Building an audience involves a lot of trial and error.
But those who wish to have their own audiences make the effort because having a group of individuals who look forward to getting your content is an extremely valuable asset.
Your audience members are the most likely to become customers or clients because they have gotten to know, like, and trust you through the value you already offer them — before any money has been exchanged.
Although every content marketing journey of trial and error is different, your personal story likely shares a common thread with your peers’ paths …
Content creators influence each other
About a year ago, I wrote about an impressive YouTube channel called Pick Up Limes.
A dietician named Sadia Badiei created Pick Up Limes and began posting videos about nutrition, travel, minimalism, and productivity at the beginning of 2017. By the end of the year, she had more than 650,000 subscribers.
Now, at the end of 2018, she has more than one million subscribers.
I discovered the channel after a damn good headline on my YouTube home page caught my eye. All of the videos I binge-watched in a short period of time were professional and polished, and I knew I’d check out new content from Sadia in the future as well.
I also noticed a lot of similarities to another YouTube channel I followed called Jenny Mustard.
So, it was no surprise that by the middle of 2017 Sadia did a video collaboration with Jenny and mentioned that she was influenced by Jenny’s content creation style.
The business of creativity
Sadia didn’t just stay a fan — a consumer — of Jenny’s content; she transformed from Fan to Fanatic to Fantastic Content Creator.
Your favorite content creators all decided to shed their old selves in order to grow. And your favorite content is a direct product of time dedicated to learning and studying.
It’s a process, and it’s one everyone in the business of creativity knows well.
Let’s review the three phases.
Fan
Don’t underestimate the importance of this phase.
Not only do savvy content marketers know the value of their fans, there’s no substitute for the passion and enthusiasm that comes with being a Fan.
When you’re a Fan, you’re also uniquely positioned to learn a lot about content creation.
You’ll notice that your favorite publishers:
- Post on a regular schedule
- Ask for feedback
- Try out new content types and topics
You might frequently write comments about the content, join new LinkedIn groups, or even participate in a related book club.
Fanatic
You know you’ve entered into the Fanatic phase when you say:
“I think I could do something like that …â€?
You’re ready to admit to yourself that, deep down, you’ve had the desire to create Your Own Things all along. 🙂
The content and communities you explored as a Fan have propelled you to start seriously studying everything you need and want to learn.
You’ll feel good about diving in and uncovering your own style.
Fantastic Content Creator
Now you have your own publishing platform, but the truth about content is that you can always get better at creating it.
You may be a Fantastic Content Creator, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to produce your next project — and there’s no guarantee that it will be effective either.
So, these three phases aren’t actually separate. Success comes from simultaneously embodying all of them.
Fantastic Content Creators need to remain Fans, and they definitely need to stay Fanatics about their work.
There’s no complacency in content marketing.
Not sure what to do next?
Are you ready to grow, but don’t know what you should do first?
Like I wrote in the introduction of this article, your content marketing journey is going to involve a lot of trial and error.
But taking just one step to learn a new skill can give you the momentum you need to be confident about experimenting and figuring out what works for you and your audience.
To help you find your way, our current Black Friday sale has curated marketing education, depending on what you decide to focus on right now.
Take a look at the three premium collections we’re offering at irresistible prices …
Content Fundamentals
This bundle is all about putting together a rock-solid foundation for success as a content marketer. We paired our popular Content Foundations course with our even-more-popular Copywriting 101 course. And then we added Brian Clark’s course that walks you step-by-step through his process for crafting a content marketing strategy.
It’s perfect for beginners who want to start strong. It will also benefit experienced marketers looking to brush up their skills, or who feel they have a few gaps in their skill sets.
Courses included in this bundle are:
- Creative Content Foundations
- Persuasive Copywriting 101
- Brian Clark’s Crafting Strategic Content for Digital Products and Services
You can learn more about the Content Fundamentals bundle here
Advanced Commerce
For those who want a more next-level experience, our Advanced Commerce bundle will help you pick up the advanced skills that will move your business forward. We’ve collected our class on marketing funnels and our class on selling “productized” consulting, together with Brian Clark’s comprehensive course on how to build an online training business — the smarter way.
If you’ve ever wanted Copyblogger to show you, in detail, how to plan, set up, and sell a course online, Brian’s course does exactly that. And it’s easily worth the cost of the entire bundle.
Courses included in this bundle are:
- How to Create 
Automated Marketing Funnels 
that Work
- Selling Productized Consulting in a Digital Environment
- Brian Clark’s Build Your Online Training Business the Smarter Way
You can learn more about the Advanced Commerce bundle here
Land New Clients Workshop
We’re also offering, for the first time, an ultra fast and focused workshop on how to sit down with a potential client and earn their business.
If you work with clients, whether as a freelancer, a coach, a consultant, or virtually any other service business, this course will help you sit down with your prospects and have a productive conversation that will get you the deal.
Taught by ethical selling expert Tim Paige, this workshop is perfect for anyone who wants to feel more comfortable selling one-on-one, or who isn’t seeing the results they want from their sales conversations.
Please note that this workshop is highly focused. It gets right to the point. (One might even call it … short.) But it is mighty.
Tim has pared down his advice to precisely what you’ll cover in a sales conversation, without veering off into tangents. He talks about how to make your offer relevant, how to make the case for premium pricing, and what to do if your prospect isn’t ready to buy.
We’ve also included a “cheat sheet” to help keep your sales conversations comfortably on track … without stiff or awkward sales scripts.
Editor’s note
Our Black Friday sale ended Monday, November 26, 2018 at midnight, Eastern U.S. Time.
Some of the courses mentioned above will be available again in 2019. If you’d like to be notified when they re-open, click here to enter your details.
This article's comments are closed.