The Verdict is In: Content Marketing is King

You’ll readily consume any ad on social media so long as it’s made like content.

Why?

You desire both entertainment and education.

Heck, you’ll watch 100s of ads if they’re funny, witty, and have a lesson in the end.

This is how the best brands in the world have built bonds with their target audience for decades.

And the same holds true for you, whether you’re an entrepreneur, employee, or you own a side hustle.

The truth is your customers stick with you, not because you’re special.

They stick with you because they’ve built a bond with you.

But what about the tens, hundreds, thousands, or millions of customers you’d like to attract to your business?

As of now, they have no affiliation with you, let alone an existing bond.

So, how do you attract them and build a bond with them?

The answer is undoubtedly content marketing.

The fun part is that you can do this in your pajamas while still laying in bed.

The Peril of Short-Sighted Businesses

These days, too many businesses struggle to attract new customers and build lasting relationships.

Why?

They focus too much on one-on-one sales tactics, which can be time-consuming and ineffective.

In this post, I'll share my journey from salesperson to content creator and how I use content to build trust and attract ideal clients.

The Problem with Traditional Sales

When I first started in business, I was excessively focused on being the best salesperson ever.

This meant I had to sell my service in person.

At the time, I was the sales development manager for a car rental company.

Everyday, I studied sales materials, i.e., books, tapes, podcasts, and programs by some of the best sales trainers ever to do it (Grant Cardone, Zig Ziglar, Dan Lok, and Brian Tracy).

I knew that, to be the best, I had to work on my craft daily.

I ate, breathed, and lived sales.

Every minute, all I could think about was sales.

I would get up as early as 4 a.m. just so I could role-play before the day began.

Why?

I wanted to stay sharp, and it worked.

However, the issue of setting meetings was always present.

Until I had a meeting, either in person or over the phone, I was unable to make any sales.

The meeting was my one opportunity to close prospects.

I generally didn’t have a problem getting attention in the first five seconds of a cold call.

To be successful at cold calling, the first 5 seconds are everything.

I call it “the introduction.”

Failure to nail the introduction is basically a DOA.

If you mess up the crucial attention phase, the call is over.

That prospect will never reply, and if they do, you should expect a harsh response.

Anyway, I digress.

And for those with whom I met, nine times out of ten, the meetings were successful.

But there’s only so much you can say in a meeting.

I was dealing with very busy C-Suite executives.

They wanted the information to be clear and direct.

That means that I had to be straight-up logical for the most part.

But that’s not how people buy.

The buying process is 80 percent emotional with 20 percent logic.

When buying, people make emotional decisions and then rationalize them.

That was the smaller issue.

My bigger issue was that I couldn’t be in 20 places at once.

If I wasn’t doing one-on-one, then I had no chance of making money.

The Shift to Content Marketing

In April 2022, I watched an old video of my mentor, Dan Lok, talking about sales positioning.

Basically, he was talking about one-to-many kinds of sales.

You develop a body of knowledge (BOK) and market it whether you're awake or asleep.

You can do this by creating content on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter), writing a book, or creating audio programs.

Choosing the Right Content Format

I took it into consideration and started thinking about the simplest way to begin.

I adore creating video content, but it requires careful consideration of the entire setup, which includes high-resolution cameras, tripods, lighting, background, editing, scripting, and more.

Even though I loved it, I knew the set-up alone was going to pose a big challenge.

My next goal was to write a book, but the challenge was self-publishing and distribution.

I couldn’t see a way to make it work.

The third thought was related to writing blogs.

Immediately, my eyes lit up.

Building My Content Creation Skills

Even though I wasn’t a proficient writer, I could articulate my words easily when speaking.

Writing is a completely different ballgame.

Still, it was the easiest to start because all I needed were my ideas, Microsoft Word, a website (which I already had), and an email service provider (MailChimp or MailerLite) for distribution.

The best part?

I could perform this task frequently, ideally at least once a week.

To make it even better, LinkedIn was letting creators set up newsletters on their platform.

For me at the time, it was a perfect match.

Even though I wasn’t so good at writing, I would start anyway.

I've heard the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day," countless times, and it has stuck with me.

And if I didn’t start practicing, I’d never be proficient at it.

Within the first few months, the first couple of articles I published were somewhat decent, and I was able to effectively communicate my points to my readers.

By the fifth month, I met a guy at the gym who is now my business partner, and he introduced me to his book on email marketing.

I was intrigued because I had just started sending out weekly articles to my email list.

So, I made it a point to keep in touch with him.

Then he started talking to me about copywriting, which is essentially selling through the written word.

He'll review my work, make a few corrections, and then walk me through the principles of copywriting and/or content writing.

He had taken numerous courses on copywriting, and as an email copywriter himself, he held some authority in the field.

He encouraged me to take a couple of copywriting courses and follow the work of some of the world's best copywriters.

As a result, I gravitated toward copywriters like Jason Capital, Dan Kennedy, Dan Henry, Stefan Georgi, and Alex Cattoni.

Just like I did when learning to sell, I would dedicate hours per day to listening to podcasts on copywriting, reading, and rewriting the copy of the legends in the space I mentioned earlier.

Over time, my copywriting skills improved, but I’ll always leave you, the reader, to be the ultimate judge.

But this has been my number one way to build a bond with you without having an in-person meeting.

What about the executives I invited to lunch?

About 5 percent actually agreed to it.

Yes, I was effective at getting sales from the meetings I set up, but I wasn’t building a bond with my clients.

I lacked the necessary consistency, but it wasn't because I didn't want to do the follow-ups.

I mean, there are only so many times you can call your prospect or client.

And if they refused to schedule a meeting, I would be at a loss.

I needed a way out, and content writing was the key.

Building Bonds and Authority

My blogs could discuss my journey, why I do what I do, and how it benefits you, my client.

The service I'm selling now has a real human behind it.

As a reader of my work, you now know more about me than a single 20-minute meeting could deliver.

And the sweetest part?

You can read my work at your own pace.

No time pressure, no hassles.

For me, it means that even while I sleep, my content is on social media or in your inbox.

I can connect with people across the pond in Sydney, Australia.

To do an in-person meeting with someone in Sydney would require a 27-hour flight.

Isn’t that crazy?

The Results: From Transactions to Friendships

But now, with content marketing, I can gradually build that bond by delivering content via email or social media to anyone who is interested in learning from me.

Now that I've assembled a strong tribe of individuals who share my values, a strong bond has formed.

The truth is, people will forever buy from people they know, like, and trust.

I don’t know about you, but I want repeat customers.

It takes a lot of energy to find, attract, and close new clients.

It’s much easier to upsell, cross-sell, and resell existing customers.

The best part?

They do the heavy lifting with the referrals.

They provide you with new leads that are ready to purchase with little to no resistance.

Please tell me that’s not sales heaven.

Final Thoughts

The power of content marketing is undeniable.

Everyone with a cellphone and internet access can leverage it to reach their ideal clients.

I mean, the average person spends 3-6 hours on their phones daily.

With content consumption taking up more than half of that time.

Call it what you want, but most people consume more than they produce.

And staggering stats like these are the reason why you should be creating content for your ideal clients to consume.

Of course, to keep them coming back for more, you'll have to be entertaining with your content.

Then, the sale no longer feels like a sale.

It feels more like two friends transacting.

Those are indeed the best types of sales, and you can count me in at any time, day or night.

And if you need help with your content marketing strategy, I’m here to help.

My team and I love to create highly engaging content that builds trust and certifies your authority as an expert in your niche.

Here’s how it works:

I’ll get on a call with you for less than an hour.

I’ll find out more about your business, and then I’ll prepare a winning strategy that connects and converts your dream clients in less than 60 days.

And if you’re on the fence about starting because you don’t know where to begin, I can guarantee that I’ll make you the darling of your industry in less than 60 days.

In fact, you’ll be so magnetic that anyone who shares your core values won’t be able to resist you.

Interested?

Reply, “I’m ready,” or DM me.

This is Christopher Njokanma, signing off.

Every week, I stay committed to providing value for you. Remember, my daring reader, to Like, Comment, and Share this article, for it might be the boost someone needs to start creating content for their business. Stay tuned for more awe-inspiring insights and discoveries in the captivating world of unconventional success.

Christopher is the President @ Cloud 98 - We power your brand's growth by harmonizing content and conversion.