Transforming Content into Conversion: The Secret Formula for Successful Course Clients

Are you tired of creating content that just isn’t hitting the mark with your audience? We're here to help you rework your strategy with our latest episode, where we uncover the secret formula for crafting content that will convert followers into course clients. We promise you'll walk away understanding the importance of answering five key questions about your offer, pulling your potential customers one step closer to purchasing it.

Did you know content creation is about more than just hitting send on social media or email blasts? It's time you discovered the power of long-lasting legacy content, like podcasts, blogs, and YouTube videos. We delve into the secrets of making content that remains relevant and valuable over time, acting like a dedicated salesperson for your brand. More importantly, we discuss how to ensure your content caters to your audience's needs, answering their pressing questions and offering a glimpse into what makes your process unique.

Have you ever thought about how your content can convert followers into course clients? We examine how to strategically use processes and frameworks to make your content a powerful conversion tool. We discuss why showcasing your unique process and building credibility with your audience is key to piquing their interest. Plus, we explore how to answer potential clients' questions through your content, sparking interest in your offer and leading to more organic sales. So gear up and transform your content strategy today.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Want to start creating content that converts your followers into course clients, then you don't want to miss this episode. I'm talking about the five questions that your content should answer about your offer before they even get into your sales pipeline. Let's stay tuned. What change becomes possible when 100,000 people are impacted by your work? This question came to me one day and I have been working to find the answer ever since. 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, quantum Course Creator. Welcome back to the podcast, jess. Here and today I am talking all about content creation.

Speaker 1: 0:56

If you have been around for a moment, you probably know that I have some different views about content creation as a course creator, and this is one of the reasons and one of the biggest topics around that. As a course creator, we are kind of tricked into creating content like an influencer, creating content like somebody who's trying to gain followers around a specific topic and then sell them on various things that we are affiliated with, and while that is how 90% of people on the internet are creating content, as an educator, as a course creator, as an expert brand, your way of creating content should be different. And if you are creating content like an influencer or a content creator just trying to go viral and trying to get likes, you're likely not seeing conversions from that content, and that's exactly the problem is, your content is not designed for conflict. You're not going to see more conversions, so much as it is for engagement and reach, and while those things are great, they don't end up with money in the bank. And so, as a course creator, as an expert brand, it's important that you create content as a course creator in a specific way that actually leads to more conversions. And the good news is that this is something that you can do, just with shifting the way that you think about your content and the way that you start creating content, and I've totally been there.

Speaker 1: 2:21

I have been creating content on the internet since roughly 2011, starting with a blog moving to Instagram when it was still in its infancy, creating content all over the internet, from podcasts and YouTube videos to blog posts and social media. There's so many different ways and places to create content, and so really learning how to create content as a course creator that actually leads to course sales is really key if you want to start creating more sales from your content. You don't necessarily have to have people go through a sales pipeline in order to convert, and, by leveraging your content in a really strategic way, that's one of the most effective ways to do that. But in order to make that happen, you have to rethink the way that you are creating content and the purpose of your content, and so on today's episode, I'm going to talk about these five questions that your content should answer, about your offer to help your ideal client get even closer to purchasing that offer. This is something that you may be resistant around, especially if you have followed other people who are talking about content and other people who teach Instagram or content creation. We are often taught to show up as a personal brand, to talk about your life and not really sell in your content, and I think that that is wrong. I think that that's backwards, and if you are not intentionally selling with your content, then you are missing that opportunity to convert somebody with your content and, of course, your content should serve them, and that's what I'm going to talk about in this episode, but having very strategic, intentional content about and around your offer is really key to creating those conversions. So these are five questions. Not each post should answer all five of these questions, but these are the five questions that you should have in mind as you are creating content, making sure that it answers at least one of these questions per content piece.

Speaker 1: 4:35

Now I want to talk really quick about what I mean by content. I think that content has become a very loose word to mean small pieces of information put on the internet, but oftentimes we think of content solely as social media content, when really there's three different categories of content that we're often completely Neglecting. Two of them right, social media content is absolutely one of them. Having a short form platform when you are searchable and findable, these are important pieces of your content strategy. But if you're missing the other two kinds of content, you're going to miss your ideal clients in a really big way, and so on today's episode I'm going to be talking about all like answering these questions in all forms of content, not just short form social media content.

Speaker 1: 5:29

So the second kind of content outside of social content is email content, and if you're not consistently creating subscription based content, like email content, where people are subscribing To get your content directly into their inbox, then you're missing an opportunity to connect with your ideal client in a really important way. And the third kind of content Is what I call legacy content, or long-form Content that lives on the internet for a very long time. Only focusing on social content or email content will miss this opportunity to create content that lives on Past the moment you create it. Oftentimes people are not searching back through their emails to reread something that you sent them weeks ago, and the lifespan of a social media post is like, at best, 24 hours. It's really a couple hours before it disappears from their feed altogether, but the at best it lasts 24 hours, and so if you want content that lives on, you really need to think about this multi dimensional approach to creating content by layering in that legacy content that's gonna live on the internet, like podcasts, blogs and YouTube videos.

Speaker 1: 6:48

I'll create more content around that type of content in another episode, but when I speak about content in general that these questions should be answered in, I mean all forms of content, not just short form social content. So the first question that your content should answer is Is this for me? Oftentimes, when people are looking at your content or they come across your content initially, they are wondering, like is this for me? Is this content that is relevant to me? Is this content that answers a question that I have or is related to a topic I'm interested in or Solves a problem that I'm aware that I have? And so this is a really important piece or an important question to answer Is is this for me?

Speaker 1: 7:40

This is speaking to the type of person that this content is relevant for. This is making content that is relevant to a specific person, and this also is speaking to the stage of where they are in the problem that they have, and so somebody may be wondering, like is this for me if I don't have a large audience, or is this for me if I don't have an email list? Or is this for me if I'm not pregnant yet? Yes, I realize those are very different inches, but like that's one of the ways that you can interpret this question Is this for me if, or is this for me? Is this relevant to me? Is this speaking to a problem that I have? And so that's one question that you should make sure that you're You're answering with your content is giving them the answer to this is relevant to you If this, or like creating content that is so hyper relevant To a specific person that they you don't even have to say it explicitly, they see it and they're like oh my god, yes, this is for me right.

Speaker 1: 8:43

So that's the first question that you should be thinking about, and not first meaning like hierarchically and just the first one on this list is like how do you create content that answers the question? Is this for me? Is it relevant? Is this answering a question that I have? Is this solving a problem I'm aware that I have? Is this content related to where I currently am in my awareness of this problem that I have? And so that's really one of the questions that you should be thinking about with your content and when you create content, think about how can you answer that question, think about how can I create content that answers is this for me? And maybe even think about what are like 10 different ways that they're asking is this for me? And then respond to that with your content. So the second question is what is your process? How do you solve this problem.

Speaker 1: 9:38

I know that there's a lot of negative content or like bad rap out there around educational or how to content, and while I don't think that all of your content should be tutorialized educational content, I do think it's important that you show what your process is, and the reason why is that your process is going to be what they are following when they purchase your program, and so they need to know what is this process? Is your process going to answer the questions that I have Oftentimes, when people purchase a program and it ends up not being what they thought it was, it's because the person didn't accurately or adequately convey what the process was, and maybe had they known what the process was that they were going to go through, they would be able to make a more informed decision about purchasing that Corsair program. And so I don't mean like breakdown exactly how to do the process. You're not going to give them the course content in your content, but highlighting what is your process. Not only does this create authority, because it shows them that you do have a process, that you have a system that you've created that creates consistent results. It also answers the how question for them, because oftentimes our ideal clients when they're consuming content around a problem that they need solving. One of their biggest questions is I don't know how to do this. That's why they're looking to you to feel confident that you know how to do this. You don't have to teach them how to do it with your content, but you have to let them know that you know how to do it and that you do have a process that they can follow. That will make getting that desired result simple and systematized. And that's really the most important part about answering this question is what is the process?

Speaker 1: 11:33

The other really cool part of this is, if you have a well-designed course, you probably have more than one process. In fact, I recommend that every single core topic that you teach inside of your course has its own process, because people's brains work in processes and if we can remember a set of steps, if we can remember an acronym, if we can remember a framework and a process, then we can remember how to do things. And that's the purpose of a course right to convey information and teach people something new. And so, when you have multiple different processes, there's so much content that you can share about your processes and how you created your process, why. This is the process, how you've tested this process, what is the process you've taken out of this process? If you've done some testing right, it gives you a lot of leeway to talk about how you solve this problem without solving the problem for you in the content right. So what is the process? And this is a really like robust category and a robust question that your content should answer for your ideal client.

Speaker 1: 12:42

The third question is how is this different than the alternatives? I think that we really need to get into the mindset and the realization that we are not the only option for our ideal clients, and your ideal client is probably consuming someone else's content. That also solves the problem that you solve. But because you are you and you have a unique process, they probably solve it different than you do, and so it's important for you to know how is your process different? How does it compare to the alternatives?

Speaker 1: 13:20

One of the first things that I have my clients do with their marketing and with their course creation is do opposition research, look at the alternatives. And it's not so that you can get into comparison items where you're like, oh, they're so much better than me, and it's not so that you can steal their processes. It's so that you know how yours is different and you know why yours is better, and you can accurately and adequately convey that with your content. Because by burying your head in the sand and pretending like there are no alternatives, you're not giving your ideal client the information that they need to make an informed decision. And so when you know what the alternatives are and you can convey how yours is different and why it's different and why it's better, then you can help them have confidence that yours is the best option for them, or you can create content around that and that person might say, oh okay, that's actually not what I was looking for, or I don't really agree with their perspective on this, so I will go with the other person, and that's fine too.

Speaker 1: 14:28

You don't want people to be misled by what they're getting inside of your program. You want them to make an informed decision, and so by juxtaposing your offer with the alternatives, and how you do things differently than other people is going to give them the opportunity to make that truly informed decision, which is not only going to lead to better results for your clients, it's also going to lead to better word of mouth, people sharing your program, people becoming brand advocates rather than just clients, and it really is going to create better long term marketing for you by having this clear process in place. So and I don't mean that you have to call out the alternatives specifically, right, it's not like you're saying like my course is better than Joe Schmo's course because of this, right, that's not what I'm talking about, but understanding what are the other ways that they could solve this problem and the other people who are teaching on it and knowing their process and like being aware of how they solve it and identifying the gaps that their processes have that you fill and then you can talk about like, for example, I use the term big box course creators often or like marketing gurus and that's really my euphemism for other alternatives. The big box course creators talk about this. There's a gap in that that, I feel, because I'm not a big box course creator, right, and so it's really understanding the market, the alternatives and where your ideal client is in their research of solving their problem, and also realizing that your ideal client is looking at other people's content. They are searching for the right solution for them and that does include doing some research. They may not necessarily purchase the first program from the first creator that they come across, and that's a good thing, right?

Speaker 1: 16:19

You want to have people make informed decisions, so answering how is this different than the alternatives? Is an important question that your content should answer. The fourth one is one of my favorite ones and is what makes you credible? Why should I trust you? And this is really a great question, because there is so much on the internet out there about people being scammed, about people being misled in their marketing, and so people as consumers are more. They're more discerning in their purchasing decisions, and so one of the questions they want to know is what makes you credible, what makes you the expert on this? How have you done this for yourself or other people? And this is a really important question to answer for your ideal clients through your content. And so you can do this by sharing your story of how you experienced the problem and you solved it for yourself. You can do this by sharing client results stories. You can do this by showing that you have a process, talking about your process, the research you've done around your process.

Speaker 1: 17:27

There's really so many ways that you can create credibility content that really shows that you know what you're talking about and you have done this before, you are not new to this space and that you have a proven process, and if this is a question that makes you feel squirrelly about answering, there's a really good opportunity for you to dig in and boost your internal credibility. If you don't feel like you are credible in solving the problem for your ideal client, they're not going to feel like you're credible either, and this really comes down to imposter syndrome for most people, but there are some people who are trying to solve problems that they just are not fully credible at solving yet, and so this is a good question to kind of gut check yourself as well as like help boost your own internal credibility, confidence in answering this question and realizing that you know what. It is just imposter syndrome I do know what the heck I'm talking about or realizing like I don't know what makes me credible. That's a great question. Maybe I should take a step back and either refine the outcome that I'm trying to help people receive to one that I do feel credible in like talking about, or like continuing to work on getting credible by getting clients results and kind of going back to the drawing board there. But your ideal client wants to know why you, what makes you credible, what makes you the expert in this, and creating content that answers that question is really important when it comes to leading them toward a purchasing decision.

Speaker 1: 18:59

And the last question that your content should answer about your offer is why now? We all know that urgency, and like urgency in general, is an important factor in people making purchasing decisions. Whether we like it or not, people tend to move when there is urgency, and I tend to believe that intrinsic urgency, urgency inside of them, is more powerful than extrinsic urgency, like deadline timers and things. But there is some element of urgency that is important in somebody making a purchasing decision, and so your content should answer why now? Why do they need your course now? What makes this so pressing, that it's important that they solve it now? And so this kind of content can be around, like the consequences of not solving this problem, the like benefits of solving this problem now, how quickly they can start to see improvement of this problem If they take action now, all sorts of things right, helping them really align to their timeline of. Why should they do this now?

Speaker 1: 20:14

Of course, if you are properly positioning your content and you're not wasting your time nurturing your audience, but instead marketing to them and showing them that you can solve their problem. They will know that they need the problem solved now. Right, most people are actively seeking a solution that they need in the near future. They're not necessarily looking at content that they may need in the long future, right. They're not necessarily thinking like oh, I may need to solve this problem in six months from now. I should start following somebody, like now.

Speaker 1: 20:49

And I think that thinking that that's how people make purchasing decisions is the reason why they're not buying. Because they're buying from somebody else, because they don't know why they need to buy it now from you, or you're too afraid to market to them that you're wasting so much time nurturing them, or you're not giving them an opportunity to buy, like having an exclusive launch model. And so there has to be some kind of reason or some kind of urgency that is identified in your content as to why now? Why is this important? Why is taking action now going to alleviate their suffering or their pain or their struggle sooner, faster, easier, quicker, all of these kinds of things, and how does your program create that solution for them now?

Speaker 1: 21:36

So, to recap the five questions your content should answer about your offer is is this for me?

Speaker 1: 21:42

What is the process?

Speaker 1: 21:43

How is this different than alternatives? What makes you credible and why? Now and when your content answers those questions, it almost creates this situation where your sales mechanism, your webinar, your challenge, whatever you're doing, almost becomes irrelevant because your content answers those questions. So they already want your offer before you make the pitch, and that creates a very powerful position to be in by creating ideal clients that are already ready to purchase before you even make like the purchase pitch to them.

Speaker 1: 22:22

So I hope that this was helpful. I hope that, as a course creator, you're thinking about content in a different way and I can't wait to share even more about this in the coming weeks, because I really think that when we start creating content that is like really optimized for education brands, for expert brands, for course creators, that's when you'll start to see your content actually convert into clients rather than having to rely on a webinar or a launch or some kind of conversion mechanism, and you'll start making more sales organically, just through your content. So I hope that this was helpful. I can't wait to share more with you in the next episode and I will see you next week. Thanks for listening.