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The #1 Mistake You’re Making With Your Content Strategy

Hailey Dale, content marketing
content marketing

HEY THERE!

I’m Hailey – content strategist and founder here at Your Content Empire where we help you create more profitable, purposeful and productive content — and hopefully enjoy yourself more while doing it too. Learn more about me here >>

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Your Content Empire - Content Strategy Mistake - Content Coffee Break - Hailey Dale, content marketing

Feel lost in the social media maze and think you might be making this BIG content strategy mistake?

Dive into this episode where we talk about the #1 mistake you’re making with your content strategy (hint: it’s all about nailing that sweet spot between catching new eyes and keeping the old ones engaged!)

Here’s a preview of what we're talking about …

  • Attraction vs. Engagement Platforms: It's all about mixing platforms that pull in fresh faces (hey, newbies!) with those that keep the regulars coming back for more.
  • Oops, We Tilted the Scales: Highlighting the pitfalls when focusing solely on either attraction or engagement, including stagnation, list atrophy, and missed sales opportunities.
  • Simplification and Strategy: Think of cutting the clutter and zooming in on one newbie magnet and one old-friends club. It's all about big growth with cozy chats on the side.

Want to Learn to Put This Strategy Into Action?

Get instant access to my E.A.S.E. Content Strategy Workshop where you'll learn the 4 content platforms and strategies to focus on to scale your results and sales from content. Plus you'll get my exclusive EASE Content Planning Spreadsheet for FREE

content marketingFULL TRANSCRIPT:

Welcome back to the Content Coffee Break podcast. We are on our second official episode. Last week, we talked about busting the myth that you have to be everywhere when it comes to your content. There's a lot of pressure to feel like you're not doing enough. So, we dismantled that. Today, we're going to shift our focus to, “Well, if I don't have to be everywhere, where do I actually have to be?” Specifically, I want to talk about the number one mistake you're making with your content. This is the mistake I see most prevalent in the businesses that I come into as a coach and a strategist, and also with people through my courses and just in passing conversations and coffee chats. So, I'm excited to dive into that.

I am loving the September feelings. We are, you know, less than a week away from September. Like any basic B, I love my fall feelings and all my fall and autumn accoutrements that come with the season. The “second new year,” I don't know. It's so ingrained in me. I haven't been in school for a number of years, but there's still something about September that feels like the second coming of a new year. Maybe it's the fact that my husband is teaching. So, I'm always, by association, entrenched in the notion that September means back to school and the second new year. Hello, to all my academic planners out there! I love the fact that after being with my planner for nine months, I'm ready to move on to a different planner with options for September to August. My next one is coming in the mail this week, and then I'll be trying out a brand new planner.

Other things I've been working on include prepping this new workshop that I'm hosting on September 7th. I've talked about it a little bit. It is the EASE content system. In that workshop, we're going to map out a simplified but more powerful content strategy that you can use. This is something I've been using for years with my clients. It is the basis for the launch funnel plans we create as part of our funnel package in the agency. I'm really excited to pull back the curtains and share that strategy, including our proprietary (am I allowed to say that?) mapping template.

Last week, as I mentioned, we talked about the myth of thinking you have to be everywhere and the pressure we feel to be everywhere and do everything. Especially when we see our “peers” or competitors doing all these things and we think, “Oh my gosh, they're there. I should be there too.” But that's not true, and it's working against you. So, if you're not everywhere, where should you be? We dismantled that myth, but what does that mean now? That's one of my biggest frustrations. When we have these controversial opinions and then there's no alternative. Rant aside.

In this episode, we're talking about the number one mistake you're making with your content strategy. In doing so, we're answering the question of what your strategy should look like.

Next week, we're going to do a light version of the workshop I'm hosting. You can sign up for that at YourContentEmpire.com/EASE. But next week, I'll provide a brief overview to give you a taste of what we'll cover in the workshop. So, stay tuned for the next episode.

Now, let's dive into the number one mistake. I want to start with a recap of what the EASE content system is. The EASE acronym represents the four different types of content platforms that every business owner should consider including in their strategies.

First, there's an Expertise platform. This is where you establish your expertise, sharing your ideas and intellectual property, giving your audience a taste of what you do, attracting an audience, and validating them with that expertise content. It's a crucial part of our strategy. In these episodes, we're focused on the other two platforms, but I don't want to downplay the importance of your Expertise platform.

The second is an Attraction platform. What are you doing to get in front of new people? Then there's a Selling platform or strategy, which focuses on converting leads into sales. What does that sales journey look like? I prefer the term “sales system.” What does that system entail when it comes to validating and converting a lead into a customer or client?

Lastly, we have the Engagement platform. This strategy or platform allows you to converse with your existing community. The goal here is to nurture and turn an audience into a community, strengthening those brand bonds.

The reason I created the EASE content strategy is twofold. First, I noticed a paradox with entrepreneurs when it comes to their content. They're trying to do too much and yet not doing enough simultaneously. The second reason is to ensure that you're covering your bases in terms of content platforms without overextending yourself.

The EASE content strategy ensures that you focus on each of the four content platform types: Expertise, Attract, Sell, and Engage.

One of the main reasons this system works is that you're not spreading your efforts too thin. You're not trying to be everywhere, which aligns with what we discussed in last week's episode about the Circle of Focus.

Another reason it works is that it's balanced. You don't want to focus solely on one platform and neglect the others. For example, a business owner might focus only on Engagement platforms and wonder why they're not selling, or solely on Expertise platforms and wonder why no one is consuming their content.

The EASE content strategy ensures balance, so you see progress in audience growth, sales, and engagement.

If things seem complicated or overwhelming, consider choosing one Attraction platform or strategy and one Engagement platform or strategy. Focus on them for 30 days. This approach works because it simplifies your efforts and covers both growth and nurture bases.

So, for this week, consider the following questions:
1. How would you categorize the platforms or strategies you're currently using based on the EASE content system?
2. What platform or strategy would work for you to engage with your existing audience?
3. What platform or strategy would work best for you to attract new people to your audience?

Thank you so much for hanging out with me. I hope I've given you some food for thought. Make sure to join me next week on September 7th for the EASE content strategy method workshop. I'll introduce you to a program called “Your Content, Your Empire,” based on the EASE content strategy. However, you don't need to join the program to benefit from the workshop. Sign up at www.YourContentEmpire.com/EASE, and I hope to see you there.

Ready to Implement?

Get instant access to my E.A.S.E. Content Strategy Workshop plus get my exclusive EASE Content Planning Spreadsheet for FREE

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