a sales funnel or system, it’s about transforming a lead into a customer.
4. Engagement Platform: This is where you converse with your existing audience, turning them into a community. Nurturing these connections reinforces your brand.

The “EASE Content System” aims to strike a balance between these platforms. Some business owners might focus too much on one, like the engagement platform, and wonder why sales are lagging. Conversely, some might center only on the expertise platform and then question why their content has limited viewership. It's about maintaining equilibrium to achieve your content goals like audience growth, sales, and engagement.

The system's strength lies in its focused approach, ensuring you're not spreading yourself too thin, as emphasized in our previous episode. It’s also about maintaining balance, ensuring that each content platform type – Expertise, Attract, Sell, and Engage – receives due attention.

A common issue I observe is that entrepreneurs either concentrate on engagement, leading to stagnant audience growth, or on attraction without nurturing, resulting in poor conversion rates. The main mistake is solely focusing on one content platform type and neglecting the others. All components are crucial for a holistic content strategy.

Let's discuss consequences. When you lack attraction or engagement platforms, meaning you've stopped using social media—a trend that many are following—I understand. However, often, this results from trying to be present everywhere. When you're inactive attraction-wise and engagement-wise, what's the outcome? Essentially, nothing changes. You stagnate, don't grow, and don't communicate. Consequently, sales might dwindle, assuming they existed to begin with.

When you focus only on attraction platforms and neglect engagement platforms, it's essential to clarify. Under the banner of attraction platforms, we're referring to any strategy or platform that introduces you to new potential followers or clients. In contrast, the engagement platforms involve nurturing and deepening relationships with your current audience.

For attraction, think of tools like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram Reels, distinct from Instagram stories that cater to your existing followers. Other examples include paid ads or appearing on someone's podcast.

Engagement platforms revolve around fostering connections within your established circle. These could include Instagram feed posts, stories, DMs, Facebook groups, Reddit communities, or other platforms like Circle. Even your email list can be a part of this, especially if you encourage feedback. Another example might be hosting office hours or coworking sessions, which offer direct interaction.

If you neglect both attraction and engagement, nothing significant happens. But if you're all about attraction without engagement, while your audience might grow, your sales might not reflect this growth. We've seen clients amass large followings via summits or bundle deals, only to realize these individuals aren't genuinely interested in their offerings. If attraction is your primary strategy, ensure you back it up with robust engagement efforts to foster trust and rapport.

Conversely, if you focus solely on engagement without attraction, you might experience steady sales but limited growth. Over time, list exhaustion or list atrophy can set in. The issue here is that the needs of subscribers might change, and they're no longer your target demographic. Thus, while a niche, devoted audience is valuable, it's equally essential to attract new members.

A client once rapidly scaled her sales funnel using Facebook ads. However, a closer look revealed that while she was investing heavily in attracting prospects, she was neglecting engagement, essentially wasting her ad spend. Especially with paid campaigns, it's vital to balance attraction with engagement.

So, what should you do? If you're overwhelmed, streamline your efforts. Choose one attraction platform or strategy and one engagement method. Commit to these for at least 30 days and observe the difference in results, both in terms of audience growth and engagement.

For this week, consider these questions:

1. How would you categorize the platforms or strategies you're currently using based on the “ease content system”? List them under attraction, engagement, expertise, or selling.
2. Which platform or strategy best engages your existing audience?
3. Which one attracts new audience members effectively?

Thank you for joining me today. I hope this provides some valuable insights. Remember to join me on September 7th for the EASE Content Strategy Method Workshop. While I'll introduce the program “Your Content, Your Empire,” rooted in the ease content strategy, you'll still gain a lot from the workshop even if you opt not to join. Register at www.yourcontentempire.com/ease. Hope to see you there!