It’s powerful. Do it.
Start Talking to Yourself Out Loud—a Lot
We live in the digital age. At this point, we can drive down the road, talk into our phone as if it were a customer, and have it record everything we say. We can then send that recording to a transcription company, who in turn quickly sends us a text-based copy, and voilà—a blog article has been written.
Considering most business owners are better talkers than writers, this is a powerful way of producing a lot of solid content, fast. Of course, this isn’t the only way to do it; someone in the content department can easily do a sit-down interview with a thought leader, ask them questions, and walk away with plenty of valuable content.
Participate in Blogathons or Videoathons with Employees
If you have employees and want to create a lot of content in a short period of time, a blogathon just might be the perfect solution. By getting everyone in the office away from writing e-mails and assigning articles and videos to work on—all together and at one time—a company can truly do amazing things. At The Sales Lion, we had one company in the financial space produce more than fifty pieces of content in one day—all because they set aside the time among their team to get it done, without distraction.
Get a Content Manager . . . Yesterday
We already mentioned this one in chapter 36, but it’s simply too important not to re-emphasize. Someone must own the content marketing efforts within the company, and that same person is key in getting everyone else involved.
Insourcing Is Huge
Remember, if they are a subject matter expert of any type, and spend any time at all communicating with clients and customers, they could be producing content for your organization right now—all they need is the platform and guidance to do so.
Learn How Each Employee Best Communicates, and Then Run with It
Great content marketing companies understand that not everyone communicates the same way. Some prefer to write it out. Some prefer to talk it out. Some would rather act it out on video.
Smart content marketing companies identify how their employees communicate and encourage each individual to contribute to the process in the way they convey information the best. Some people are great at researching, interviewing, and writing; others are great at performing in front of a camera; and others may not be great at either, but because of their knowledge make great interviewees. In short, when you leverage the strengths of every team member, you can dramatically reduce the time you spend in the production process as well as get the most bang for your buck along the way.
Turn On the Camera and Hit “Record”
Some of our greatest successes I had with my swimming pool company occurred when my business partner Jason and I would walk onto a job site, look around, and just start explaining everything we saw. In a few hours time, we had produced multiple videos, many of which today have hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
Keep in mind, most of these videos weren’t planned out. We simply looked at the job, asked ourselves what the consumer might want to know or ask, and then began talking.
This principle can be applied to any business, and, boy, does it save some serious time in the process.
Stop Doing the Thing That Does Not Bring the Greatest Returns
Every company has inefficiencies. This is certainly the case with marketing departments as well. Often we are doing marketing and advertising campaigns because we think “we’re supposed to,” not because there is a clear strategic purpose—one that has been proven to get powerful results.
If most companies had any idea just how much financial impact a smart content marketing campaign would have on their organizations, they would drop in a heartbeat much of what they are currently doing from a business development and marketing perspective.
Is It about Time, or Is There Something Else Really Going On Here?
As humans, when we do not value something enough, we have a simple fallback response:
“I don’t have the time.”
Granted, sometimes this statement is true.
But the majority of cases I’ve seen are cut and dried: the company’s leadership team didn’t “get it.” They didn’t truly understand content marketing and They Ask, You Answer. They didn’t see its potential impact and were not emotionally invested.
When I was about to lose my company in 2009 and working well over sixty hours a week, I didn’t have time to write articles and produce videos to put on our company website.
So I stopped watching TV.
I went from eight to six hours of sleep a night.
I looked for every extra second to create more content.
And I did all of this because I didn’t have a choice. I was looking over the cliff, simply trying to do anything I could do to hang on.
I’m not implying that you (the reader) fall into this category, but please make sure to ask yourself if it truly is about “time” or if something quite different is the issue at hand.
39
Just How Important Is Video to Inbound and Content Marketing? How Does It Relate to They Ask, You Answer?
Folks, video is big.
And when it comes to They Ask, You Answer, video (and visually-based content) in many ways is dramatically more important than textual-based content.
And if you don’t believe me, just look at these fifteen incredible stats, as reported by Insivia in 2016:
According to a report published by Forrester, including video in an e-mail leads to a whopping 200–300 percent increase in click-through rates.
Unbounce reports that include video on a landing page can increase conversion by 80 percent.
YouTube reports mobile video consumption rises 100 percent every year.
According to Rhythm and Insights, combining video with full-page ads boost engagement by 22 percent.
Seventy percent of executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.
Sixty-five percent of executives visit the marketer’s website, and 39 percent call a vendor after viewing a video, according to Forbes.
147 million Americans watch video on the Internet, according to Nielsen.
After watching a video, 64 percent of users are more likely to buy a product online, according to ComScore.
96 percent of B2B organizations use video in some capacity in their marketing campaigns, of which 73 percent report positive results to their ROI, according to a survey conducted by ReelSEO.
One-third of all online activity is spent watching video.
According to Forbes, 59 percent of executives would prefer to watch video than read text.
Fifty percent of executives look for more information after seeing a product or service in a video, according to Forbes.
According to Implix, an introductory e-mail that includes a video receives an increase in click-through rates of 96 percent.
Mist Media reports that the average Internet user spends 88 percent more time on a site with video.
Including a video on your homepage can increase conversion rates by 20 percent or more, according to ReelSEO.
Mind-blowing, wouldn’t you agree?
Yet, certainly consistent with every stat, trend, and story we’ve discussed in this book up to this point.
Furthermore, if we were to report on these exact same topics and behaviors a year from now, the numbers would dwarf what’s written here.
It is for this reason that every company—big or small—must not only embrace what is happening with video, but integrate it into every element of their business.
Everyone Is a Media Company
The most successful companies and brands of the digital age understand this reality: Everyone is a media company, whether they like it or not.
In other words, consumers and buyers don’t care if you or I “like” a video or not.
They don’t care if we watch videos.
They don’t care if we have employees who are, or are not, willing to be o
n camera.
And they certainly don’t care if we know how to make a video in the first place.
But here’s what they do care about: They care about having their questions and concerns answered. They care about seeing what they’re going to spend their money on. They care about how it works, what it feels like, and what it looks like.
Case in point: As I write this book I’m in the process of buying my second boat, a “walkaround” (a fishing boat with a lower cabin for storage, sleeping, and so on) that’s between 31 feet and 35 feet long.
Up to this point, I’ve spent hours analyzing different brands and their product lines. At last count, I had visited at least twenty different boat manufacturer websites. But through all of this, I’ve been utterly disappointed.
Why?
Because these brands, some of which are extremely large, multimillion- dollar companies, don’t get me. They aren’t in tune with what I—a relatively experienced fisherman—want to see to be able to feel like I “know” the product.
Instead, what they want to show me is a bunch of pomp-like videos (assuming they even have videos on their website) of their boats going through the water at 50 miles per hour and people sitting on the deck and smiling at each other.
Sure, this is all fine and dandy, but in my case, I don’t need to see what a boat looks like going through the water. I don’t need to see photos of a family enjoying themselves. Heck, I’ve already been living that with my own family for quite a while, so it’s not going to get my juices flowing.
What will get my juices flowing?
Showing me every nook and corner (via video) of the cabin. I want to see the materials, close-ups of the bedding, the details in the bathroom, and the workmanship on the ceiling.
I want to see the main cockpit, and how each and every knob, button, and piece of hardware works to improve the boating experience.
And out of all the brands that I’ve looked at, only one—Boston Whaler—has done a truly great job helping me experience what it’s like to truly “see” the boat—which is also why I know it (the Conquest 345 model) is the next boat I’m going to buy.
If They Can’t See It, It Doesn’t Exist
Folks, this is the essence of They Ask, You Answer, and it’s exactly why, going forward, it’s practically impossible to spend enough time, resources, effort, and energy on video.
At this point, you have to look at it this way:
In the eyes of the consumer, if they can’t see it, it doesn’t exist.
To help you understand what I mean by this, let’s analyze my two companies.
River Pools and Spas is a media company that happens to build and install fiberglass swimming pools.
The Sales Lion is a media company that happens to consult with businesses and brands on their digital sales and marketing efforts.
Do you see how this works?
And because we see ourselves as media companies, we’ve gone so far as to hire a full-time videographer for each.
Is this cheap? No, but the cost of inaction, and of not embracing what the consumer wants, is dramatically more expensive than the cost of hiring the right people and creating a culture of visual teaching and storytelling, which is exactly what we’ve done at both companies.
Furthermore, unlike many companies that think all video has to be perfect or “Hollywood” to publish, we understand there are times for super, high-quality video, and there are also times for simple, create-it-on-the-fly content. Our only goal, throughout the entire process of becoming a media company and producing visual content, is to get better and better and better, which is exactly what we’re doing.
But we also understand we’re still at the beginning of utilizing the power of video to gain consumer trust and business. We see a future in which virtual reality makes our videos of today seem like a technological horse and buggy of tomorrow.
Are the prospects of learning a whole new technology daunting? Sure, but we know there will come a day when, again, the consumer won’t care. They will expect virtual reality, and if they don’t get it, they will leave.
In our case, we will be ready for them.
It is my hope you will be too.
We Must Show It
Our obsession, regardless of B2B, B2C, and so on, needs to be the same:
We need to show our story, not just tell it.
We need to show our employees and their subject matter expertise, not just write about it.
We need to show our company culture, not just explain it.
We need to show the what, how, when, where, and why.
And if we do this, we’ll be seen as the expert.
We’ll be the trusted voice.
This is the essence of video and They Ask, You Answer.
40
How Long Will It Take They Ask, You Answer to Work?
“So, if we embrace content marketing as a company, and truly follow They Ask, You Answer as you’re telling us, what does success look like? And how long would you expect this to take?”
This, quite possibly, is the number 1 question companies have when they’re looking to embrace this business philosophy.
But the question makes sense. Creating a culture of listening, teaching, and then acting upon it isn’t easy. It takes time, tools, resources, and major dedication.
It’s also quite worth it when done right.
Doing Content Marketing the “Right” Way
As you might imagine, the following is a guideline that can vary dramatically from company to company, and industry to industry. Also, what you’re reading here is purely contingent on doing content marketing the “right” way—as explained in this book. Specifically, the following assumes that your company is:
Producing at an absolute minimum two to three new pieces of content each week (videos, articles, and so on).
Following the philosophies of They Ask, You Answer (a willingness to truly address the most common buying questions a prospect or customer is going to ask, that is, about costs, problems, comparisons, reviews, and so on).
The company is fully participating. From management to sales to marketing, everyone is involved, and a mission statement (stating the vision of They Ask, You Answer for your company) has been established.
Five Stages of Content Marketing Success
Assuming you’re willing to do these three things, here is a realistic five-stage, three-year time frame and measuring stick of success:
Hit “Publish” and get the sales team engaged.
Searchers and search engines realize you exist.
Finally . . . you get leads.
Generate sales and revenue.
The snowball is rolling down the mountain.
Stage 1. Months 1–3: Hit “Publish” and Get the Sales Team Engaged
Rarely do amazing things happen in content marketing without an incredibly consistent production and editorial calendar. For many companies, this is, for whatever reason, a major hurdle they’ve never been able to overcome. But the successful organizations have identified someone on staff who owns the content production process (content manager), their employees from other departments (sales, management, and others) are involved sales and the content “machine” is starting to run nicely. Although this process won’t happen overnight, it is realistic to expect it to take place within the first thirty to ninety days after launch.
Also, keep in mind there are immediate victories that can, and should, occur within the first ninety days. For example, if you’re producing Big 5 content, then you’re clearly addressing the top questions your sales team is receiving. This content should be integrated into the sales process as soon as it’s produced.
Remember, every piece of content produced should be viewed as another tool in the sales team’s toolbox.
Stage 2. Months 2–5: Searchers and Search Engines Realize You Exist
The majority of business websites, at least before they embrace content marketing, are relatively static (same old information, f
ew changes). Because of this, they get little respect from searchers (consumers) and search engines alike. Furthermore, if a website’s age is new (or very young), it gets even less respect from search engines from a keyword ranking standpoint.
But once a company shows a true dedication to content production, and is sticking with its editorial calendar, respect from both parties occurs. Not only are viewers impressed, but search engines are as well.
What does this mean? A few things: Your website’s SEO will improve (more keyword phrases will start to rank well), Google will index your site more often, and the speed at which your content starts to produce results will increase. Sure, this usually doesn’t happen until the 60–150 day mark, but when it does occur it’s the first sign that traffic, leads, and sales are on the cusp of a continual increase for months to come.
Note: A major factor that dictates your ability to have search engines recognize your content involves how saturated your niche or industry already is. In industries where everyone is producing content (like digital marketing companies), it’s difficult to rank well in search engines. But among those industries that produce much less content, the lack of competition allows for quicker results.
Regardless of the amount of content saturation, though, your company should still strive to become the most trusted and transparent thought leaders of your space. Otherwise, great results are impossible to achieve.
Stage 3. Months 3–6: Finally . . . You Get Leads
Now that traffic is really starting to pick up, it’s time for leads. And the whole purpose of content marketing—aside from engaging prospects and customers and building trust—is to increase leads and ultimately generate sales.
They Ask You Answer Page 17