You've Been Lied to...

"Traffic" alone is overrated!

Website "traffic" alone is just anonymous numbers... Anonymous numbers don't have wallets... or problems requiring solutions...or names & faces!

SEO specialists and Social Marketing experts would have you believe that all you need is massive volumes of generic traffic and "likes" and you'll be making money overnight! And...convincing you to part with your money to hire them to help you!

"Likes" don't have wallets either! It's very easy to click a "like" button; much more difficult to get someone to part with their hard earned money and actually BUY something from you...

This is only logical: how would you feel about sending some unknown company your money? Your readers feel exactly the same!

Content Marketing is the solopreneur's single most effective marketing strategy...

But you have to understand some basic "rules" about engaging in it effectively...

Simply, Content Marketing is nothing more or less than using original content to attract the right readers to your website.

The key here is original content & the right readers...

What's the right reader?

This is your ideal customer, who has a problem you can help them solve, and who has the need and resources to pay you for that solution.

Notice that there are some definite qualifications in the above statement! Nothing about vanity metrics, or even millions of "followers."

In Marketing terminology, this aligning of the "right reader" with a specific sought-after solution is referred to as "conversion." You as the business owner are converting a potential customer into a reader or subscriber or customer...

It's obviously a wise use of your time to build "conversion" strategies into your marketing from the very beginning.

Fortunately, Content Marketing is perfect for this approach!

What about SEO?

If your content answers a specific reader challenge, then you will likely already be answering what many of your "ideal readers" are searching for...

That's one of the primary goals of Google (and other search engines): provide answers to readers' questions. And the search engines will reward you with higher rankings! No complicated SEO expert required!

What about Key Word Research?

Key words are the actual search terms your readers use in asking questions (searching for solutions).

Search engines attempt to provide potential answers through complicated search algorithms. The closer you can approximate the actual search questions, the more likely you are to be listed in the first page of the search results (where readers will actually SEE your content)!

KW research is effective, especially if you are in a very competitive niche or industry, or one that is dominated by very large established companies (think Amazon, Netflix, Expedia, etc.)

Investing in your own KW research can be a wise investment if you are competing at this high-stakes level.

However, because you are likely already an expert in your field, you probably already know what your readers are asking. You can start with those KWs... This is exactly why specializing in a smaller niche is so effective.

Direct Benefits of Content Marketing

• You establish yourself as an expert in your field
• As readers get to know you through your solutions, you build trust
• You create a long-term relationship with your readers...real people with real obstacles needing solutions