Building a Campfire with Content

Are you struggling to get your content to spark interest and convert leads? Let me share with you a new perspective on content creation that I learned from a Girl Scout campfire building lesson! Picture your content as a campfire built from three types of "wood" - Tinder content that catches attention swiftly, kindling content that keeps interest alive, and fuel content that maintains the fire and fosters enduring relationships with your clients. This fresh take ensures your content not only grabs attention but also successfully changes followers into paying customers.

Shifting gears, let's delve into the unexplored realm of legacy content - a powerful tool that can keep your audience engaged, build your authority, and optimize SEO. From podcasts and Facebook Lives to blogs and YouTube videos, learn how to create legacy content that will captivate your audience and increase conversions. Discover how YouTube, when utilized correctly, can bolster your SEO and help people find you. So, tune in as we embark on this journey to ignite your content strategy, turn up the heat on audience engagement and keep the fire burning!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Are you struggling to attract ideal clients and convert them with your content? You definitely don't want to miss today's episode. I'm going to talk about the three different types of content that you need to convert your followers into clients, and what it all has to do with Girl Scout Camp. So stay tuned. What change becomes possible when a hundred thousand people are impacted by your work? This question came to me one day and I have been working to find the answer ever since.

Speaker 1: 0:29

Hi, i'm Jess and I help online course creators, amplify their influence and create a movement with their message, and on this podcast, i am sharing the simple strategies and systems to help you impact more people with your programs so you can create quantum growth in your industry. You are listening to the Quantum Course Creator podcast. Hey there, and welcome back to the Quantum Course Creator podcast, jess. Here And today, i am talking about one of my favorite topics, which is all about content marketing. Content marketing is something that I'm sure you are aware of as a course creator, but it is a very easy well, maybe not easy, but effective way of attracting your ideal clients and converting them into paying clients, and there's so many different ways of thinking about and creating content out there, but I wanted to share another way of looking at it that might be helpful for you. I think about content more well more probably as much as you do, but more than the average human being, right And I'm always thinking about different strategies and different ways and different ways of thinking about the content that we're creating. It is no surprise that the way that we consume and the way that we create content is always changing. Instagram is always changing the algorithm, people are always changing what they're interested in. What you used to do may not be as effective anymore, and things are always moving and shifting and shaping, and so I wanted to talk about a way that I've been thinking about content that has kind of shifted the way that I'm creating content. That's really influenced how I'll be creating content in the future.

Speaker 1: 2:12

So this idea first came to me, oddly enough, at Girl Scout Camp. So if you don't know this about me, i'm a Girl Scout leader. My daughter is six. She's a Daisy She'll be bridging to brownies here soon And we wanted her to get involved with Girl Scouts because I was a Girl Scout as a kid, but nobody in my area had a troop for daisies, so I kind of got roped into it. So, on top of running a company, i also am a Girl Scout leader, and a few weeks ago we went to Girl Scout Camp And one of my friends, who is a volunteer in our troop, was teaching the girls how to build a fire, and this is something that I did not actually remember from Girl Scout Camp when I was a kid, so it was a really nice refresher to see how, specifically, you build a fire, and so she was explaining this process to the girls and how there's three different types of wood that you need to build a fire, and I promise that this story will be relevant as we go through this, and it was really fun to kind of see the process of putting this together.

Speaker 1: 3:18

So the first kind of wood that you need when you're building a fire is tinder. Yes, like the app which made all of the adults chuckle, But tinder has a very specific purpose. It burns fast and it catches fire very quickly. Oftentimes, for tinder, you can use like a piece of newspaper or leaves or things that will catch fire very quickly, and the purpose of this is that it gets the fire started. Right, the tinder gets the fire started And then to keep the fire going, right, because you don't just want to burn tinder it would burn very, very quickly You have to have something called kindling. Kindling is slightly larger pieces of wood or sticks, but not much bigger than tinder. They're still very like stick like And what kindling does is it keeps the fire burning long enough to ignite the fuel of the fire, and that is the third type of wood that you need. Which is fuel. Those are those logs, right? And if you've ever tried to build a fire and you just have logs and like you're just trying to ignite it with like a match, it's not going to work right, because it doesn't like the logs do not catch fire fast enough to build a big fire, right. So you need the tinder to catch fire, you need the kindling to keep the fire going And then you need the fuel to stay with that like a long-burning, healthy, hot fire. And without any of these, your fire is not going to catch or be as strong or be as hot or last as long.

Speaker 1: 4:55

And when she was explaining this process to me, it really made me think about content, because that's my brain. Here we are right, and I think that one of the biggest mistakes that people make with their content is that they're only creating kindling content or only creating log content, or maybe they're only focusing on the tinder content, but they're not using the strategy of all three together to really create this healthy, long-burning fire within your ideal clients. And so when this metaphor came to me, i decided that it was time to create a podcast and share it with you, because I think that this may help you look at how you're creating content and look at the types of content that you're creating in a way that will be really helpful for not only attracting your ideal clients, but also nurturing them with your content and converting them into paying clients. So let's dig in. So just like with a fire, like a literal fire the first kind of content that you need is tinder content, and I probably shouldn't call it that because you're going to think it's something when you swipe, right, but tinder content is something that burns fast and catches fire. So when I think about this, it's the thing that catches people in, right, and so this is a really important piece of the client attraction part of content, because if you're only creating content for the audience you already have, it's really hard to grow your audience right. It's really hard to get in front of new people, so you need that tinder content. You need that fresh people content. You need something that will catch fire in order to grow your audience. So your tinder content gets you in front of new people. So, when you're thinking about your content strategy, what content are you creating that is getting you in front of new people? And I hate to tell you, but hoping that a carousel post gets on the Explorer page or using hashtags which are so outdated is probably not cutting it anymore. But I do have some really unique ways that you can start to think about strategically how to get in front of those new people, because until you get fresh eyes, you'll not be able to attract your ideal client, right? Otherwise, you're just shouting into the same room you've always been shouting into and no new people are really going to hear you. So, to get in front of new people, there's a few different types of ways that you can do it right.

Speaker 1: 7:24

If you listened to an episode a few weeks ago with Lisa, we talked all about the power of podcasting and getting on other people's podcasts. And if you are a course creator, if you're an expert at something, this is a strategy that you absolutely should be leveraging. It was such a great episode to really help you dig into that. But be courageous enough to pitch yourself on podcasts, even if you don't already have a podcast. It's really a great strategy to not only add value to somebody else's audience, but to get your name out there. And, like she was talking about that, third party validation is absolutely crucial when getting in front of new people, so that's a great way to do it is to pitch yourself and be a guest on other people's podcasts. That kind of content is going to get you in front of new people.

Speaker 1: 8:18

Another really great way that you can do this, which is kind of just an expansion of that, is with partnerships right, Making friendships in your ideal client group And maybe not necessarily with your same industry though I mean, i'm assuming your ideal client is in the same industry but find people who serve the same audience in a different way and see how you can help each other, see how you can partner up and provide value to their audience and they provide value to your audience. This is such an underutilized way to get in front of the right people, and it's another great way to get in front of new people, and when you're doing these things when you are speaking in front of a podcast, or if you're doing a partnership or you're going live on Instagram with somebody I recommend having a set topic of content that really loops people into your ecosystem. This is the kind of content that should establish your authority, tell your story so people can build connection with you and then help people. See how you help people. There's a lot of ways that you could do this badly right, and I have been the guest on a podcast and talked about the most random things in the world and it hasn't really been as effective as it could have been if I had a really specific strategy going into that. So, if you want to get in front of the right people or in front of other people, having a really clear strategy of like this is who I help, this is my story and this is how I want to build that authority is going to be really helpful in the long run. So people who are listening are like, oh my gosh, i love her story, i resonate with what she's talking about, i want to learn more from her And so, keeping that in mind, with that kind of content, another few ways that you can get in front of new people, like speaking in somebody else's program. Doing like a summit, is a great way to do this. Later in this episode I'm going to talk about the log content and there's different ways that you can utilize other platforms, like Pinterest is a great way to get in front of other people, but things like that to kind of get your message out to other people. Another really great way to utilize Tinder content is using Facebook ads, and I have been using ads basically in my whole business. I think I started using ads like within the first six months of my business, but I love Facebook ads. I'm going to go out and say it, i have a love hate relationship with them. Like, sometimes they're a little infuriating, but I know for a fact my business would not be where it is today if I didn't utilize them, and there is a right way to use them to get in front of your ideal client. So that's another really great way to get in front of new people so that they can catch fire and kind of go into your campfire that we're building here. So that's Tinder content. It burns fast, it catches fire, it's the spark that brings people into your content ecosystem.

Speaker 1: 11:25

The second kind of content, then, would be the kindling. Right, it's the thing that keeps the fire burning, and this is really important because it keeps people sticking around. Oh, i forgot to say I'm so sorry, because this is absolutely Tinder content It's Reels. Reels right now have an insane amount of reach and they are great Tinder content. So if you have not been using Reels, like me, i am on the fail bus with the Reels. But Reels are another version of Tinder content that get you in front of a fresh audience, tell them who you are and what you're about and get them to come into your ecosystem. So sorry, i forgot to put that on my notes Reels. So then that takes us to the second kind of content, which is kindling And that keeps the fire burning.

Speaker 1: 12:13

This is a really important piece of it, but it's something that I think most people focus almost exclusively on kindling content and not the other kinds of content. And kindling content, i think, can pose of both email sequences for people who are getting on your list and social media content, and if you are exclusively creating content on Instagram, you're likely missing the Tinder content and the log content that are both very valuable in how they all work together. Like I was talking about with kindling, in the case of an actual fire, if you try to just take a match to like a stick, it isn't going to burn as effectively or as long. It may not even catch fire, right, you need the hot, fast fire of the Tinder to catch the kindling, and then the kindling needs to burn a little bit longer and hotter to get the log to ignite, right. And so when you're only creating kindling content, it's fast burning but it's short burning, right, and we all know this.

Speaker 1: 13:18

Social media content has the attention span of 24 hours And it is infuriating sometimes how much effort we put into creating content that doesn't last very long. But if you have a strategy that looks at it in this big picture of really catching fire, keeping it burning and then getting people moved into the fuel, the logs, that makes it more effective. It's a very effective part of a bigger strategy. But social media content or even emails don't keep people's attention long enough to be the entire strategy, right, and so it's important. It keeps people interested. It helps them decide if they're going to hang around, but if this is all you're creating, you're missing big pieces of this.

Speaker 1: 14:05

So, like I said, with kindling examples would be email sequences and social media content. So, after somebody for example, somebody sees your opt-in and they join your email list, having a really strategic email sequence immediately after that is what's going to let them know if they want to stay on your list or not, or if they want to keep paying attention. One of the things that I teach my clients is how to teach people how to keep opening your emails, and that's really important, not only for email deliverability, which is something that we're all concerned about, but also for really welcoming people into your ecosystem and helping them get to know you, right? If you get to a party and you meet somebody and it's like hey, hey, and then you never talk again, how likely is it that you're going to become best friends, right? And so this email sequence keeps the conversation going, it introduces them to you, it tells them your story, it helps them understand a little bit more about your like, how you help people, it likely points them to the fuel, the log content that I'm going to talk about in a second, and it really like it serves a purpose, but it should not be the only thing, right? Same thing with social media content, especially if you're utilizing something like reels or ads. When people come to your Instagram, they see your bio and then they see your posts. Maybe they'll read a couple of them and that's how they'll determine if they want to stick around. And so you really want to have like a strategic plan with your social media content to keep showing up for them and keep them interested to see if they want to stick around. And much like email deliverability the more people consume your content, the more the algorithm will show them your content. So you want to keep people engaged in your content to keep them sticking around.

Speaker 1: 15:58

But there is a third piece here. Right, social media content itself is not enough usually to keep people actively engaged and to convert people alone. Right, the point of Instagram and the point of your email isn't necessarily to convert people. It's there to kind of keep the fire burning, but it is not conversion content. And that's where you really get into the log content.

Speaker 1: 16:26

Log content is also what I call legacy content, and that is the slow burning logs of the fire. When you put a log on the fire, it's going to burn a nice long time, it's going to burn hot, it's going to burn long And it's going to really sustain that fire. And so, by creating content that is like legacy content that sticks around and really is highly valuable and burns really hot for a long time, that's when you That's the conversion content, that's the content that's going to move people from being a content consumer or a follower into being a client, and this is the kind of content that I see so many people not quite getting to. Right, it's the harder to not harder to create content, but it's a little bit more strategic and it's a little bit more time consuming, because it isn't that on the fly. Instagram 24, seven, vibe, right And legacy content, or this log content, is content that lives on the internet longer than 24 hours, and this is something that, again, i think a lot of people are missing.

Speaker 1: 17:35

But it's the things that build you SEO and help you get seen on Pinterest And like, the kind of things that stick around that people will find later down the road, that build that authority but also have the power to convert people to the next step, and so can what I mean by this legacy content or the log content or things like podcasts. Right, having a podcast is the kind of content that sticks around. It keeps people burning And you know the people who listen to your podcast are going to be your warmest leads because they are actively subscribed to consume your content. They tune in every week, they're invested in what you have to say. Next, when people are in the log phase, they're in like the lifer phase, right, they want to hear more and they're the most primed to buy, and so that's when you have a call to action to the next step, which is likely your conversion mechanism, like a webinar or a launch, and that's what we'll get them from being a listener or a follower into being a client.

Speaker 1: 18:39

So another great example of legacy content if you're not a podcaster would be like lives. Like if you have a Facebook group and you go live every week. As long as those stay in the group and you continue to leverage them in different parts, like you can put it in an email sequence Hey, i have this training inside of my Facebook group that teaches you X, y, z that that becomes a legacy piece of content. Downloading that live and putting it on your blog, downloading that live and putting it on YouTube. That then becomes a piece of content that's going to continue to burn slowly and continue to warm up the people who are in that level of your content. So going live is a great way to do it and saving and really optimizing those lives for the future.

Speaker 1: 19:26

Another really great way that I had kind of offhandedly mentioned is having a blog. I actually started in the online marketing space as a blogger. In case you didn't know that, back in like 2010, i started a blog that ultimately grew to be quite successful. It had 100,000 page views a month. I had its own Instagram following of more than 10K people before I shut it down, and I really knew the power of blogging back in its heyday.

Speaker 1: 19:57

Blogging, of course, has changed a little bit. We used to blog every single day, which is bananas, but blogs now are that more in-depth, deeper level content that are really educational and highly valuable, but it's something that people become energetically subscribed to. There are still blogs that I read now that I started reading a decade ago, because I'm so invested in the person and their story and what they're talking about that when they produce that legacy content, i am paying attention And blogs are not dead. I'm just going to go out and say that I read blogs a lot. Now that I am baking sourdough. I am reading all the sourdough blogs. I want to get all the information that I can, and blogs are amazing for SEO And SEO has gotten me more clients than I can tell you Literally the people who are like, yeah, i Googled you Massive, right, and so really thinking is this content serving me in a greater way than not just serving the people I have right now, but also showing up in a way that creates SEO and helps me create this bigger level of authority in the content sphere by having something like a blog?

Speaker 1: 21:11

And then the last kind or another example of it is YouTube. Youtube is an incredibly underutilized place of legacy content. Those videos live on YouTube and they are searchable, they are SEO friendly And there's something that will continue to burn and serve your audience. And again, you know it's legacy content because you can reference it in other places. And so you can have like in an email sequence hey, go watch this YouTube video that I have. Or you can go on Instagram stories and say, hey, i have a new YouTube video, or I have a new blog, or hey, i'm on the podcast this week. These are the kinds of content that you point people to that then have a call to action into a conversion mechanism like want to learn more? go check out my webinar. That leads people into that conversion funnel so that they become clients. And this kind of content burns everlasting right. It has kind of a life of its own and that it lives on the internet and it becomes searchable And people will continue to find it. especially if you're working top down right, if you're attracting people with that Tinder content, you're keeping them going with that Kindling content and then you're directing them to that log content, then they'll be directed into the conversion mechanism through that content process. That then converts them from a follower into a client.

Speaker 1: 22:36

So if you want to use this in a really strategic way to plan out your content, i would start with the logs. I would start by focusing on what kind of legacy content can I create And then, from the legacy content, create Kindling content, start with the logs and say, okay, what pieces of Kindling can I create that are going to point people back to this log? And so you can take a podcast episode and break it into five pieces of social media content that all point people back to the podcast episode And then from there taking the most effective pieces, the most buzz worthy, the most polarizing types, and turning it into reels or podcast conversations or co-lives or things that you teach with other people, or ads, so you can get it in front of your ideal client that way. So I hope this has your brain turning a little bit. This metaphor has been really helpful for me when I'm planning out my content and when I'm thinking about how this all works together, and I hope, too, it's been a little eye-opening for you to see like, oh crap, maybe I am just focusing on Kindling content and I have no logs that are going to keep burning and I have no Tinder that's going to bring in new people. That's like 90% of the people that are creating content right now. These are focusing exclusively on the Kindling and not on the other kinds of content, so maybe this was a little bit eye-opening for you in that way to help you see that there's other types of content and other ways that you can start moving people through your ecosystem in order to convert them into clients. So this has been such a fun episode for me. I love metaphors Obviously you guys know that about me But I also love kind of looking at things that we're doing just because you do them in a way that really becomes intentional and logical and different. So I hope that you really enjoyed this episode.

Speaker 1: 24:40

Thank you for being a member of my log squad by listening to the podcast. I love having you here And, yeah, i cannot wait to share more. If you loved today's episode, definitely take a screenshot. Tag me on Instagram. I would love to hear what your biggest takeaways were. If you haven't yet, please leave us a five star reading and review. I always love reading those and seeing what kind of feedback you guys have for me And definitely have a new workshop out that I wanted to share. It is the Launch Your Course in 8 Weeks Workshop. So if you go to jessocom orcom forward slash launch, you'll learn all about that, and you can watch the free workshop now and learn how to launch your online course in just eight weeks. So even if your course isn't created yet. So it's pretty great. So, yeah, thank you so much for listening to the Quantum Course Creator Podcast and I will see you in my next episode.