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Before I fully understood content marketing and the potential of the online realm, I used to be repelled by it. Here’s what changed my mind.
Content Marketing and Community-Building
[0:00] – The Grey Matters Podcast introduction.
- There were a few challenges in getting the podcast off the ground, but now it’s up and running.
- The podcast is dedicated to people in that “Grey Zone,” who want to know more about online marketing and the different opportunities that the online world represents, while figuring out how to be relevant in that space.
[4:07] – Brief background on his work in traditional media.
- For the better part of 20 years, he was a traditional media person in Canada.
- Steve wrote a syndicated newspaper column, did radio and TV shows, and taught Canadians about technology up until 2010.
- He spent the next few years trying to reinvent himself and figure out what he wanted to do next.
[8:15] – Meeting Mari Smith.
- At the time, Mari was already at the top of the Facebook marketing game.
- When he met Mari while he was emceeing at a social media awards night event, she opened his eyes to the world of social media marketing – a realm which he initially didn’t know much about, and whose practitioners he was generally skeptical of.
- Mari helped him learn what he needed to learn, and he soon found himself following other social media influencers as well.
[14:11] – Choosing a platform for community-building.
- Despite recognizing the merits of Facebook, he felt that the platform was not for him.
- Due to his experience in broadcasting, he warmed up to YouTube pretty quickly.
- Soon, he started creating content for his audience and building an entirely new community – one that he could freely and directly interact with, unlike during his years doing TV.
[23:18] – How the whole social marketing program works.
- A content marketer is someone who builds an online community by having valuable content to share.
- Steve shares the story of Marcus Sheridan and his “they ask, you answer” philosophy that led him to success.
- Steve explains how content marketing works.
[31:11] – Diving into the five Cs of social marketing.
- You start with your content.
- Content leads into conversation
- Conversation leads you to building a community.
- The community gives you the opportunity to create a conversion where the people trust you enough to give you their personal information, so you can share with them in a more aggressive manner.
- And that allows you to ultimately turn into a customer, the person who you started out just by sharing some free content with – a classic sales funnel.
[31:44] – The difference between smarmy marketers and “genuine” content marketers, and why the latter is okay.
- It comes down to your attitude, and how you manage and lead your community, and how you serve your community with a heart of service.
- Steve shares an anecdote about a friend who is also an online marketer.
Resources
- Mari Smith, can be found at https://www.marismith.com/
- Marcus Sheridan, aka The Sales Lion. You can find Marcus at https://marcussheridan.com/ Check out his book, They Ask, You Answer, it had a profound impact on how I approach marketing!
This is just episode 1 of our podcast. I look forward to your feedback, you will help me create a podcast that will be something special!
-Steve-