By Christine Morse
Starting a blog is one of the best ways to turn your coaching knowledge into sales.
The truth is that you have volumes of information to share as a coach, but it is hard to know where to start and how to find time to post, comment, and manage those relationships, right?
Here’s a tip: One of the best ways to start content marketing is a blog because it can share knowledge with your ideal client and set you as a niche leader on the topic. Blogs also improve search engine optimization (SEO) because search engines like Google are more likely to match your website to the people who are searching for your services if you have expanded content. Moreover, a blog can help you create great social media posts that attract your ideal clients and provide perfect content for your eNewsletters.
People want your knowledge, and the blogging process will help you to turn this knowledge into sales. Here’s how to get started:
The first step is to organize your thoughts. Start at the beginning. Pretend you are sitting with a childhood friend, and you are meeting for coffee because that person needs your knowledge and expertise. Open up a new document or grab your favorite pen and tablet. Clear your mind, remove yourself from distractions, and make sure you have at least 30 minutes available so you are not rushed. Take a deep breath and let’s begin.
A solid outline will set you on a path for success. It may take a few tries, but you need to break down your knowledge into simple steps. Remember, you are with your friend who needs your help. Give that person bite-sized pieces of information.
At this point, your outline will contain only “headlines.” Nothing fancy, just a few words on that first step, second step, third step, etc.
1. What would you tell your friend to do first to address his/her challenge? Write this first step down; it’s going to turn into your first blog article.
2. What is the second step for fixing that person’s challenge? Write this step down; it’s going to turn into your second blog article.
3. What does the person need to obtain/collect/think about in order to improve their situation? Guess, what…this is another blog.
Keep going with bite-sized pieces of information that will help your friend solve their problem. Again, it is best if you create the initial headlines for these articles first. Fill in all of the other details next.
Then list one or two bullets of information that pertains to this action so you can get this out of your brain and easily move to the next tip you would share. Now you are creating a knowledge marketing content outline!
With most niches or services, people can brain dump at least 12 topics of conversation or knowledge. Twelve is a great place to start because that means you can create 12 blog posts, which is one per month. Most guidelines suggest that you do one blog per week, but that is usually too much for a beginner to manage. That blog can break down into numerous social posts, so you will get a big bang for your effort.
And don’t forget to use words your friend will understand. Remember, your readers might not know your industry acronyms, so keep it simple and get to work!
Once you have this system down, you will be able to consistently stay in front of your ideal clients so when they need your services, you are top of mind.
[BOX]
Organize Your Thoughts for Content Writing
1. Create your outline of topics.
2. Share bite-sized steps.
3. Write short sentences.
4. Post blog and share to social media.
Christine Morse has over 20 years of experience in marketing, team leadership, client relations and sales with companies such as Herman Miller, Amway International, Spectrum Health, Avid Marketing, Wyoming Kentwood Chamber of Commerce, and several disability network nonprofits. She formed Avid Alliance in 2009, which is focused on helping people to understand how beneficial it is to use free and low-cost tools for excellent branding and business expansion. Christine excels at providing strategic counsel and is a business growth implementer with a focus on marketing and sales. She has helped thousands of people to learn about identifying their ideal client and competitors, realizing their strengths and weaknesses to determine which tactics will work best for quick business growth. She also donates her time and energy towards many nonprofit organizations which contribute to the sustainability of this community. Visit her website at https://avidmarketingalliance.com.