Content Sells: Attract, Convert & Keep Your Ideal Clients with Content Marketing That Works

Your niche is the market you serve. And we’ve all heard the advice that “you’ve got to have a niche.” But it’s not enough to have a super clear niche and really great messaging that speaks directly to them. The missing ingredient that we’re seeing a lot in the content marketing of small business owners is that they’re not really OWNING (in a deep and profound way) the niche they’ve chosen. In this episode, your hosts, Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon explore what it means to really take “ownership” of your niche and WHY that’s crucial for the growth (and survival) of your business. FREE DOWNLOAD Finding Your Niche - 6 Thought-Starter Questions. We’ve put together this list of 6 questions you want to ask yourself when you are considering how you might use the power of Niching Down. Go here to get your list of questions now. Listen to This Episode to Hear More About: -> The shift Suzi has made in the last year to get even clearer on her niche (and why that took really OWNING who she most wanted to serve). -> The questions to ask yourself to confirm if you’re really OWNING your niche or not. -> Real life examples of a Lawyer and Naturopath whose business growth EXPLODED when they doubled down on their niche and took massive OWNERSHIP of who they serve. -> Michelle’s counterintuitive advice for serving FEWER people in a deeper way. -> Why your customers need you to go “out on a limb” for them (and how to do it in a way that’s safe!). -> How owning your niche will turn the tap onto more sales and create a pipeline of eager customers. -> Plus so much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> HerBusiness Network -> This is Marketing Book - Seth Godin -> Don’t Make Me Think Book - Steve Krug -> Episode 69 - Why You Need To Find Your Niche -> Episode 99 - How to Grow a 7-Figure Business in a Tiny Niche with Clint Salter -> Episode 146 - The Power of a Niche with Shelley Brander -> Angela Counsel - Embrace Program -> Clint Salter -> Shelley Brander - Knit Stars -> Brigit Hallam - Throw Your Leg Over

One tactic that could be really helpful for you if you are offering an online course, a challenge, a live event or some other kind of workshop or program is to offer a VIP Ticket Option. If you’re not currently offering a VIP option, this can be a real game changer! And if you ARE already giving your customers a way to get a VIP experience, we’ve got some tips that will make it more effective for you! Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon share their top tips for what to put in your VIP offer, when and how to offer the VIP upgrade and more! Listen to this Episode to Hear More About:  -> How to offer a paid VIP upgrade, even when your event ticket is FREE! -> Suzi’s tip for adding a VIP option to a Summit. -> How to use your VIP revenue to fund your advertising. -> The one thing every VIP offer MUST have to succeed (and it may not be what you think!). -> More than 15 things you can EASILY add to your VIP option to make it irresistible. -> Why people who upgrade to VIP are more likely to buy your NEXT offer. -> How to get next level engagement from your VIPs (and why that matters). -> The Cialdini Principle that every successful VIP upgrade is based on. -> The MOST important time to offer the VIP upgrade. -> Plus so much more!  Also Mentioned in This Episode:  -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> HerBusiness Network -> Discounted Copy of “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini -> Episode 66 - Turning Content into Sales With “The Problem Solution Dance” -> Episode 11 - The Step 2 Secret -> Episode 202 - The “Features” Trap - Why You Need to Focus on Features vs Benefits to Get More Sales -> Episode 206 - The 16 Essential Elements of a High Converting Sales Page -> Melanie Campbell - Confidently Peri

Over the years there’s been a lot of buzz around this idea of “10X-ing.” And with the release of the book “10X is Easier Than 2X” by Dan Sullivan and Dr Benjamin Hardy Suzi and Michelle got to thinking about this idea of 10X and especially how it relates to women marketers and business owners. Is it all hype? Is 10X REALLY easier than 2X? Or is there even any merit in comparing the two? Do we actually need BOTH? If you’ve ever been “turned off” by the “bro marketer” take on 10X, then this is the episode for you. Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon share their views on the 10X vs 2X debate. This is a “juicy” show and they say some things that might surprise you, whichever side of the 10X debate you might be on. Listen to This Episode to Hear More About: -> Why you can’t always increment your way to growth. -> The big distinction Suzi & Michelle hope every reader gets when reading books like “10X is Easier Than 2X.” -> The massive takeaway from Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy’s book that unlocked the 10X idea for many of our Masterminders. -> The fascinating journey Suzi took from starting a business in her bedroom to having “$2 million dollars DAYS.” -> What Michelle says about “Waterfalls and Volcanoes” that could change your view on when to grow and when to consolidate. -> The role our sense of our current identity plays in our ability to have transformational growth in our marketing and business. -> Plus so much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> HerBusiness Network -> 10X is Easier Than 2X - Dan Sullivan & Dr Benjamin Hardy -> Sockable Fundraising -> Episode 183 - Why You Don’t Need to Change Your Marketing (The Benefits of “Project Broken Record”) -> Anna Von Zinner - Book Me Now

It’s time for our annual review of the books we’re recommending for the new year! Join your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon as they share books they’ve loved and learned from that can help you be a more effective content marketer in 2024 (plus get your hands on our NEWLY UPDATED and hugely popular Content Sells Recommended Reading List!). Some books featured on today’s show are brand “newies” and others are classic “oldies” Suzi and Michelle have pulled out of the vault because they’ve been re-reading them and recommending them to clients and students so much recently. Listen to This Episode to Hear More About: -> The book Michelle and Suzi couldn’t believe had never been featured on the show before! -> How to get your hands on the hugely popular Content Sells Recommended Reading List. -> The book that can literally give you back HOURS in your business every week (so you can finally have the freedom to do the high-value work that brings you energy and joy instead). -> The book that shows you how to create ideas people actually remember, which is especially needed right now in this time of less than 24-hour news cycles, 7 second tik tok videos and “fake” news, where most ideas just don’t survive. -> The book that shows you how to get strangers to want to buy your stuff. -> The book any service provider must read because it shows you how to make your intangible offer a lot more tangible (and why that matters). -> The book that BOTH Suzi and Michelle put on their list (and how they loved it and ALSO have some contentious opinions on a key idea shared in this book). -> Plus so much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> HerBusiness Network -> The REACH Retreat in Hawaii -> Buy Back Your Time - Dan Martell -> Made to Stick - Chip & Dan Heath -> $100M Leads - Alex Hormozi -> $100M Offers - Alex Hormozi -> Selling The Invisible - Harry Beckwith -> 10X is Easier Than 2X - Dan Sullivan & Dr Benjamin Hardy -> Ask - Ryan Levesque -> Episode 31 - How to Use Surveys to Find Out Exactly What Your Customer Wants - With Ryan Levesque -> Episode 67 - Client Avatar Interviews - Why You Need Them and How to Do Them -> Tracey Bode - Zyteq -> Chantel Gilbert - Bluegum Electrical

Well, it’s episode 225 and we figured it was about time we shared how we produce this podcast! Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon have had numerous questions from listeners over the years about various aspects of the podcast and how it gets made. In this episode they pull back the curtain on their process from end-to-end. Including how they come up with podcast episode ideas, how they batch their recordings, what to think about when recording, tools and software and processes they’ve found useful and so much more. So, whether you already HAVE a podcast and you’re looking for some tips to make your life easier; or you’re thinking about doing a podcast and wondering how it works from start to finish, this show is for you (and even if you don’t plan on having a podcast, you can take these tips and map them to ANY content you create regularly like blogs, newsletters, videos etc). Listen to this episode to hear more about: -> The 3 stages of podcast production and the must-know tips and pitfalls to avoid at each stage. -> The simple, free and EASY tool Suzi & Michelle have used for 9 years to plan every single episode of their show (right from Episode 1!). -> How to plan so you can be several episodes ahead and avoid feeling like you’re on the “Podcast Hamster Wheel.” -> How Suzi & Michelle batch their recordings. -> The clever calendar “hack” that makes it possible to schedule podcast recordings even though both presenters have insanely busy schedules. -> The most important thing to remember when the “record” button goes on. -> Systems for engaging the team in an efficient way and so everyone knows what their role is. -> The “easy button” when it comes to getting your podcast on ALL the podcast platforms. -> How to handle guest interviews, co-hosting and what to do when there’s a blooper (to edit, or not to edit, that is the question!). -> Plus so much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> HerBusiness Network -> The REACH Retreat in Hawaii -> Content Sells Facebook Page -> Ep 200 - Celebrating 200 Episodes! -> EP206 - The 16 Essential Elements of a High-Converting Sales Page -> Anita McLachlan, Sequins & Sand -> Field of Dreams Movie Tools Mentioned: -> Trello -> Slack -> Google Docs -> Zoom -> Riversidefm -> Google Calendar -> Libsyn -> Blue Yeti Microphone

This episode is all about Exploding Mountains. Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon talk you through the 5-point checklist for knowing whether you need to stop delivering a particular product or service (even one that is profitable!). Listen to this episode to hear more about: -> What a Marketing Mountain is and why you need to understand this concept to have a successful business -> How “turning the funnel upside down” can be a game changer for your marketing -> The “hand drawn” business model that can take you just 2 minutes but save you YEARS of trial and error -> The “Ski-Lift Strategy” for easily offering an upsell to your customers (especially good for high ticket sales) -> The Marketing Mountain Suzi exploded (and why it was one of the best things she did for her business at the time) -> Why understanding who you are selling to helps you to see which Mountains to keep and which ones you want to “detonate” -> How many mountains is too many mountains (and how to tell which ones you don’t need)? -> The major mistake most businesses make when they aren’t getting enough sales. -> And much more! Also mentioned in this episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> HerBusiness Network -> The REACH Retreat in Hawaii -> Content Sells Facebook Page -> Angela Counsel - Embrace Program -> Episode 4 - Episode 4 - Finding Your Marketing Mountain -> Episode 41 - Creating Content That Keeps Your Customers Coming Back - With Stu Mclaren -> Episode 160 - Why Being Opportunistic is Costing You Opportunities -> Episode 161 - How to Make Money With Your Online Course (Even if You’re in a Weird Niche) - With Bonnie Christine -> Stu McLaren -> Bonnie Christine -> Ryan Levesque -> Sockable -> Stacey Morgan

Proactive marketing involves anticipating future trends, your customer needs, and market changes and strategically planning your marketing in advance so you can achieve the goals you really want to achieve. Whereas reactive marketing can mean you never really get to your goals because that’s not what’s driving your marketing. Instead, with reactive marketing, it’s less about where you want to go and more about being driven by what’s happening right now. You’re very often responding to immediate challenges or changes in your market or industry. Or to quick ideas you have in reaction to something your competitor is doing or to plug a cashflow hole that has cropped up. Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon talk you through the ways reactive marketing might be showing up in your business and how to make the shift from reactive to proactive marketing (and be more profitable, less exhausted and more on track than ever!). Listen to this episode to hear more about: Why making the shift to proactive marketing can feel like a “baptism of fire” (and how not to get burned) The key mindset change you need to get out of the “reactive rut” 5 signs you’re marketing is reactive (and what to do about it) The problem of paying attention to your competitors The reason why you feel your campaigns are often “last minute” The brilliant idea Suzi “borrowed” from another industry that completely transformed her business How a menopause coach let go of being overly opportunistic and reactive and 10X’d her income as a result How to avoid distractions and bright shiny objects And much more!  Also mentioned in this episode: HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind HerBusiness Network  The REACH Retreat in Hawaii Content Sells Facebook Page Fiona Keary - Style Liberation Angela Counsel - Embrace Program Episode 191 - “Staying in Your Lane” – How To Avoid Distractions and Accelerate Your Marketing Results Episode 195 - Stacking Momentum With Your Annual Marketing Plan Episode 160 - Why Being Opportunistic is Costing You Opportunities Julia Watts - The Sample Room

MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product and it’s all about getting to market with the bare essentials of your product or program and testing the idea is actually what the market wants, BEFORE you over invest and create the entire fully fleshed out bells and whistles version of the product. Once you know “it flies” THEN you launch it. Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon talk you through how to adopt the MVP mindset and give you case studies and examples of how you can get to market quickly and get customer feedback as soon as you can. This MVP approach can SAVE you making some big and expensive mistakes AND it can actually enlist your customers to help you create your product for free, make it better and more likely to sell! Listen to this episode to hear more about: -> How to go to market with a “less than perfect” course, program, product or service. -> What you definitely DON’T skimp on when launching your MVP. -> The MVP example that involved a flip chart and a zoom connection and turned into a multi million dollar program. -> How to get invaluable feedback from your first buyers. -> What to price your MVP. -> How to position your MVP so the early version is perceived as something positive versus a prototype. -> Why the fact people like to “get in on the ground floor” of something works in your favour when launching an MVP. -> How Michelle and Suzi launched a 5-figure program with no funnel and no fancy online portal (and why they kept it that way!). -> How to become “The Scientist” in your business and why that will make you less stressed and able to create better products that sell! -> And much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> The REACH Retreat in Hawaii -> HerBusiness Network -> Content Sells Facebook Page -> Trevor Young - Content Strategist

This episode is all about how you can get literally HOURS back each week by adopting some simple but powerful marketing systems. Your hosts Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon share 3 marketing systems that are do-able and don’t need a lot of tech AND can save you from doing a bunch of stuff you don’t need to be doing. Listen to this episode to hear more about: -> What one of the biggest “red herrings” in Content Marketing is and why it’s keeping you distracted, exhausted and frustrated. -> The surprising thing about repetition and why knowing this can literally save you HOURS of time. -> What Hollywood understood in the 1930’s that most content marketers still don’t know today. -> The Rule of 7 and how to use it to your advantage. -> The surprising thing Michelle found in her Inbox and why this discovery can unlock a breakthrough when it comes to saving your time! -> Suzi’s approach to content marketing for her free Facebook Group and how you can use this one idea to get hours back each week if YOU have a Facebook Group! -> The simple way to leverage the effectiveness of your email marketing (even if you have a small list!). -> The AI “mic drop” moment (once you hear this you will never look at ChatGPT the same way again)! -> And much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> The REACH Retreat in Hawaii -> ChatGPT -> Content Sells Facebook Page -> Lyndelle Newey - The Quilt Room Email Automation Tools: MailChimp ActiveCampaign Klaviyo Keap Ontraport

In this episode we’re talking about something that’s a bit of content marketing “chestnut” – there was a time whenever you saw a content marketer on a speaker lineup, they talked about this… but, while we’ve touched on it in numerous ways, and we’ve done a couple of interviews with people who are doing this… we’ve never actually done a show, just you and I, dedicated to this idea… That “ol’ chestnut” your hosts, Suzi Dafnis and Michelle Falzon are talking about is “Repurposing Content”  and in this episode they explain why repurposing is not just taking a blog post and turning it into 5 social posts and 3 videos. Instead see how you can create less CORE content and reimagine it in ways that are strategic and conversion-focused. Listen to This Episode to Hear More About: -> The ONE thing you need to know about EVERY single piece of content you create. -> Why no matter how efficient your content creation is, if you’re missing one important ingredient, chances are you’re working too hard making content that’s not turning into results for you. -> How to originate your Core Content in the format that suits you - so you actually LOVE creating content and it’s EASY! -> The difference between IP and Core Content (and how much of each you need). -> Why you’re probably over-investing in Core Content and why that’s keeping you exhausted. -> How to use more Content Bridges to leverage just a few pieces of Core Content for even better results! -> And much more! Also Mentioned in This Episode: -> HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind -> The REACH Retreat in Hawaii -> Content Sells Facebook Page -> Episode 170 - Repurposing Your Content and Making More With Less - with Ruth Buczynski -> Ryan Deiss - Digital Marketer -> Episode 1 - The Content Universe -> Episode 65 - How to Create Great Models & Frameworks -> Episode 111 - The Wealth Chef - Build Your Own Personal Brand with Ann Wilson -> Episode 207 - How AI is Changing the Game for Small Business Owners -> Episode 213 - 11 Content Marketing Tools We’re Loving -> Cath Cosgrave Consulting -> Dr Morten Hansen -> Elliott Connie - Solution Focused Brief Therapy -> Kerwin Rae -> Ruth Buczynski, NICABM -> Ann Wilson, The Wealth Chef -> Shandra Moran - The Transit Lounge