How To Create Content That Inspires Action!

In this show, Zef Zan, host of Creative Chat Cafe and cohost Kenya Halliburton www.KenyaHalliburton.com discuss "How to create content that inspires action!"

Discussions include: 

• What type of content inspires action from your audience.
  
• Tips on how to create "call to action" content.
  
• A discussion on Simon Sinek's (a leadership expert) inspiring TED Talk on "How great leaders inspire action."
  

The Conversation

If you’re doing your own marketing, you probably already know that getting your audience to perform an action is crucial to the success of any marketing initiative. So why do we need to discuss content and why is it important?

Sure, you can probably drive your target audience to your content but leading people to it is only step one. Many people get lost in creating content that is not leading people to perform measurable actions. Every piece of content you publish should be crafted with this in the forefront of your mind. If you’re not doing this, you’re wasting your time.

Imagine going through all the trouble of writing on your blog, and posting on social media sites, but you are not getting the attention nor are your audience taking any action. A good example of this is no one’s clicking on your links and they are not buying!

ZEF: Kenya, do you think creating the right content is so much more important than going viral? Why? 

KENYA: Going viral is not the only important thing when it comes to content. Having your content go viral is great but whenever you are creating content, the question is, is your content that is going converting into something that you can measure? It not, it is really not serving your business and the people that you serve.

Your content should tie back to some clear goal you have set in your business. You have your “platform” goals that establish leads and sales. Then there are “stair step” goals and these are goals that can lead to the conversion of leads or sales.

ZEF: So what kind of content in your opinion inspires action?

KENYA: First thing you have to do is you have to understand your brand. You must understand who you are and what type of experience do you want people to have? Create content that speaks to the hearts, beliefs, desires, and needs of your audience. You want the messages that come from the heart so that your audience knows what you believe and why you do what you do.  There is a lot of noise out there and without this, you will be just another blog, video or sales page of millions being ignored. 

Next, you need to know what your goals are. What type of results are you looking to achieve? Leads, sales, thought leadership, awareness. etc, and you need to be able to measure them at some level. Your goal and your ideal customer’s needs, plus your resources and skills will determine what form your content takes.

ZEF: True. That when creating content, if we are not creating the content that our audience wants, then why should they be interested in you, right?

KENYA: Yes. With this in mind, you want to create targeted content that provides the most relevant answer to the questions the reader or visitor is asking. This can be found by researching what they are typing in the search engines or by simply understand who your ideal customer is and where they are in the buying process. 

What makes content actionable is the “call to action”. What are you asking the visitor to do after consuming your content? You need to have a flow and a plan for what happens next. If you don’t, all you’re left with is a great piece of content and you have lost an opportunity to convert. 

ZEF: I agree and in my opinion, we all have  to create content so compelling, so inspiring, that the right people respond. Again, if you’re not getting your audience to perform measurable actions, you’re wasting your time. 

Your Hosts

Meet Zef Zan here!

KENYA HALLIBURTON
www.KenyaHalliburton.com

"Kenya Halliburton is an online business manager, specializing in digital content creation, content marketing and social media marketing. She is a creative, innovative, outside the box, forward-thinking web choreographer always looking for new opportunities to position my clients for success."

The Hangout

Our Tips!

ZEF: Now do you want some tips on how you too can create content that inspire action? Kenya, what do you have for us in your tip box there?

KENYA: Start with understand the "buying cycle of your audience." What questions need to be answered to meet their needs, desires and challenges at each stage? Do this for each of your products and services and you will have all the actionable content you ever need.

• Awareness - “Something’s not right!”, “What’s my problem?” Help them understand what their issues are.
  
• Consideration - “What do I need to do?”, “Who can help me?” 
  
• Purchase -  “I want to feel good about my decision.”, “Reinforce my choice.” Think about how you buy. Create that experience. Make them feel good about their choice and investment.ZEF: I am a visual person and I relate to images. I know that sometimes what we are creating content online, may they be on our websites, blogs or even via social media, we may have good content but images can create a more powerful emotion that will inspire our audience to take action. What are your thoughts?
  

KENYA: Anytime you can incorporate images to your content, that will always make people look a little bit closer. It is absolutely a good strategy. You'd want to include images that are compelling enough to drive people back to your content. 

ZEF: Here’s another important tip that may help you create that content next time and this is a crucial one! 

Make sure to track your content. Track those measurable actions that we have been talking about! Newsletter subscribers, social shares, leads, and sales. If you do not track them, you will not know your content’s performance! You will not know what works and what doesn’t!

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Join us for more post show conversations in our Google + community! 

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Simon Sinek's TED Talk Video Inspires!

On Simon Sinek's video.

ZEF: I love videos and one video that relates to our topic today here is Simon Sinek’s TED Talk video titled “How great leaders inspire action.” Simon Sinek is a leadership expert.  In this TED Talk video, Simon talks about what great leaders need to do to inspire action. This video gave me a different level of inspiration and I was empowered by it. Kenya, have you watched this video? If yes, what one content of this talk that was so powerful that it may have inspired you?

KENYA: "People don’t buy what you do, they buy what you believe." What you do proves what you believe.

ZEF: What gave me the goose bumps is, he said, "People don't buy WHAT you do, people buy  WHY you do it. The GOAL is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have but the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe!" That is powerful right there!     

This is a must watch video folks! Watch it on TEDTalk.com.

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