Category: Content Marketing

So, you’ve spent some time writing a lengthy and detailed blog post that will help your audience in solving one of their main problems. You took some time in creating engaging graphics and even added a nice video. You shared it once on Facebook and Twitter, but that’s just about it.

You were surprised when you looked at your Analytics a week later. Your views went up but immediately dropped the next day. You moved on and wrote another blog post and hoped you would do better next time.

Sure, as a speaker, there’s a lot you can share with your readers. In fact, there’s a lot of things to write about, that’s why you are not worrying too much about running out of topics.

But think about the time you’ve spent working on your content for it not to reach its maximum potential.

It’s a shame when great content just sits on your website.

In my last blog post, I emphasized the importance of setting goals before creating your content. Of course, we all want to book a speaking gig, but that’s not just about it. We can ask people to sign up for our newsletters, build our online presence, or ask them to subscribe to our YouTube channels.

No matter what your goals are. The point is, you won’t be able to meet them if your medium (your blog post or website content) is not being viewed or read.

You need to do something about it…

The good news is, there’s a lot of things you can do to make sure that the word gets out there.

Here are some things I normally do to make the most out of my every piece of content:

1. Create a content promotion plan

With all the online resources out there, it’s not enough to just share your content on your Facebook or Twitter. There are a lot of things you can do to make sure they reach your target audience.

Here are some things you can do as soon as your website content goes out:

• Send an email blast to your list with your content link.
• Share it on Facebook – On your Page, Personal Account, and on your groups.
• Share it on Twitter
• Create a nice image and share it on Instagram. (Don’t forget to add the link to your bio)
• Create a vertical image and share it on your Pinterest.
• Share it on your LinkedIn account and page.
• Share it on social bookmarking sites like Medium, Digg, Reddit, etc.
• Create short video clips promoting it on Instagram stories – Ask them to swipe up.

It goes without saying that sharing your content is different from bombarding and over-promoting. That’s why it’s essential to have a well-thought-out content promotion plan so you can effectively schedule your content promotions.

2. Use content schedulers

I use different tools to make sure that my website content goes out there regularly. For instance, I’ve used SocialBee, Hootsuite, Later.com, and MeetEdgar (to name a few) in sharing my content on different social media sites.

You just need to connect your social profiles on your tool, add your content, set when you want them to go out, and literally forget about it!

Some of these, like Later.com, have free accounts that you can use for up to 3 social profiles. Find one that matches your needs and meets your budget.

3. Update your evergreen content every 2 to 3 years and share them again

You don’t always have to write new content. You need to make the most out of your best posts and articles.

Don’t forget about your old content. Use your Analytics to find your best-performing posts and pages and update them from time to time.

I’ll tell you – Google loves this! Google is now focused on giving value to its readers, so when you update something that has proven to be valuable to your target audience, it means that you are making it even more valuable. If you will play it right (optimize your posts, adding target keywords, etc.), you will be rewarded.

So now go ahead and make the most out of your content!

I have written so many posts about creating a Speaker Website that Sells, from your bio to your meeting professionals page, but the truth is your compelling headline may be the most important thing you write for your website.

Your headline might be the ONLY thing your prospect reads, so you have got to make it count. But remember, don’t try to be overly clever here. Never make your promise hard to understand. get to the point quickly and be clear. Grab their attention and hold it. And that’s easy to say, and harder to do, I know. But here’s some good news

Write your compelling headline last.

Yes, I mean it. Your headline is the last thing you should write. At least, the headline you are going to stick to. Be realistic, you are going to write dozens of not hundreds of headlines before you come up with ‘the one’. Just like with love, you need to ‘meet’ and eventually ‘date’ your headline before you make it your own.

Here’s how my process goes…

1. Start with the reason for the page you are writing.

It sounds super obvious but I never write without the outcome in mind. What do I want this page to DO? What do I want this website to DO? Like a child (and your prospective customers) if you don’t tell them what you want them to do, they are unlikely to come up with it on their own. Like most of us, the ultimate goal is to get hired to speak, but is that all?

2. Don’t forget your target audience – write only for them

3. Choose your most sought after benefit

While ultimately the content of this post could apply to any business owner, I know who my tribe. I work with Speakers and I build Speaker Websites. Of course, that is in my compelling headline. I could get creative and clever but why bother? I know that the headline will not only be very SEO friendly, but it solves the exact problem my niche audience is searching for.

4.  Don’t over complicate things.

I have seen a lot of headlines that are just too wordy you don’t even know what the content is all about. Although it’s tempting to use big, catchy words, you should always stick to the basics and make your headlines easy to understand.

5.  Cut to the chase and be straight forward.

Getting people’s attention online can be challenging, you need to play it right. Your readers are looking for interesting topics that will answer their questions. Drop those irrelevant terms and keep it simple.

You can inject some of your target keywords here and there, but make sure they are relevant, and they sound natural.

What are your challenges in writing interesting and compelling headlines for your website?