This is the second Monday of the month, which means that it’s guest post time.
Today, I am very proud to introduce you to a wonderful guy, which some of you already know.
Here is my custom quote for my guest today!
Take a smart, motivated, and dedicated business man who knows what business is in, and you get Don Purdum.
Do a search on Google for the term “content is king” and you will find thousands upon thousands of websites and blogs proclaiming this truth to the ends of the earth.
But I have a sad truth for you… content may not be your king.
In fact, content may be your worst enemy. It may be the very thing that is keeping customers away.
How can that be? It doesn’t make any sense. If I write it they will come; right?
Not necessarily! In fact, they may not come at all.
Content is only king when someone values content as king. Otherwise, it’s just words on a screen that no one is reading because the quality of the content is not keeping up with the demands of the time in which we live.
Long gone are the days you can throw up 300 word articles about your business or how great your product or service is; and then just expect people to fill out the forms or call you just so they can give you their hard earned money.
That’s a mindset that is still getting a lot of business websites and blogs in trouble.
What people want and need today is vastly different than what they wanted just twelve months ago.
I’ll tell you the secret if you really want to know what they want.
They want to know that:
- You understand them and can communicate to them that you care.
- That you are competent and know what you are talking about.
- You can help them with an issue or problem they can’t solve themselves.
- You can give them what they want or need.
This seems like such common sense doesn’t it? But if it is why aren’t businesses doing it?
Businesses that blog and bloggers that blog for money seem to only care about one thing and it’s obvious; they care about making money.
Is there anything wrong with making money? Not AT ALL!
In fact, I want us all to get wealthy doing what we love and are good at doing.
But people don’t buy from us because we want them to!
They buy from us for their own selfish reasons and there is not one thing wrong with that either. It’s our job to find out what that is and then communicate that we understand them, care about them and want to do something for them.
What business owners, entrepreneurs and bloggers have forgotten is that they don’t have businesses that exist for them; they have businesses that exist for those whom they serve. It’s not about you, it’s about them.
So if it’s not about you; why are so many businesses creating content that spends so much time talking about themselves and how great they are?
Let’s talk about how to create content that is king and that will allow others to talk about us so that we don’t have to talk about ourselves.
How to Define Content that is King
The best content in the world puts an emphasis on others. So many bloggers and businesses that blog are good at writing but not necessarily good at communicating. Communicating well means you are very clear and concise about your business.
If you ever feel that you are at a loss of words to tell someone what you do then you are not clear.
If you notice that you are sharing your business or you’re telling someone what you do and they are zoning out or they walk away and don’t talk to you again, or if people are spending very little time on your website or blog when they find it; you may not be clear.
Clarity is your friend but when you don’t have it all you really have left is confusion and confusion is the enemy of clarity.
It’s not about having something to say it’s about having something meaningful to say.
If you’re going to create content that is king then it has to mean something to those who consume your content.
You have to create epic content that relates to your prospects and customers:
- What needs or problems do they have?
- What are some reasons why people need what you offer?
- Tell stories and use examples of how you can help them.
A few months ago I was approached on LinkedIn by a person who is starting a youth expo for sports leagues.
I listened intently at our first meeting as he explained how frustrated he was by the lack of response he was getting.
It was really obvious to me that if he does this right he could be sitting on top of an incredible business where sponsors will pay top dollar, vendors will pay for access to the audience, and the audience will pay to attend.
The concept is genius and virtually no one is doing it!
He said to me:
“Don, I don’t get it. I have a tool that can help every sports league make more money to help more kids play organized sports who can’t afford it. But I’m not getting any responses.”
I said to him; “It seems compelling and interesting. If I were a President of a youth sports league you would have my interest. What are you sharing?”
When we were done and I could show him my notes, he could see that we talked about virtually everything but funding sports leagues to help kids.
We talked about:
- Childhood obesity and solving that problem.
- Frustrated parents who have kids with physical problems due to inactivity.
- The effects of inactive kids in education.
- Coaching clinics to improve a coaches coaching skills.
It wasn’t until 30 minutes later we talked about kids who want to play sports but their parents cannot afford for them to play.
All the other things were good, but they are not the core message of his startup and these things were confusing to his audience.
How do the four items above relate to helping youth sports organizations with the funding issue? They don’t and that was his problem.
Now, I concede that these all important but they are not the focus of his organization. They may be part of the expo as a benefit during the event to help draw in a crowd, but they are not the expo’s purpose.
My friend knows he has a great product, he just wasn’t clear on how to message it well; until now!
Five weeks later has clarity and focus so that he can (in order):
- Talk to a large local indoor sports facility about hosting the expo in an inspirational and persuasive manner as he seeks a venue for the event in the spring of 2016.
- Start networking with area youth sports leagues to get to know them and share how he can solve this one major problem for them.
- Begin advertising and marketing the expo both online and offline through the leagues.
If he had continued going down the road he was headed, he would have crashed hard and failed miserably.
Here is my question for you:
Are you really clear about your business and how your website visitors, blog readers, podcast listeners, video watchers, etc., understand how you make a difference in their world broadly and specifically for them?
If you have put the cart ahead of the buggy of course something bad is going to happen. Yet, that is what is happening all of the time to a lot of businesses who are marketing online (fyi, it has the same effect offline).
If you want epic content that others perceive is king, then you must start learning how to get into the heads of your readers, prospects and customers and give them a reason to consume and engage with your content; and you must give them a reason to buy from you!
Your content is only king if your readers think it is! If people really want your content then to them it is king. How do you evaluate it and know if your content is king or not:
- Is anyone buying from you? That’s the most important metric!
- Is your traffic growing and do you have a healthy blend of new visitors and returning visitors?
- Are you creating a culture where people can engage with you through your comments and ask questions?
- Are you networking with influencers online in your industry or field and are they regularly engaging with you and your content?
- Is your content being shared on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+?
- Can you clearly see in your analytics where some articles are spiking high in view over other articles?
Don’t fall for the line that content is king. It’s not all king as we know, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be if you’re willing to work on your business and learn the things that make great content from your readers point of view.
The best businesses in the world of all sizes know what business they are “really” in and are very, very clear about whom they are and how they serve their audience.
Are you clear?
I would love to hear your thoughts and engage with you. Please interact with me in the comments below and let’s have a conversation about it.
Hi Sylviane,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share on your blog. I’m looking forward to engaging with your readers.
Thank you again for the incredible blessing!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..The Shift – The Fast Paced Transition from Mass Marketing to Context Marketing
Hi Don,
My please. Thank you for the valuable information you delivered here and for the great example you included that should help my readers to get the point, and see if they are themselves making that same mistake, and fix it.
I’m sure you’ll receive an email each time someone comments, so it should be easy to follow up.
Have a great day.
Hi Don, and welcome to Sylviane’s blog 🙂
Good to see you here, with yet another wonderful post 🙂
I loved the example you gave, which made it easy for us to understand to focus on things that matter, and I am so glad that person understood what you said and took the right path.
You are absolutely right – content is king, but if it’s not ‘moving’ your readers to take the apt action, perhaps you are doing it all wrong.
From all your six points in the end, except for the first one, I think I’m on the right track as I am doing all the other five! So, things are happening. You know, I don’t have any business or anything to sell presently, but I understand the importance of how all of this works, thanks to reading your posts..lol…so they are all gathering in my little mind for the time I really venture into this field.
Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a nice week ahead, both of you 🙂
Harleena Singh invites you to read..A Tribute – Top 10 Inspiring Women Bloggers Of Aha!NOW
Hey harleena,
Nice you caught up with Don’s post here.
So, you do you not promote your freelance writing business at all, or do you not do that anymore? I was just intrigued when you said you don’t have any business or anything to sell.
Glad you enjoyed Don’t post and thank you for coming.
Hi Harleena,
It’s really awesome to be chatting with you here on Sylviane’s site!
I wouldn’t get too worried yet about #1. If you’re doing the other five things then you are putting yourself in a great position.
I’m on your site frequently and I’m glad you mentioned that you don’t have anything to sell at this point; but that may not be your business model? Are other things you are doing to monetize your site? Advertising, Google Adwords… anything? Are you planning on being able to offer someone something in the near future?
I ask because it’s an incredible resource and I do hope and want you to make money from it; and soon! The content you offer is spectacular. You deserve it!!!
Thank you as always for your encouragement and support. You’re the best Harleena!!!!
Have a great week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hello Don,
First off, an excellent topic! This summarizes (possibly the conclusion) how much of the percentage of bloggers (individuals, companies, etc.) are doing their content done.
Just by writing the way they adore their products, services, and skills; they don’t put much attention on the end-target who are actually their visitors, readers or prospects as to how they think of their services, etc.
And yes, it is the time to stand out, make a shift from the traditional style of blogging if one is a blogger. Content should be problem solving so that it is loved by the readers who actually needed that solution. And voila! That’s the point one gets a loyal reader, isn’t it?
Once again! Thank you for writing and emphasizing your views on this topic, I am hoping it will let many readers to think of their writing style (it really did to me and I will definitely check and change my style of writing.)
~ Adeel Sami
Adeel Sami invites you to read..3 Fixes to Not Devastate Your Online Business
Hi Adeel,
While I’ll let Don reply here, since this is HIS post, just wanted to say that it’s time for bloggers to twist that content in such a way that it would be attractive to their potential customers more and maybe to themselves less.
As Don said your business is for them, not you.
Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Adeel,
Thanks for your kind words and for commenting!
The key as you re-iterated is to remember it’s not about us, that’s the hardest part. It’s about us, for us, when it’s about making money. Nothing wrong with that at all.
However, the purpose a customer has is not to just give us money because they love us. Their purpose is very different and it’s up to us to learn what that is and offer content to that.
Thanks again for commenting Adeel!
I hope you have a great week.
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hey Don,
Great to see you here on Sylviane’s blog! When it comes to the term “Content is King” many people get confused about the purpose and strategy one must have in their content. It is only King if it is well written for the benefit of a reader.
But first we have to know our end game as I like to call it. There has to be a purpose for every single post we write on our blogs. This is where the strategy comes in. Focusing on our end game will give us all the many steps we need to take to get there. Our blogs have to reflect that because in the end, we are there to make money.
When I look at what you have done, it is a great example of this post. Within less of one year, your blog skyrocketed. You gave great content for people to walk away with and use. Now your Book…whereby people who want to follow you can get more information that is well needed. (BTW I love it)
It is so true when you mention that content is only King if your readers think it is! That’s the secret. And when I looked at those six points, I can check them all off. So I must be doing something good lol.
Thanks Don for being here and sharing more value to us.
-Donna
Donna Merrill invites you to read..Are You Reaching Your Goals?
Hi Donna,
Well, let me take over until Don shows up 🙂
I remember back in the days where you paid for some training programs that were supposed to teach you how to blog, but never did they tell you what Don discussed here about content.
On the contrary, you had the impression that as long as you’d fill up that blank page with as many keywords as you could, you’d be fine.
Of course since then, we’ve seen a couple slaps from Google and so on, and content has gotten better, but there’re still too many business owners that don’t know what epic content really means. I hope this article can help them.
Thanks for coming by, Donna.
Hi Donna,
I appreciate your comment, BRAVO!
But, I think it’s worse than your scenario… I don’t think people have ever thought about the importance of having a strategy, goals and objectives. It’s a lot of work.
I have a good friend who will go unnamed that is one of the most successful business person’s I’ve ever met. He’s worth in excess of $150 million. But, he won’t take the time to learn how to do this the right way for his website and blog. It’s an inconvenience to him.
I suppose he’s going to have to fail and the come back around to me, lol… And he will I guarantee it.
I’m not surprised one bit that you have all six points checked off. You and David are great business minded people who fully understand marketing principles. You deserve every bit of success you achieve. You guys ROCK!
I also think Sylviane is on to something in her reply. People are focusing on a mass marketing model that is killing their marketing. The web doesn’t work that way anymore. If you’re trying to reach everyone you are going to reach no one! Especially not people with a means and reason to spend their money who have it.
Thank you so much for the very kind words Donna!
I hope you have an incredible week ahead.
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Last week one of my goals was to focus more on Google+ for getting my blog out there. I have hooked up with a few very helpful people this way. Now I’m going to further my networking by joining Linkedin. Any tips for doing this?
Angie Young invites you to read..Monday Mystery Series
Hi Angie,
Well, first thanks for coming here and welcome.
I’m sure Don will be back here tomorrow, but the meantime, here is a the link of a post of mine that will help you with understanding linkedin better https://www.sylvianenuccio.com/promote-business-like-pro-linkedin/
Also remember that Linkedin is a whole different animal compared to all the other social media. It’s way more business, and serious.
I’m sure that Don will have more info for you as well.
Thanks for coming.
Hi Angie,
LinkedIn is a completely different animal and is my favorite platform as a business-to-business company.
As Sylviane said, it’s much more professional but there is a place to introduce your personality an what makes you unique.
The key to any social media is to get to the foundation of your business as I shared in the article. I would encourage no matter the platform not to get caught in the trap of talking about yourself… find ways that you can encourage conversation and don’t be afraid to tag people when appropriate or if you want them to read an article.
I hope you have great week!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Don,
Thanks for sharing this very comprehensive article. Yes, I agree with you. Content may not be king and that it may be one of our best enemies. The value of the content depends upon how well you write it and how well you know what you are writing. If you, yourself, don’t know what you are talking or writing about then how can you expect your readers to understand what you are trying to say?. Also, you do not just write your content and leave it there. Of course, you should also communicate with your readers, as much as possible, answer their questions if there’s any so they will feel at home and valued for.
Hi Dennis,
So true, there is no way your content is going to speak to your audience if what you’re saying doesn’t really make sense to you first.
And I agree, once you’ve put that content out there, then it time to interact with those who leave comments and have questions.
Thanks for coming and I’m sure that Don will get here later.
Hi Dennis,
It seems more and more people are out of touch with their businesses. I have even seen marketing strategies proposing people get cute to the point of offensive just to drive traffic.
Not only is that not necessary, it’s foolish.
Thank you for your contribution to my article and the conversation Dennis.
I hope you have a great week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Sylviane and Don. Don awesome post mate, it truly was, and it really got me thinking about the whole content is king concept, I agree with most of what you say.
I think If someone has been blogging for a while and still doesn’t quite understand the concept of what they’re doing, who for and why, then they’re in some serious trouble for sure.
I can relate to this, because there was a time when I used to stumble over my words when someone asked me what I did. These day though I’d like to think that I have my 10 second elevator pitch down to a T.
Like you say Don clarity is a key ingredient, and we need to have clarity in ourselves and what we’re doing as bloggers or online business owners to be able to provide clarity and value for our audience and customers.
Every time I sit down to brainstorm some post ideas for my next post, I make sure that I run by my list of three criteria’s to meet.
A. What kind of audience is this post aimed at?
B. What kind of problems is the post going to help my audience solve?
C. How do I best communicate with my audience on a personal level, but yet in a professional manner, so to show them that I care about them and their actions?
I have this written on top of my day book and it’s sat on my desk, when I decide to write something useful, compelling and engaging, I go by this checklist.
Thanks again for an awesome post Don and Sylviane, great to see everywhere these days Don 🙂
Fabrizio Van Marciano invites you to read..19 Must-Use Tools For Running Your WordPress Blog Like A Pro
Hi Fabrizio,
It seems that you have everything down pretty well.
Well, the first time Don asked me what business I was in through a Skype conversation we were having, I really didn’t have my 10 second elevator pitch really well for sure.
To tell you the truth I’m still working on it 🙂 for my coaching business, but I have down the one for my freelance writing business. Much harder with two businesses, but I’m working ito be able to combine them in a way.
The questions you ask yourself before writing are dead on. Bravo!
I’m sure Don will be back here soon.
Thanks for coming.
Hi Fabrizio,
I appreciate your kind words and encouragement!
Clarity is our friend and the more of it we have the better we can communicate what our prospects need in order to make a decision to buy us.
I like your 3 questions and where you are headed with it.
I appreciate your comment and hope you have a great week!!!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Ciao, Sylviane, and Don!
Awesome to see you here as a guest on Sylviane’s blog. 🙂 Great topic for discussion and an excellent post!
I agree – we definitely need to show empathy and understand what they’re going through. We need to know what their struggles are, and be able to speak in their language – showing them we care.
Understanding our customer/reader/subscriber at a very deep level will prove to be the most valuable thing ever.
When we take the time to study them, what their problems are, what conversations they are having, and learn to empathize… we’re going to be so relatable that strong connections happen almost effortlessly. 🙂
Loved what you shared, Don – keep up the great work! Thank you, Sylviane, for having Don to discuss this. Nice image of him and The Shift, too! 🙂
Have a good evening.
˜Carol
Carol Amato invites you to read..How to Use Piktochart to Create Your Own Infographics (and Save Money)
Hi Carol,
What a blessing it is that Sylviane has offered me. I so appreciate your kind words Carol!!!!
I learned that when we can demonstrate that we understand and care for our prospects and customers it builds immediate competency. People want to feel they are understood and that there is a way to get what they need or want.
Thank you again Carol. I hope you have a great week!!!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Carol,
Nice to see you here, and thanks for reading Don’s post.
Yes, you’ve said it. If we learn how to understand our target market and give them what they need miracles can happen.
Don gave me that image of him and his book and I created the rest which I now do for every guest. Same type format image and a special quote both signed Sylviane Nuccio 🙂
Thank you for dropping by. Very much appreciated.
Hey Don,
So good to see you here man with such a mind blowing piece. Sylviane you’ve got a top guy on your blog today and I have to drop what I’m doing to listen to him.
Don, this makes me think of an article I wrote in the past on my blog titled “If content is King, where is the kingdom?”
Content cannot be king when no subjects bow to it and for content to really own a kingdom, it has to have its ruled.
I read your posts word after word Don and your message has been very clear to me from long time ago. I love the quote by Sylviane. She got it right to the point.
If your content meets the need of your readers, then those readers will bow to your content and become the ruled 😉
I hope you both are having a wonderful week
Entine Muki invites you to read..Trendemon Review ~ Optimize Content and Increase Website Traffic!
Hi Enstine,
So glad you enjoyed Don’s post, and yes, I tend to get top notch people on this blog as guests these days, don’t it? LOL!
Wow, it seems that you are THE FIRST one EVER who has NOTICED my quotes!
I feel that I’m a good judge of characters, so my quotes are pretty dead on 🙂
Thanks for dropping by, Enstine, and Don will be back here this afternoon.
Hi Enstine,
Thank you for your generous and kind words! You were one of the very first bloggers I connected with last June and I am so grateful to you for a good many things!
It’s wild to think of where we both have come from and where we are at.
I remember that article very well. It was witty and spot on!!!
I am having a wonderful week and I hope that you are as well Enstine.
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Don,
Nice to see you here on Sylviane’s blog!!
Your post is not less than amazing as always and you always make your point very clear and I loved the example you shared and how you helped that guy turn his business around by helping him have more clarity.
It’s true when we are clear about what we do we will be able to be more convincing with our message and know exactly what are the needs of our target audience.
I was in a network marketing company as a network marketer and the most I struggled with and I see most network marketers struggle with is rejection. That’s why I decided to teach how to build a leadership brand to have the skills and posture to address those rejections and not to take it personally. But now I am no more in the network marketing business and I don’t feel the passion for it anymore and just 6-month ago I started another business which I will have to rethink about the blogging journey as a whole and what changes to make. Still I need more clarity about where to go with my blog. So, I am working on that right now.
Coming to your six questions, I can still check some of them but not all as some things I am still not clear about .
Thanks Don for sharing such an amazing and powerful post. You always get me thinking with your posts which is a good thing. Also thanks Sylviane for having Don share such a wonderful post and I loved the quote you made for him. You really nailed it as it really defines Don perfectly.
Thanks to both of you and hope you both have a wonderful and productive week ahead.
Be Blessed,
Neamat
Neamat Tawadrous invites you to read..How Changing Our Thoughts Can Change Our Life??
Hey Neamat,
Thanks for your wonderful feedback as always. I know that lately you have been questioning what you have been doing, and it’s actually a good thing. I think it’s part of growth.
What Don shares on his blog each week and here at mine this week is excellent to help us think what business we are really in.
To tell you the truth a blogger that I know well just told me he was confused about my blog asking if I was a writer or a coach? Well, I’m both I told him. That I’m clear about. And by the way, Don I’d like your feedback on that. Do I have problem here?
What’s interesting is that we’re talking about another blogger, not even a potential client here, so what gives?
Thanks for coming Neamat and have a wonderful rest of the day. Don will be back this afternoon 🙂
Hi Sylviane,
It’s clear what you do if people are paying attention to your logo and tagline. What may not be clear is the specific problems you solve and how you define yourself over and over again for people who are new to you. People don’t generally care what you do.
He might have been confused over a lack of consistency.
In many of your comments you referenced me as someone who talks consistently about “what business you’re “really” in.”
I’m branded by that and it get’s people thinking. Plus, I’m clear over and over again about what that means in virtually every thing I do in one way or another. I’m very consistent with it.
You are not at that level of clarity yet where you can say it concisely and it sinks in over-and-over again.
It’s easy to say what you do, it’s harder to say how you make a difference for your readers and prospects until you get so precise and so clear that you can say it over and over again, even in different ways, and people get why they need you and ought to buy you.
Do you have a big problem?
Not among those who know you well. But among those just getting to know you there may be an issue.
Your blog gives incredible advice, but it isn’t consistent in branding you in a way that people can tell others what you do because they have been personally touched by it in some way. I’m not sure they understand fully how you can help them or make a difference for them? We have to remember that we have to give them a compelling reason to understand us, accept us, contact us and buy from us.
We did talk about this a bit in our recent Skype conversation. I believe this is THE most important thing a business owner can do is gain that type of clarity. It’s more important than web design and look and feel. If the prospect isn’t as clear as the business owner/blogger then it doesn’t matter what the website, logo, tagline looks like.
I hope that makes sense in a quick reply?
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Don,
Yes, it makes total sense, and I’m actually working on that right now.
I am creating my perfect/ideal client avatar, and trying to define more what I do to express it in a way that people will have no more doubt.
While what he said kind of upset me, It also helped me see that I’m not clear enough on how I am helping people.
I’ve actually given myself a deadline where I need to be totally clear, and that dead line is coming up very soon.
Thanks for your feedback. Very helpful.
Hi Neamat,
I’m so grateful for your openness! You are not alone. Many people are struggling with the same thing.
This much I assure, it will be challenging to figure it out by yourself.
If you want some ideas on how to do it, I hope you’ll get a copy of my eBook. It’s full of how to do it and has case study of a real client who learned how to figure it out.
If I can be of any service, please don’t hesitate to call upon me.
I hope you have a great week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Don and Sylviane
So great to see you here at Sylviane’s blog. Not saying as a formality as I also have been featured here as guest author and it’s was a wonderful experience to me.
So content is not king. I do agree with you that it could be king if it makes us achieve our goals. Else it may be just another content to keep displaying on a blog like deserted town.
Everyone is advising people how to write epic contents but hardly a few define what an epic content really is as you well described it with practical examples.
The example of sports expo you mentioned is a clarion call for those who simply want to dive into their market without having formal swimming tools to go to the deep bottom of the market and that is why most people fail in a market then go to another market for success.
Thanks a lot Sylviane for featuring him on your wonderful blog as his vast experience is a great help for those who want to stay focused in their marketing efforts.
Mi Muba invites you to read..You And Be A Money Blogger
Hi Mi,
I always appreciate your kind and generous words!
As you said, the painful truth is that if we aren’t communicating with relevance, inspiration and specifically to our audiences needs then the content flat out doesn’t matter!
There are millions upon millions of blogs, yet how many are relevant?
How many bloggers stopped blogging before they really started?
How many really knew their business and their customer base so well that people could say things like: “Were you in my head?”
I appreciate your comment Mi!
I hope you have a great week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Mi,
Well, I’m so honored and excited to have those wonderful bloggers, who are most importantly wonderful people, that I’ve learned to appreciate so much over the past few months.
Yes, you were the first, Mi, let’s not forget that of a long list to come 🙂 I’m having my regular calendar guests on this category of my blog, but I’ll have special guests on the other categories as well all throughout the year. And by the way, you don’t want to miss the one that coming up next Wednesday, March 18, as I am so honored to have a very special true story exclusivity. She’s never written anything like that ANYWHERE else and did it because I asked her.
But I totally went off topic here, but that’s OK, because it’s not my post, it’s Don’s post LOL and he covered you already 🙂
Thanks so much for coming. Always appreciate you.
Hey Don,
I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. Every time I see someone mentioning “Content Is King”, I have to look sideways! I thought this was true last year when i started improving my content, but, and yes there’s that but, it has to be valuable to your readers.
This is the step that many of us overlook. As a matter of fact, a lot of us don’t know how we can tell if it’s of value. Well for one the easiest is to look at how many comments and shares you get. If you want more detail, you can look at the metrics of each post on tools like Google Analytics to see how popular your posts are.
I just read a guest post by Amy DunnMoscoso on Jon Morrows “Boost Blog Traffic” blog thats entitled “Why You Feel Like An Idiot When You Talk About Your Blog” which runs on the lines of being clear about your blog and the goals of it. In it she breaks down what questions to ask yourself in order to come up with great answers to have better clarity about your blog. I know I felt this many of times when someone would ask me, but now i have a much clearer idea of what to say since I’m more clear about the purpose of my blog.
Thanks Don for sharing and thanks Sylviane for inviting him!
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Hi Sherman,
It’s a tricky thing when we don’t know what business we are “really” in and don’t the real life problems we solve.
Content becomes stale, passionless, about us… No one wants to read that all of the time unless there is an inspiring reason.
One metric I like is one you can’t measure on a sheet but in words. When people leave comments asking for help, clarification, or say things like “that’s exactly what I’m going through”…
That’s what I look for above and beyond all the traditional metrics.
Sounds like a great post on Jon’s site?
Thanks for commenting Sherman. I hope you have a great evening!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Sherman,
Yes, it all comes down to know what the heck we’re doing. So important. All those years of blogging and it’s only rather recently that I started to understand that I may understand what I’m doing, but it’s my potential client that needs to understand what business am in as Don always says. It’s all about that.
Thanks for dropping by Sherman.
Hi Don,
Came in on this one via Kingged! Great content as usual.
Speaking about content being a worst enemy when it comes to marketing! Just thought of it… That could be true!
I so agree with you on this one… Fab content Don..
Thanks to Sylvianne for bringing you in.. Really informative.
~Babs
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Hi Babshaybell,
I appreciate your comment and the compliment!
Yep, if you’re content is bad then it will hurt you. Why would someone want to read it, engage with you or buy from you?
Thanks again. I hope you have a great finish to your week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..Use Your Business Blog to Improve Your SEO
Hey Don,
Great to see you here at Sylviane’s blog and I’m sorry I’m so late in getting by. It’s been a really busy start to my week but had to come check out what you had to share.
I think the phrase “Content is King” came about because as bloggers we are nowhere without our content. Well duh! Not sure who started this but common sense would say that it’s only king, as you so clearly stated here, if it serves the purpose for the reader.
I don’t really like the word epic just like I don’t like the word expert. If you look up epic in the dictionary you’ll find this definition very low on the totem pole, “particularly impressive or remarkable”. I don’t think that definition fits this word either if you must know the truth.
If we all just write for our prospects and solve whatever issue they’re having then our goals should be met. I see so many bloggers that say their blog does one thing but their content is all over the place. Then they wonder like your client you mentioned here, why they aren’t getting any subscribers or customers. Hey, I’m just as guilty so I’m by no means saying I’m perfect at this either but I know what I’ve been doing wrong where most just don’t have a clue.
I’m glad you pointed it out to them and I think as you continue to share your message on this topic the more they’ll start to understand why they aren’t doing well and what needs to change.
Thanks for sharing this with us and again, great job here at Sylviane’s blog. She’s had some amazing guests here and I look forward to even more down the road.
You both have a great week now.
~Adrienne
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Hi Adrienne,
It’s always fun interacting with you! You just have a great demeanor and way about you that is so refreshing.
In my new Facebook group you actually see this in play. I ask my new guests to tell me what problems they solve and generally they don’t have the clarity to answer it. They tell will share what they do and in some cases they are close and skirt around it.
I’m trying to expose to them upfront exactly why their marketing is falling flat. It will be interesting to see how it develops over the next few weeks.
Great comment Adrienne! As always you are brilliant.
Have a great week.
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..When Should I Let Someone Else Handle an Area of My Business
Hi Adrienne,
I think I’ve been the queen of blogging without a true purpose for the longest time, but it’s getting much better. I’m still a work in progress 🙂 but it’s definitely getting better.
About my guests, yes I’m excited myself too. I didn’t invite people only because I feel they can write, but people that I really like, and would want to meet in person. People that I feel are real people and nice too. As Richard Martin was talking about in his last post I am not a brown nosed blogger. I don’t care if someone is big but not a person I feel attracted to. So, those are my guests, people that “talk” to me in one way or another. I know you’ll like that ones coming too.
Thanks for coming Adrienne. No apologies for being late 🙂
Hello Don,
It is wonderful to here from you on Sylviane’s blog. A much “need to be discussed” topic. I agree with you completely.
A customer buys a product because he wants the product to do something for him. So, understanding what the customer really wants and then preparing your content to convey that your product can do exactly the same for him, is definitely the winning formula here.
Thus we can say a content that understand and answer the needs of your costumer is the king. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece Don. And thank Sylviane for bringing up Don here. Have a nice day both of you!
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Hi Nisha,
Yes, no one is going to buy from us, whatever that is, if it’s not serving them.
If you look at commercials on TV, you can see that they’ve understood that, even when they’re selling the worst drug they make you feel that’s the best thing for you since butter.
That’s what we need to do with our content. Except that what we have is NOT like those harmful drugs of course 🙂
So, that’s my two cents until Don’s feedback.
Thanks so much for visiting.
Hi Nisha,
It’s great to connect with you here as well.
Absolutely right… if the customer cannot get what he or she wants; or worse yet doesn’t understand then it will be difficult for the reader to move to a prospect and hopefully to a paying customer or client.
Thanks much Nisha!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..Use Your Business Blog to Improve Your SEO
Thank you so much for having me as a contributor Syvliane! I appreciate your confidence in me and my content and I hope I can help you in some small way have a big difference in your business
Hi Christina,
A contributor? In what way? Not sure I’m understanding fully here.
But in the meanwhile, thanks for coming, and commenting here.
Hi Sylviane. Great to see you have got Don on your blog this week!
The 4 points that you mention (about giving your visitor what THEY need) is absolutely spot on. Nail on head.
Because without these 4 points, then you will often leave a visitor confused as to what your business or website is really about.
I sometimes get this feeling with my blog. I have one post that ranks at number 1 in Google that gets a lot of visits. Yet, those visitors get the information and then leave, without interacting with any other part of my blog. The post itself is helpful, and they get what they want from THAT particular post.
Yet for other parts of my business such as my eBooks and video courses, I feel I understand completely what the visitor wants. i understand their needs, I can show I know what I’m talking about, I can help them with an issue they can’t solve themselves and I can give them what they want or need. And those 2 businesses have been really successful.
What I do need to do is transfer these 4 elements over to my blog, and make it more focused and give my visitors what they really want.
Interesting article, thanks Don/Sylviane.
Richard Martin invites you to read..The Brown Nosed Blogger Epidemic
Hi Richard,
I’m glad you found Don’s post here, because I know it’s very helpful for all of us.
Like you I know what I can do for people, and how I can help them, but I need to integrate those 4 points MORE into my content and I’m working on my marketing avatar/tagline as we speak. I know I need to be way more clear still.
Thanks for coming, and I don’t think I’ve received your reply form my comment at your blog, by the way. I so loved that one! Will check today.
Thanks for coming by.
Hi Richard,
What a great comment!
You really broke down a couple of ideas for me here.
First, traffic from Google is always different than from other media’s. In my experience, those coming from Google are on my blog or site to get information. If your blog provides the information and helps them then they move on unless they are convinced that you are extremely competent and they need to buy you.
The challenge in today’s environment is the web doesn’t have the best reputation in terms of “safety” for our prospects. So we have to work that much harder at demonstrating we are competent through our content and really earn their trust in that first visit.
I used to have a stat that said if a person comes from Google to your site/blog and they stay on one page you only have a 5% or less chance they will ever contact you. If they go two pages it increase to 10%. If three it shoots up to 30% and if four pages or more it levels off around 40%.
If you’re bounce rate from Google is high, it would make perfect sense to me that you would get that result. It may not be anything you’re doing other than the audience you’re attracting may not be the right audience to actually buy?
Hope that makes sense?
Your second example proves the point in many ways.
I can tell you that when I do guest blogs, podcast and radio interviews my sales go way up because of the third part endorsement that comes with it.
Also, my FB community is already yielding huge potential because I’m actually getting to know people.
People first buy on competency which is what content establishes; then trust which comes through time in most instances.
Great comment Richard. I know it’s a generalization, but it’s pretty close to more situations.
I hope you have an awesome end to your week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..Use Your Business Blog to Improve Your SEO
great and well explained post Don. I like your way of explaining in this post with great points. writing good quality content is very important. if we’re not providing good quality content to our readers then it may very much possible that we’re loosing their trust at our website.
according to me the best content showing case studies to our visitors. but I guess it’s not possible to create a case study every time. I generally use to create a well researched content. I study about the topic on various blogs and then only start writing on that particular topic. I know it’s take so much time but it gives a best experience to my visitors.
Regards
John
Hi John and welcome here.
Thank you for coming and I’m glad you enjoyed Don’s post. I’m sure he will be back to reply to your comment, but in the meantime I wanted to say hello and thanks.
Thanks Sylviane for approving my comment. It’s my first time I’m at your blog. I found your blog really nice and informative. hope to make a good blogger relationship with you.
Well, Hello to you too
Regards
John
Hi John,
Yes, I noticed that’s your first time here. Incredibly, I do remember every single person that has come to my blog at least once, so I do spot the first comers.
I would love to build a good blogger relationship too. That’s how I meet wonderful people.
Thanks for your reply. Don will be back later.
Hi John,
Great point about a case study. No, you don’t have to use one every time and I certainly don’t. However, you can always add a story into it that brings it to life and makes the article feel more personal and relevant; especially if it’s technical.
I really like your approach! I”ll check out your blog soon.
Have a great end to your week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..Use Your Business Blog to Improve Your SEO
Hey Don,
Great post here on Sylviane’s blog.
Content is king. Those three words have haunted me since I started blogging. I’ve listened to so many people and had those same people tug me in different directions, that I, like you, came to the conclusion that content is not king at all.
Ohhh I love that line, “Content is only king when someone values content as king.” That’s very true.
Regarding clarity, that’s something that very important. If you’re not clear on what direction you want to take your business, you won’t be able to see your way through and be successful. I recently had to get clear about my blog and my business … still am, in fact. And within the last week, I’ve figured a lot of things out and became more clear with what my goals and intentions are and I’ve been seeing results.
It works, if you’re just focused.
Great article here today, Don. Thanks for having him on here, Sylviane. Hope you both have an awesome week.
– Andrew
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Hi Andrew,
It seems that you and I are the same. Like you I have started figuring out some things only pretty recently, and still working on things, but I have to say that I’ve progressed for sure and I know you have too.
Thank you for coming and I’ll see you at your place.
I’ll leave the comment about “content not being king” to Don.
Hi Andrew,
Clarity is the true king if we want to get down to it!! lol…
As I said today on my webinar with SEMrush, if you don’t have clarity then you will never focus on what is important to your readers.
If you lose readers or never get them because of bad content because your content is confusing, convoluted or is just all over the place because you don’t know your business or your customers; then you’re in trouble!
Great comment Andrew.
I hope you have a great finish to your week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..Use Your Business Blog to Improve Your SEO
Hi Don/Sylviane,
A very valuable piece I must start with! Yes, content is only king to the extent on which it provides value to the blogger.
There is always the missing link of ignoring or forgetting what purpose the content of a website should achieve. The thought of the reader can judge if a content is truly king, and this happens when it provides solution to his/her needs.
Yes, I agree with you, there is need to work on creating great contents that only readers can judge and ‘crown’ as KING!
This comment left in kingged.com as well.
Hi Sunday,
I appreciate your comment! I learned that if we create content that people like and it helps them, they will crown our content as king. But if we do it ourselves we may not be taken very seriously; especially if the quality of the content doesn’t match up with the rhetoric.
I hope you have a wonderful week!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..How Do I Separate the True Experts from the Pretenders?
Hi Don,
I loved the youth expo for sports leagues example you’ve written about in this Blog post.
I’ve encountered so many people who are passionate about what they are doing, have a superb business idea, and should be making a decent (living) income but are frustrated and struggling.
Their webpages are very – Busy – full off valid information, but regretfully the information just does not add value to the reader.
For example:
Childhood obesity
Frustrated parents who have kids with physical problems due to inactivity
The effects of inactive kids in education
Coaching clinics to improve a coaches coaching skills
These are all truisms, everyone knows about them, now wants to be told about them, people want to know how to solve this, and whether the solution is simple enough for the ordinary John Doe to pay for and apply.
Hence, in your friend’s case this content was definitely not king. It was working against him very likely.
Even if, half way down that web page there were solutions, arresting a site visitor’s attention long enough to reach half way down in impossible which such content.
Above the fold and in plain line of sight, one needs to lay out, perhaps in bulleted form
– Solutions – to common and often painful problems. No parent really wants their child to be obese and bring on diabetes at 21 years of age.
I’m glad, that your friend sorted these issue out to his benefit, (I’m sure he’s smiling somewhere) just a little sad that it took all of five weeks to get sorted. Still better late than never.
Your statement – Your content is only king if your readers think it is!
Struck a really rich cord in me.
In more cases than not, when webpage content is being created the – Site Visitor’s Pain Points SOLUTION – is not the focus.
Perhaps the most granular definition of the Site Visitor’s Pain Points are. Such content usually ups the webpage bounce rate to – Breath taking.
A slight change in mindset, and the very same individual can craft content that is valuable to a site visitor and Bingo the whole situation changes.
You’ve delivered such a simple formula to craft and deliver Epic content.
Just wear your visitors shoes, discover where it pinches the worst and then – Offer a great (affordable) solution = Epic content.
Love the – Magic – of that simplicity.
Hi Ivan,
Great comment, I really appreciate your feedback! It’s practical and very helpful.
The mindset issue is huge!!! If we are not careful, we can talk ourselves into believing we are great and that everyone loves us; but the proof doesn’t exist in our content, engagement or social validation.
I’m glad the article and my statement that content is only king if your readers say it is resonated with you and that you got value from my article.
I hope you have a great week!!!
~ Don Purdum
Don Purdum invites you to read..How Do I Separate the True Experts from the Pretenders?
Hi Don,
Great article. Your six points can definitely help us determine if content is king on our blogs. I’m the type of person that needs that roadmap so thank you for that. Like Harleena, I think I’ve got all but one out the six so that puts me in good standing.
Glad that you stopped by as a guest blogger for Sylviane and thank you for clearly identifying that roadmap. Sometimes people need (like me) a blow by blow of what to do. I’m glad I can check off a number of things in terms of success.
Have a great week,
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
It’s nice to see you here on Sylviane’s site! I’m very grateful that she gave me the opportunity to share with her audience.
I appreciate the kind words and I’m happy that the six points will be of help to you. You have a great reputation and I know that you are doing wonderful things through your blog.
Thanks again and I hope you have an awesome second half of your week!
~ Don
Don Purdum invites you to read..How Do I Separate the True Experts from the Pretenders?
Hi don,
Yeah, I will agree with you about content may not be king. Some bloggers said that they got rank for their blogs in google by backlinks. Backlinks are also important thing for getting success in the blogging world. If you want to get rank in google then make informative and quality contents as well as do backlinks. Thank you don for your valuable information.
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