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Like Sharks to Blood: How to Attract (and Keep) Your Dream Clients -part 3

Give Away Knowledge to Convince Clients to Pay You

Attract your dream clients: notebook

Imagine this: you’re a business owner, and you’re getting ready to buy new office furniture. One of your employees asks if you’re planning on buying ergonomic chairs. When you look at a few online, you’re not sure they’re worth the price — so you do a Google search.

The first search result is a site with a great article explaining the benefits of ergonomic design, and it just happens to have a guide to getting ergonomic furniture without breaking the bank. They also have a few other helpful articles on keeping office costs down.

Emotional?

How will you feel about that website? You’d probably view it as a valuable site to bookmark for the future; you might even sign up for their email list in order to get more helpful tips.

Now imagine they were also a site that sells some of the chairs you are considering. Once you’ve made up your mind on which chairs you want, you’d probably buy them there, wouldn’t you?

That is content marketing. It’s based on the idea that when most people today have a question, they are likely to either run a Google search or turn to a trusted online resource.

It comes back to you first

And as a business owner you can use content marketing to become a thought leader in your industry. When you put content out into the world, you are also showcasing bits of your expertise for people to see.

There are many ways to successfully use content marketing; personally, I’ve used it since founding my business four years ago.

Dream Clients

I often get emails from potential clients saying my articles felt like they were written just for them — that I captured what it was like to face the problems they face. Who do you think they are likely to call when they need coaching at their agency?

And sometimes, content marketing allows for quick wins. This is unusually fast, but I’ve had a client sign up for my newsletter on a Saturday, and sign a contract that Monday.

Why?

Because they found my content at the right time and that content was enough to convince them I could help. Yes, it takes time (or money) to create, but in the end it’s worth it.

People who love your content are pre-sold on hiring you. Because they want to hire you, they tend to be less price-sensitive.

You have to give to get, and it’ll prove your value in the process.

Positioning your content

Trying to decide where to start? Your content should focus on high-value services — typically, the services that are most profitable to your business.

For example, if your agency offers branding (higher-margin) and production design (lower-margin), focus on content around branding, since it’s a higher-value service.

Struggling to generate ideas to write about? Start by writing answers to questions your clients and prospects ask you. Most of my posts start this way.

Construct your Topics

Think about topics you keep mentioning to your clients. In my work, I’m often reminding clients to delegate and practice self-care — which led to articles like hiring “new rope” instead of “wet twine” or making yourself “needed, but not necessary.”

Put yourself in your target client’s shoes. What problems are they struggling with? When I created my newsletter signup premium, I decided to write an ebook on satisfying difficult clients. I chose that topic because I knew it was a universal struggle for every agency. The ebook lets me connect with prospective clients, share value, and gives people a way to raise their hand for custom help.

Remember, content marketing won’t make everyone want to buy — it’ll make the right people want to buy.

What else do you do to keep your pipeline full of your ideal clients? Tell us in the comments section below!

…to be continued, see part 4 here

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