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Business formula for success, the 7-step blueprint, the secret sales funnel

Hang out online for long enough and you’ll notice there’s a lot of this type of online marketing going on.

Ever followed a formula / blueprint / system for business success but didn’t quite achieve what you thought you would?

Yes, there are some fabulous systems out there that are founded on marketing principles PLUS implementation tips that do work.

But there are just as many not so good ones too!

So how do you know which business formula to follow and which one to avoid?

Over the last few years I’ve:

• bought a LOT of marketing programmes,
• attended HEAPS of workshops and conferences,
• listened to webinars and podcasts, and
• read blogs, books and articles.

And through all this education that’s included marketing, blogging, content creation, copywriting and online strategies I’ve picked up information, tips and up to date advice from world experts.

But I’ve also learned something that not many people will tell you upfront…

…trying to follow an exact business formula, marketing system or sales blueprint doesn’t always work!

It may work for the person who’s selling you the system, but if it doesn’t fit in with your values or business goals, it may not work for you.

So here’s a few things I’ve learned that may help you find your own formula for business success

*I like to remember that business success will mean different things for everyone and it’s not just all about revenue, profit or market share…

1 Don’t force it! Trying to force yourself and your business into a marketing model, step by step system or formula that’s not aligned with your business or personal values won’t work in the long term.

2 Ask, “How can this work for my business?” There may be parts of the formula or a section that resonates while others don’t.

3 Stay open minded and learn, but always trust your gut instinct. If you’re being taught or shown something new that doesn’t feel right for you or your business, don’t do it.

4 In a programme that’s got online forums and Facebook groups? If you feel a bit “OMG EVERYONE ELSE is doing so much better than me” stay away from them!

5 Stay curious. Being curious and discovering what other people are doing will inspire you and keeps your mind open to possibilities and opportunities.

6 Keep a pen handy! As you listen and read, take notes that questions how you can use this information. Writing down any ideas that pop into your mind as you learn will help you create your own business success – with confidence.

7 Your business and career is totally different to everyone else’s. Your personal goals, family situation, business dreams and career achievements reflect your personality, values and awesome-ness!

Guidelines, formulas and systems are helpful – they can help shine light on where we need to go and how to get there!

But it’s up to you to check in with your gut and heart for the final say on whether this will lead to YOUR business success.

Meaningful content creation: the key to rising above the online noise!

Have you noticed how many thought leaders, influencers and online superstars are talking about creating quality content?

The good advice includes things like:

“Rise above the online noise with good quality content…

Forget about posting content everyday, create content that’s evergreen…

Create a page of your best content and get others to promote it for you…”

But what if you’re creating quality content and it’s being lost in the “online noise?” 

Your solution comes from the guru of blogging, Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. In a recent Business Addicts podcast Darren said,

“Create meaningful content that takes your reader on a journey and brings about change”

Here are a 3 things that may help you as you create meaningful content…the type of content that gets shared, noticed and acted upon!

1 Revisit Your Ideal Client Avatars

Have you ever read a blog or article and thought, “Wow, they’re talking to me…it’s like they’ve listened to my thoughts and written this to help me!”

The author has understood who their readers are – they’ve written the content with a super clear framework about their ideal clients that includes:

• demographics, including age, income, occupation and gender,
• psychographics, including values, lifestyle and belief systems, and

• internal conversations, including their secret fears, hopes and what drives them in business and life.

Your next step…go back to your ideal client avatars and look at their pain points.

For example – a Chiropractor with an ideal client who’s a stay at home mum with 3 children under 7 years old could have the following pain point to create content around:

• Pain point: “I lift my children in and out of the car, push prams and shopping trolleys and by the end of the day my back is aching…”
• Blog topic: “7 things stay at home mums can do to keep their back healthy.”

2 Organise Your Content

Once you’ve developed a list of blog topics, it’s time to organise your content – note that I said ‘organise’ not ‘research’!

I see way too many business owners wasting time researching their blog topic when they’ve got all the information they need in their computer files and notebooks already.

This simple process may help you out…

1. Create a new folder in Google Drive (or Dropbox) called “Meaningful Content”
2. Move your Word documents and Evernote content to it
3. Browse through your notebooks and look for content that you can use for the blog topics
4. Transcribe the content into a Word document and upload to “Meaningful Content”

3 Create headlines that appeal to your ideal clients

One of the simplest ways to create headlines that will appeal to your reader is to go back to their pain points. Ask yourself:

‘What would they be searching for online to solve this problem  /  to feel better  /  to get to where they want to go?’

And stay curious:

• Take note of headlines on magazine covers and repurpose them for your headlines,
• Notice what headlines make you click onto the article or blog post, and
• Practice writing headlines and keep them in a Word document, ready and waiting for you!

It’s not too late to create meaningful content that’s noticed online – your audience and clients are waiting for your unique thoughts and insights to create change in their lives.

Content creation, blogging, social media and online marketing…

You know that you need to create ‘quality content’ for your business and brand to be noticed.

You know that regular blogging will help you with SEO.

You’ve read blogs, attended events and conferences and have seen what others are doing.

And if you’re like a lot of other small business owners, you’ve started the year with a resolve to write more blogs and post more on social media.

But deep down, you feel stuck.

The idea of ‘creating compelling content with a unique voice to attract your ideal audience’ makes you break into a sweat.

So what can you do to unravel yourself from this maelstrom of emotions – after all, you want to grow your business!

Step 1 Step away from your screens

When my clients get frustrated or confused about what what to write about I advise them to step away from all their screens.

Why?

If they’re not sure what they want to write about, they’ll end up looking at what ‘everyone else’ is doing.

They’ll bounce around from website to social media post and back to another website – wasting time and energy.

And let’s face it, after an hour or so of looking at what everyone else is doing, you will always come off second best…

“They’re posting up to date and interesting content…their photos and images are so pretty…wow, they’ve forecast a new trend…OMG their content is so good, how can I compete?”

Step away from your screens and grab a journal / notebook and pen. Head to a cafe and while you enjoy your favourite coffee and snack:

• doodle,
• make thought bubbles,
• write phrases and questions down, and
• jot down random ideas.

The aim of this is to release the expectation and stress that you’ve placed on yourself – to invite your creativity to return.

Step 2 What do you really want to write about and share?

If you’re not feeling excited about writing things for your clients (and prospective clients) you’ll either:

• not get around to it, or
• write something that doesn’t sound like you and /or represent your brand and business in a great light.

Here’s a little ‘fill in the blanks’ exercise to help you work out what you want to write about and how often:

I like to read blogs and social media posts about _____________________

The blogs and posts I read regularly make me feel ____________________

Outside of my industry I love reading __________________________

People in my industry usually write about __________________

I really want to write about __________________________

I hold back from writing about this because _______________________

I’d love to write and publish the following each week ___________________________

Step 3 Write and review

Now you’ve isolated what you’d like to write about, it’s time to put your butt down and write it.

But here’s the thing – sitting down in front of a blank screen can ‘kill off’ any creative inspiration you’ve got!

Which is why a lot of bloggers and writers, don’t do this – they use journals, notepads and Post-It notes as prompts.

Once you’ve written your content, it’s time to review.

Ask yourself:

• is it something I would want to read?
• do I feel proud / happy / excited that it’s on my website and /or social media pages?
• is the content a fresh take on something or does it sound like everyone else?

Gone through these steps and still aren’t convinced you can write great content?

I help small and medium businesses with ghost writing – click here to find out more.

Or why not email me here and let’s set up a time to chat about how I could help!