Today, we're talking about creating content that attracts new clients and I'm going to share three key things that you need to know, so stick around.

Once again, this is a question that I had from somebody on Instagram, saying, “How do I attract new clients with my content?” and I honestly think that when it comes to creating content it's all about how you think about the people that you're speaking to.

The first thing is to think about are the different stages that somebody may go through when it comes to the problem that you solve. For example, if you've got a virtual assistant business, then some of the problems that somebody might face before they make a decision to hire a VA is that they're feeling overwhelmed. They can't do all of the things in their business. There are elements in their business that they don't know how to do even if they did have the time, and so instead of talking about, say, a VA, addressing those problems is a way to attract and engage with people who don't know what the solution to their problem is right now.

For example, you might write a piece of content, a blog, a video, a podcast on why you're feeling overwhelmed in your business, and you could talk about all of the different things that business owners experience, and obviously, you can be talking about some solutions, which would be you. But actually just focusing on the issue at hand without assuming knowledge of a solution is a really great place to start. For example for me, I might write something around why you're not getting traction in your business and that there could be a whole lot of elements around brand with that. Maybe you're not positioning yourself in the right way. Maybe your brand voice is not attracting or connecting with the type of clients that you really want to be connecting with, so thinking about what is the problem that somebody is facing generally that is connected to what it is that you do.

Now, the other thing to think about is that there will be different stages.

The Stage one potential client

Let's think about someone who is new to the problem you solve. They may no idea what the solution could be. They don't even really understand what their problem is. All they know is that they're feeling really overwhelmed, so that is somebody who doesn't know anything about the solution, and they don't understand their problem.

The Stage two potential client

Then, you might have somebody that understands their problem, like, “Uh. I know that I need help, but I don't know what that looks like, because I've got so much work on.” You can obviously be talking about different solutions that somebody could implement if they feel overwhelmed and they need help, and remember, you want to educate people and give them the pros and cons and maybe a couple of different solutions.

The Stage three potential client

The third thing is that you've got somebody who understands their problem, understands what the solution is, but they just don't know about you, and so this is an opportunity for you to share more about what you do, what type of clients you work with, and how you help them.

The Stage four potential client

Then, you've obviously got the people in the fourth bucket who know what their problem is, know what the solution is, know all about you, and buy everything that you put out there, and we do love those particular clients. They know, like, and trust you, and you are the solution to their problem. But I think a lot of the time, we talk to those people a lot. They're the people who are subscribed to our newsletter. They're the people that we connect with on a daily basis, and they follow us on Instagram or Facebook, and that's great. You obviously want to continue to build and nurture those relationships, but are you spending time in bucket one and two to attract and connect with new clients where you're helping solve the problem?

How to connect with Stage one and Two potential clients more

Now, another way that you can potentially get in front of stage one and two potential client is to do things like guest blogging, getting on a podcast, somebody else's podcast, taking a look at, “Where am I not frequenting right now where my ideal client could be?” That is a really good question for a planning session that you might have, as well. Really have a think about what is maybe not obvious to you right now, and you might have to have a bit of a think about it and work out, “Where else could I be?”

Secondly speak directly to the issue. I think a lot of times, we talk about general topics, and I would really encourage you to really, really microfocus down on one particular theme. For example, I might talk about brand voice. Now, obviously, there are a million elements to a brand. It's not just visual, but it's personality, it's vision, it's connection, experience, but I might just talk about one single element of brand voice, and I might not just talk about that element. I might talk about how you can break out of your corporate brand voice to be more authentic and connect with your audience. I might just be talking to a single audience there. Maybe I am talking to people that have come out of corporate or people who are in corporate who are maybe now … They've got their own business. They've got a side hustle, or maybe they're just wanting to become a lot more personable online.

When you start to really drill down, you can start to attract specific elements of your audience, as well. So something I've been thinking about, because I've been coaching quite a few psychologists lately, that's something that I've been thinking of doing, really niching down and saying, “What are some brand issues that this particular industry or this particular type of person has?” If you want to really drill down and target a particular sector, then that is something that you can think about doing, as well.

Tip number three is to not only give them the solution, which could be you but give them the next steps, as well. I always think about this. If you watch this video, listen to the podcast, whatever it is, and you get something out of it, but you decide not to engage with me, sign up, whatever it is, subscribe, et cetera, then have I given you enough when it comes to the next steps? It's not always about the outcome being a sale or them subscribing.

Obviously, that's exactly what you're wanting, because you're wanting to build your audience and the connection and the ability to grow relationships, but always ask yourself, “Is the content that I'm creating giving somebody not only the solution that I think that they should have, but also the next steps of where they could be going and what they should be doing?” because that's really going to make a difference, as well, and people are going to feel like, “When I come to Suzanne's channel, when I go through there on Insta Stories, I always get value. She's never asking, or she's not asking for the sale all the time. She's giving me something new.”

Always think about the value that you're creating, and that will attract new customers because I can guarantee you, if you are providing value to your customers, clients, readers, subscribers, they will be telling people about you. For example, I am a big advocate of video, and so if somebody's saying, “Oh. I really need to get video sorted in my business,” I know so many of my community have said to people that don't know me, “Well, you need to connect with Suzanne.” That's exactly what you want. Provide value to people, give them the answers that they may not have right now, and they will refer you on, but they'll also feel like they're really getting something amazing from you. You're building trust, and that is what building brand is about. It's about building trust so that people keep coming back again and again.

Let's do a quick recap, how to attract new clients with your content. Number one is to think about the different buckets or stages that they're at, and maybe they don't always know all the answers and all of the things that you talk about, so kind of go back and dumb it down and figure out where somebody is beginning with their journey when it comes to what you talk about. Number two is to speak directly to their issue, so really make sure that you are kind of drilling down and speaking to something that is going to be really relevant to them rather than general and broad. Number three is to give them not only some tips and the solution that could be you, but give them the next steps so that they are always getting value from what it is that you're sharing.