7.1 The Content Upgrade Process (The Tortoise Strategy)

The intention of this process is to help you create and optimize your Digital PLATFORM so you can turn your content into a Traffic Magnet!

Please note: this is an Overview Strategy. We will not go into the specifics or nuances included with the various platforms and tools out there.

In other words, you may need additional training courses on the platform you use so you can MASTER that tool. We'll be talking strategy here so you can effectively connect dots and build an audience and community WHILE monetizing your reach.  

You can't cash likes and shares in at the bank. (I wish!) So what's the point? 

In a word... INFLUENCE. 

In two words... LIST-BUILDING.

You see, most others trying to build a following or a community only focus on the surface level strategies, and never understand how to connect all the pieces. The INTENTION of building up your platform is twofold:

a) To Attract New People To You (Traffic)

b) To Build Your Email List (Leads)

The way we do that is simple, and we can do it in three steps...

Step #1: Create High-Value Content Your Audience CRAVES!

Your content (articles, podcasts, videos, posts) serves as a BEACON or magnet that attracts those who have questions and seek out answers. And... when it's good, it's ALSO positioning YOU as an Authority that provides high value for free (Law of Reciprocity) and creates MASSIVE RAPPORT. 

Step #2: Promote The CRAPOLA Out Of Your Amazing Content!

You don't need to be everywhere. In fact, you shouldn't. BUT, when you have CONTENT to share, you now have a STRATEGY for using Social Media. Whether it's Instagram, Facebook, or wherever, you can use these TOOLS to help get the word out about YOUR content! And why would you do that? That takes us to...

Step #3: Use "Content Upgrades" To Turn Content Consumers Into Happy Subscribers!

Your FREE content on your platform will be a teaser for more! And, in order to get more, you're readers will need to opt in or subscribe to get the rest! Offering a FREE .PDF or Training VIDEO is the easiest way to turn your free content into your biggest List-Builder!  

...and that's EXACTLY what we're going to do in this process! We'll take you through all the steps from choosing your PLATFORM to creating your content, and even developing your Content Upgrade Strategy!  

Plus! I'll even show you examples of exactly how I do this in my business!

In this first step, we'll determine the RIGHT platform for you! Plus, I'll give plenty of examples and share the pros and cons of the many options out there! Ready? Let's do this!

What does it even mean to have a platform? To me, your platform must have the following ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS:

Easy To Distribute Your Content

A platform traditionally is the place you host or post your content. In the "old days" of the internet, all we had was a Blog. Obviously, times have changed! And today, the options are endless! But for starters, this must be a place where you can POST your stuff! Simple. I know!

Easy For Others To SHARE Your Content

Can others SHARE your content? Tag others? Show their friends? This is important, especially for growing an organic following! Friends tell their friends about great stuff!

Easy For Others To INTERACT WITH Your Content

This is the most essential element. Interaction creates community. It's about creating a Two-Way Conversion with your audience. They want to be heard. So... do they have a way to communicate back with you?  

Now that we know the essential elements to look for in our PLATFORM, let's take a look at a few of my favorites...

1. Podcast

I started my podcast (Mind Your Business) back in January of 2016, and I haven't looked back since! I absolutely love it. And here's why: every week my listeners anticipate and tune in to a +40-minute episode discussion about stuff they need to hear! And every month my audience and my downloads continue to grow! 

If you're looking to interview guests, have longer, "conversation-style" topics or discuss anything story- or mindset-related, a Podcast might be a right fit for you!

2. YouTube 

Well... don't get me started on YouTube! With over 10 million views, it's what built my business! YouTube is powerful because it is a Search Engine. Every day people head to Google or YouTube with questions and seek "how-to" tutorials and reviews. And they have the opportunity to find YOU!  

But if you're not a fan of being on camera, or you hate making video, YouTube may not be right for you. It takes time (like any TORTOISE Strategy), but the pay off is amazing!

3. Facebook Group

Creating your own FREE private Facebook Group is all about being the Facilitator of a COMMUNITY. This can be powerful. Here it's less about creating content, and more about facilitating culture and communication.  

We have a Free Group for Business By Design, and it's so powerful for creating engagement and connection!  

But, groups can come at a cost: tons of spammers and nega-bots means you (or someone on your team) will need to do a lot of maintenance and monitoring to make sure the integrity of the group is kept intact. 

4. Blog

The traditional platform: The Blog! Whether it's articles, info-graphics, video, or audio, the best part about a Blog is... YOU FRIGGIN' OWN IT! Which means you have 100% control over the look, feel, navigation, etc. And ultimately, I feel everyone should have some sort of Blog so people can do their research and learn more about you. 

5. Instagram

Believe it or not, sites such as Instagram can be great for creating a platform and a community. There are a TON of people on Instagram... and they're on it like ALL DAY LONG, so that can be good! But the consumption of the content is... instant. People scroll through pictures in milliseconds... so you won't have much time to catch and hold their attention.

So yes, you can absolutely build a Content Platform on Instagram. But personally, I love using Instagram to communicate and promote my Podcast and Blog content.  

So... which platform is right for you? Use the following GREAT questions to help gain clarity on where you should be focusing your time, effort, and genius!

#1. Where is your audience now? Where do they hang out? And what do they like to consume?

#2. What questions does your audience ask? How do they find the answers?

#3. How do you like creating content? What's easiest for you?

Utilize important topics of conversation and frequently asked questions inside your community to determine your content.

Once you know which platform you will pursue, it's time to identify WHAT content you will create. This can be challenging at first, so use the following questions to create a preliminary list of topic and episode ideas. Then, as you proceed, you'll continue to get GREAT IDEAS, inspiration, and listener feedback that will develop into future content ideas. Make sure you have an easy process in place for capturing and documenting those ideas!

What are the biggest questions your audience is asking?

What is your audience struggling with? What are they frustrated by?

What are your "competitors" (other content creators in your industry) creating content about? What is their most popular content?

Note: These are just to get you started. In the NEXT training video and process, you'll actually go through an entire SURVEY PROCESS to gain even more clarity. 

Take a moment to write down a rough list of content ideas now. Below is just a quick list of our latest podcast episode topics, all of which started as ideas following this same process. 

In this step, I'll help to give you the FRAMEWORK for a process that you can develop with your team to effectively CREATE your content as easily and effeciently as possible!  

Use the example steps below to help create YOUR unique process so creating content becomes easy and efficient!

HINT: Creating content should be done in BATCHES! Can you create 3 months of content in a week? How about 6 months of content?!

In this first step, it's essential to identify two essential elements:

#1. The Intention of the Content:
What do you want to communicate to your audience? What is the BIG FAT TAKEAWAY?

#2. The Content Upgrade:
What will you be offering as a FREE "Opt-In" to build your list? (more in Step #4 of this process)

Example:

As an example, we'll use Episode #76 of The Mind Your Business Podcast. The topic I began with was all about SURVEYS. 

#1. The Intention of the Content:
The intention was to communicate the VALUE and IMPORTANCE of always using Surveys in your business... AND communicate the right questions to ask. 

#2. The Content Upgrade:
A FREE "How To Create Your First Survey" .PDF 
How To Create Your First Survey

You can view the Episode Show Notes here:
Mind Your Business Podcast, Episode 76

In this step, it's good to create a quick ) Outline of what you want to communicate in your content. I always like to use NUMBERS. For example: 7 Steps or 5 Strategies or 3 Ways... etc. 

Example:

In my "Survey" Episode of the Podcast, I began with a story that demonstrated how and WHY Surveys are so important. 

Then, I decided I wanted to share the 6 ESSENTIAL Questions you NEED to ask in a Survey.

Then, I shared a bit on how to get your Survey out there to your audience.

And finally, I shared out HOW to interpret Survey Results.  

That was the basic Outline... and my Content Upgrade was a .PDF on "how to actually implement this step by step."

This is the step where you actually CREATE your content.

If it's a Podcast, you hit record! If it's a Blog post, you start writing. You get the idea.  It's also important that you CREATE your own process for how you prepare to create your content, so it's organized and consistent.

Example - Podcast Creation Process:

Here's an over-simplified version of the process I use when preparing to record each of my Podcast episodes. 

Once the content has been created, it's time to edit it. If you run a Podcast like I do, this is a GREAT step to delegate to someone else. There are great services that will edit your Podcasts for you.

Unfortunately, this is a necessary, yet tedious step. Avoid doing it at all costs. However, you CAN create a process on how you would like your content to look or feel so you have a SAY on what the finished product looks like, but you aren't stuck editing.

And if you're editing your own videos... forget about it! That takes HOURS of time you can't afford!

Similiar to editing, formatting is another step that you can develop a process for... but it shouldn't be done by you! This includes (but is not limited to) fonts, headings, graphics, links, etc. How do you want the "finished product" to appear when it's live?

Publish! This is your step for going live! As simple as this is, there should be a clear process in place for this as well. When will it go live? How will it go live? What happens before it goes live? Do you need to approve it?

When you've published your content, it's time to switch into Content Distribution Mode (aka Promote the CRAPOLA out of your content!). You can proceed to our sample Content Distribution Process for this. 

Your Content Upgrade Strategy is a method of using your free content to generate leads (i.e. BUILD YOUR LIST!)

Continuing with our Podcast example, we often create Content Upgrades in an episode, share a link with listeners, and distribute the free content upgrade while also gathering leads. This is the process for doing that. 

In this first step, you'll get clear on WHAT your Content Upgrade" is. What will you offer as an opt-in after people finish consuming your content? What's something so good they'd be willing to pay for it... but they don't have to, because you're giving it away for free!

As you know, we've given the example of the podcast episode on "Surveys" with a link to UPGRADE to a "How to Create Your First Survey" .PDF.

Episode:
Mind Your Business Podcast, Episode 76

Content Upgrade:
How To Create Your First Survey

Determine the Content Upgrade that works best for you:

-Survey hosted on SurveyFunnel or SurveyMonkey
-.PDF with highlights and action items from content
-Tools needed to deploy content (list of software, tools, etc.)
-Additional Learning Resources (helpful books, etc.)
-Process for content
-Plan for your audience to implement (for example, "Five Days To ___.")

In this step, you'll actually CREATE your Content Upgrade. It may sound like a lot of extra work, but keep this in mind: a quick video or simple .PDF is all you need. AND... you can repurpose the same Content Upgrades on multiple future content pieces or episodes... LEVERAGE!

Develop a process for making your Content Upgrades quickly and easily!

In order to actually build your list with your Upgrades, you'll need either an Opt-In Page or a Lead Box (a function in LeadPages that allows people to opt in without leaving the page). 

In Section 5 within this process (Create Your Content Upgrade System) I show you our exact process for creating an Opt-In Page with InfusionSoft and LeadPages.

Op-In Page EXAMPLE:
How To Create Your First Survey

Lead Box EXAMPLE:
Mind Your Business Podcast, Episode 90

In this step, you'll create your Download Page, so your subscribers can immediately access and download your Content Upgrades. My advice here: create ONE page as a template that you can simply DUPLICATE for all future Content Upgrades!

Example Download Page:
Lisa Kuecker Case Study

In this step, you'll need to sync your Opt-In Page with your Autoresponder or email marketing or CRM software so that each new subscriber is added to the appropriate list or tag. Here are just a few things I include in my process for this...

You'll need to set this up for your CRM, but if you use Infusionsoft, I created a sample in Step #5. 

In this step, you'll simply add your Content Upgrade system to your FREE CONTENT. There are several ways that you can do this. 

Including...

Example...

Notice in my "Survey" Podcast episode, all the ways I inform people HOW to get their hands on the free .PDF.  

I give the link in the episode, I give them a phone number they can text (I used FixYourFunnel), and I used a link on the Podcast Show Notes Page.

You can review it here:
Mind Your Business Podcast, Episode 76

I ALWAYS end my processes with a "Test" to make sure everything works properly. 

This is our specific process for creating a Content Upgrade System for the Mind Your Business Podcast. It outlines exactly how we utilize LeadPages to create a Content Upgrade System.

Create an Opt-In for your Content Upgrade:

The example below uses Infusionsoft.

1. Open your Infusionsoft Campaign.
2. Add a new Opt-In Form and a tag.
3. Apply tags for your Master List as well as an Opt-In Specific List. (Be sure to add notes to your Infusionsoft additions.)
4. Link your Opt-in Page with the tags (simply drag the arrow over to link).

1. Create a LeadPage for audience visibility (do not use drag & drop page option).

2. Design page with Content Upgrade copy and background image.

3. Click on the CTA button. On the menu that pops up on the left side, add direct link to Content Upgrade in the LeadPages Thank You Page (direct link to embedded Content Upgrade, for example). 

If you're content is LIVE and WORKING, it's time to promote it! The following is the simple process we follow to get our content in front of as many people as humanly possible every single week. 

When it comes to the Podcast, we release our episodes on Monday, and use the entire week to spread out our promotional process. In this step, you'll map out your week-long Promotional Strategy. I've included ours below as a template to get started with. 

I always like to start with my WARMEST audiences and biggest fans here.

When we publish our Podcast LIVE on Mondays, most of our subscribers of the show either get a notification or they already anticipate the episode. This gives us our first BOOST.

Then, we spend Monday and Tuesday notifying our followings on Social Media about the new episode. You could include the following...

Not every week, but when we have a REALLY GOOD episode, we will run a simple Facebook Ads Campaign to drive additional traffic to the new episode. Even if you just target your fans, your list, or a retargeting list, this can be very powerful!

You can ALSO run FB Ads directly to your Content Upgrade to continue building your list!

Either Tuesday or Wednesday, we tend to notify our email list that a new episode is live. Ideally, you'll want to create two lists here, a "House List" and a "Platform Subscriber List."

Your House List consists of EVERYONE on your list.

Your Platform Subscriber List consists of everyone who has opted-in from one of your previous Content Upgrades. 

Any Final Reminders or pushes on social media here is good! Not ALL of your followers will see ALL of your posts. Now is the time to remind and repurpose. Get the word out about this week's episode BEFORE the next one launches!