When it comes to inbound marketing there are many “best practices” that can be found on the web.

The problem this presents is that marketers are using the same marketing strategies, which becomes very obvious to our customers.

It’s no wonder why customers have become numb to our marketing efforts.

This calls for us to rely on more empowered lead generation techniques and practices.

If you are familiar with my work, then you already know that I’m a huge advocate for content marketing.

But I want to share with you a more in depth look at the content strategy that I actually use.

It’s an approach that I have been pioneering and is the main focus of discussion when I sit and speak with other online business owners.

It’s a hybrid method where I combine the essence of marketing and the art of creative writing.

All in an effort to create a unique web experience for my customers.

A situation is created where my brand and products are the “main character” of the story that is told through my web content.

So here’s how you can use this same step-by-step method.

Content Mission

Before making any piece of content you must first determine the role it will play in your overall content strategy.

Just as any business model would have a mission statement, you should do the same for your content.

This will set a strong base for you to be able to communicate the content’s value to your customers.

Define The Purpose

This step is constantly overlooked, neither should you confuse it with the content mission statement.

The mission statement should be more customer focused.

While the content purpose is more company focused.

For example, is the piece of content going to be created for lead generation to gain more email sign ups? Or is it being created to drive more sales?

Thought Sequence Mapping

In simpler terms, where does this piece of content fit in your overall story?

This is more commonly known as your engagement cycle. The easiest way to ensure the correct sequence of the content is to map each stage of your sales funnel.

Then take note of every bit of information that the customer would need to keep forward momentum into the next stage of your funnel.

This is how a 50% lift in email sign ups had such a major impact for my business.

Many times I have seen 100% lifts, even 600% lifts. But in my case this piece of content was positioned towards the climax of my funnel. Which affects my bottom line more than a newsletter subscription would.

Keyword Research

For obvious reasons this is important so your customers can find your content. But there are a few minor details that can lead to major gains.

By simply using a keyword search tool such as Google Adwords you can see some success. But the true gold mine is hidden within Google Trends.

This program allows you to see what is trending among all the monthly searches through Google. It allows for you to view an easy to follow visual graph showing very accurate highs and lows for your search term.

You can also click the “rising” tab to see what related topics are “breakouts”. When you find the “breakouts” this really helps you develop out your content, and find those supporting “characters” for your story.

Characterize Your Content

Just as a story has a main character or hero we can root for, your content should be the same way.

Simply put, the idea or topic for your content has to be the hero that your customers will root for (share and comment).

When drafting your content try writing through the “eyes” of your main character.

Create The World of Your Main Character

Every character has a world or an “everyday life” that they experience. For our purposes, this would be the current situation of your customers, marketplace, and the general category your topic will fall in.

This step is important because it helps you recognize key points where you can differentiate the value of your content. Asking a series of “what if” questions can do this.

For example, what if this content can solve a particular problem and enable your customers to be able to do “XYZ”?

Create Your Content Journey

Now you have the framework of the journey that your “character” must embark on. Now your customers have a true reason to engage and share your ideas.

Like any character in a story, your content will have challenges it must face. Along with enemies that will die before they let your hero reach his goal.

So showcase these challenges by sharing the story of how your content solves the everyday problems for your customers.

Map The Content Story

Here is the most important and final step. Studies show that the mind organizes thoughts into a storyline format. Which is why developing your content marketing around this method will yield success.

Basic story structure is mapped into a 3-act sequence. The story unfolds in a logical series of scenes, directing the reader to the climax of the story. In our case, the climax would be the next logical action that you have presented before your customer.

So be mindful that there is a story within each single piece of content. And also be aware of how that same piece of content can be considered a scene or even a chapter of an even bigger story. Which is the story of your brand and products.

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