R.I.P. content marketing 2022 and beyond? Hell no!

R.I.P. Content Marketing 2022?

Is content marketing dead in 2022?

Every week, you can search for an article declaring that content is over …

Why?

It’s too hard to reach an audience. Creators in all formats are abstaining. Social Media sites are narrowing intake. Ranking higher is getting increasingly difficult. And Search Engine Optimization (SEO) professionals can’t move the needle organically.

Big content marketers are reading the last rites and sounding the alarm about the field.

We’ll take a look at some of the content marketing trends over the next few years and explore whether or not it’s still a viable strategy. Spoiler alert: It is! Read on to find out why.

Too Many Channels With Nothing On

Content marketing 2022 is fumbling with the remote with too much on and nothing to watch

Content creation has never been easier.  An eight-year-old with a phone can record, edit and post something on the internet that will be competing with other low-cost, easy-to-produce content.

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Gone are the days of major motion picture studios, TV networks and print Goliaths that monopolized distribution. Their content was force-fed to the audience. Today, everyone has a motion picture studio in the palm of their hand.

This present content glut was a given. You’d be an idiot not to see this trend. Content may be king, but it is overexposed.

Content marketing 2022

What Is Content Marketing?

Marketers are like IT people and speak their own hard-to-understand language. Uh, like, what is content marketing?

Let’s explain the buzzword.

Content marketing and content strategy may seem like buzzwords to many.

It is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive a profitable customer action.

When done right, content marketing has been proven to provide ROI far greater than many other traditional marketing channels.

Content Marketing Strategy Explained

A well-defined content marketing strategy will increase traffic to your website by 2000%.

Better content can increase traffic by 2,000%. Creating killer content marketing efforts requires more than just writing well-crafted words and publishing them online. To be truly effective, content needs to resonate with the target audience and stand out from the crowd.

A key prerequisite to a winning content marketing strategy is thorough research. You need to thoroughly understand your audience so that you can create engaging, relevant content tailored specifically to their needs and wants. In order to take your content strategy to the next level and create compelling, high-quality content that performs well across multiple platforms, start researching, refining, and optimizing the copy. The payoff will be worth it – in terms of both engagement and ROI. The content marketing industry is expected to grow by USD 417.85 billion from 2020 to 2025.

CONTENT MARKETING ISN’T DEAD, IT’S JUST HARDER!

Some digital marketing gods have declared that there is a glut of content and the big platforms (Google, Facebook, etc) are discouraging inbound content by reducing outbound links (social media) or making sure the plants in their own garden get all the water (Google prioritizing their own content).

SEO Veteran Rand Fishkin claims that the ‘’Golden age of SEO is gone.’’

He reminisced about the good old days when he used to work at Moz.

At that time, SEO was relatively low-competition. You could rank easily, and when you did rank, Google made sure to send people to your website, not keep them on Google.

But today, the situation is a whole lot different. You cannot rank number one by pointing to three anchor text phrases. Every keyword today has 10,000 competitors and SEO is much more complicated.

Content marketing trends

It’s not just marketers sounding the alarm, but governmental officials as well.

Last year, the Ohio Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Google, declaring the internet Goliath should be a public utility when it comes to search.

Google uses its dominance of internet search to steer Ohioans to Google’s own products–that’s discriminatory and anti-competitive,” Yost said. “When you own the railroad or the electric company or the cellphone tower, you have to treat everyone the same and give everybody access.

“Content is … the biggest challenge in 2022”

To steer back to digital marketing legends, Neil Patel echoes the same sentiment saying that ‘Content is going to be the biggest challenge in 2022.’

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There are over 1 billion blogs on the internet and almost 1.7 billion websites. And when you think about it from a content perspective, roughly 7.5 million articles get published every day. Which comes out to 2.7 billion articles being published per year. So, the market is more saturated than it was ever before.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that the era of content marketing is over by any means. It just stresses that what’s going to give you an edge over your competitors is creating distinctive content.

Mind-Boggling Stats

The content marketing statistics in 2022 speak for themselves.

According to a global survey conducted in 2020, 37% of marketers said their organization spent up to $10,000 on content marketing efforts that year and according to 2% of industry professionals, their content marketing budgets for 2020 range from $500k to 5 million dollars.

43% of marketers had an increase in their content marketing budget, and 66% believe it will climb even more in 2022. The following are the primary content priorities for 2022, 45% of businesses want their brand to be more famous, 37% aim to increase website traffic, 36%  want to generate leads with content marketing, and 23% strive to improve customer loyalty with their content marketing.

Top Content Marketing Trends

What are some of the content marketing trends that are flying under the radar in this rapidly changing landscape? Some experts believe that 2022 and on may bring about a resurgence of long-form blogs and white papers, as consumers seek more in-depth information online. Others believe that new formats such as augmented reality (AR) will gain even greater traction over the next few years, offering brands exciting new ways to connect with their customers. Some still swear by the effectiveness of interactive videos and video marketing in general.

Whatever the future holds, one thing is clear: creative content marketing is here to stay, no matter what changes come our way. And while some trends may slip through the cracks now and again, those who can stay ahead of the curve will continue to reap rich rewards in the years to come.

Native Content > External Content

Native content now has greater importance for awareness infiltration. Social media platforms are working to reduce the reach of any form of content that is not native.

Why?

By directly posting native content on social media instead of a link, users are glued in immediately, free of surfing to other sites. Therefore, Facebook and others don’t want to facilitate user jaunts to other sites. Such platforms also want users to spend as much time on them as possible.

Deservingly so, they want material for their platform. It’s not about links only. Any proprietary sign is also included.

For instance, your Instagram Reels won’t be effectively reached out to your audience if they have the TikTok watermark on them.

Social media platforms are favoring native content over external content making content marketing more challenging on content marketers.

So, posting native content elicits more views and keeps Goliath happy. Moreover, native content messages cut through just as well as directing messages elsewhere. It might take more time to deploy this tactic but heightened ingenuity – and elbow grease – are in demand today.

Empathy is the New Search Engine Optimization

Content marketing 2022

In strategic content marketing, algorithms dictate the engagement game. Are creators the game changers? Rather than scurrying to adopt new SEO schemes to conform to – or beat – the system, maybe the game-changers are the content creators.

The arcane system that fed SEO suits is crumbling. But not content. Consumption of content has never raged stronger. Instead of wallowing in this quagmire of overpopulation, there needs to be audience empathy, something that has been lost on the current, “woe is me” SEO pushers.

The Content Strategy Revolution

Content that solves problems of the audience, that is aware of the pain points of the prospects and strikes the bullseye with a solution will win the day. You can do on-page SEO and optimize a piece to the gills with SEO tactics, but if you don’t do 1990’s Bill Clinton and feel your audience’s pain, then you won’t do as well.

Ultimately, you can add value by being a problem solver, not a technocratic keyword stuffer who produces content with a “good score” but is nearly impossible to read because it is so convoluted with SEO tactics.

To truly excel in content marketing you need to have empathy for the painpoints of your target audience.

2022: The Year of Creative Content

In fact, recent research shows that robust content marketing programs are likely to take precedence over SEO by 2022, as businesses recognize its true value in driving revenue and engagement.

So smart marketers focus on creating engaging and interactive content that speaks directly to your ideal customers – and let the power of SEO help amplify the message!

Yet Still, Myopia Persists …

Medically defined as nearsightedness, we think myopia also exists in content marketing. It’s when content marketers fail to focus on the long-term content marketing goal and hop on the latest content marketing trends.

This leads to the ignoring valuable data and insight into the decision-making process. Marketers will end up overlooking consumer intent, user-friendliness and the greatest king –customer-centricity.

 

Blindly following content marketing trends is giving content marketers myopia leaving them incapable of producing consistent results.

It’s just a ‘Bad Workman Quarrels With His Tools’ Strategy

Some people have noticed that usually these arguments are hauled out by practitioners of said dead art/strategy.

What Ross is saying if you can’t get players on base that doesn’t mean other teams can’t hit either.

SOLUTION: INSERT EUPHEMISM  FOR UNBORING CONTENT HERE

Per Neil Patel, you need to create content that “stands out” and eschew tried and true formulas.

We argued in an earlier blog post, that “creative content” is the difference-maker:

The problem is that “creative” is entirely subjective. You might find projectile vomit to be creative or appalling. We find it creative but we’re all different, right?

"Creative content" is one of the content marketing strategies that gets all the real balls.

Create and Execute the Perfect Marketing Strategy

Whether you are creating a new product, building a business or establishing yourself as an influencer in your industry, originality and creativity are essential for standing out from the crowd.

Capture your target audience attention with your unique content marketing strategy.

At the same time, competition is fierce in content marketing and any real content strategy. With so many people trying to capture the attention of potential customers, it can be difficult to break through all the noise and reach your target audience. This is where creative marketing agency like Content with Teeth comes in with done-for-you marketing.

Stand Tall

So if you want to get ahead in content marketing in 2022, remember: when it comes to content marketing trends, the key is that you need to create something that is truly #outside the box – something different and non-normal – in order to stand out from the rest.

Don't blindly follow content marketing trends. Instead, stand out in your industry by prociding relevant content that is creative and valuable to your target audience.

The only way to succeed online these days is by being authentic and unique; by tapping into your true passions and interests. Run away from cliques and the status quo.

In other words: cultivate your voice, set yourself apart from the competition and take your creative vision all the way to 11.

Bolder, Braver Content in a Sea of Mediocrity

Insert your fav business euphemism for content that stands out. Our term of choice is UnBoring Content. Far beyond the “different” cliche of “creative content” is an underlying tactic called contrast, absolving content of normalcy and striking it with a complexion completely foreign to its adversary.

Bolder and braver content is what we call the new content marketing trend.

Google anything and you will instantly be bombarded with the same message over and over. Expect companies that differentiate themselves with a non-routine branding strategy and unorthodox content marketing strategy to widen reach, appeal to customer needs, increase revenue and elevate brand recognition.

Content strategy is like a business strategy. Aim to follow a blue ocean strategy instead of a bloody, red ocean strategy. In other words, stop following what everyone else is doing. Become a pioneer.

Contrast: The New Marketing Mantra

In 2022, content marketers should include "contrast" in their content marketing strategy.

Contrast” is not the same as “different”. When a word becomes a cliche, it loses its spike, swagger, sincerity and prestige. Contrast has impetus and won’t be a cliche for years. It is a new rally cry that can be adopted to effect change in marketing department messages.

Good content marketing strategy dictates that in order to succeed, something must have its own category. Contrast has that and it can be advice advocated as a fresh approach. And it will be the umbrella for tactical, creative change.  For instance, companies creating unique podcasts will enjoy growth.

CASE STUDY: EMAIL AUTOMATION FOR MACHINE TOOL SUPPLIER

We have a long-standing client who is a manufacturing supplier. They had an accessory that they were discounting and we suggested email automation in Mailchimp to generate interest among their target customer audience.

We created a blog post and promoted it with a mass email blast that used analogies in a colorful way to promote a machine tool accessory:

The email blast had 12k opens and only 20 unsubscribes.

We created automation in Mailchimp to reach out to contacts who opened the initial email blast.

Further automation was triggered by contacts who opened the previous email.

The automated emails had solid open rates. The click rate is down but only 1 of the 3 emails had buttons to click. The goal for these emails was for the prospect to reply back and we stripped out the buttons.

 

Wordplay can lift rote content to the sublime

For all three automated emails, we didn’t “spam” people because we only had 11 total unsubscribes.

The campaign largely worked because the client reported they had several prospects express interest in retrofitting their legacy machines with the accessory that was on sale.

Looking at the numbers, the automation generated significant activity. For this client, quotes on accessories jumped in July 2021 (the month we ran the automation) compared to the previous July (2020) by 63.6%.

In short, by using email automation where the copy and design was useful and “UnBoring,” we were able to generate results for the client.

Let the Wizard of Words Be Your Differentiator

Let Content with Teeth's talented content marketers take care of your content marketing strategy.

Have you seen or read everything that is recommended to you?

No. It’s impossible with the glut of binge-worthy books, movies, television shows, podcasts, video games …

In an age where the barriers to create are low, there’s a LOT out there. Content marketers can skirt the “Death of Content” dirge by“stand outing” and being exceptional problem solvers. Create useful content that is not a retread and boring.

Be original a newborn content baby held lovingly in your parents arms

Are you a business owner or CMO with questions about attracting customers with the help of experienced hand pressing the hot buttons on effective content marketing trends and sound content marketing strategies? We at Content with Teeth have decades of experience in copywriting, video production and other media. To learn more, call us at +1(888) 552-9235 or schedule a free consultation.

May 30, 2022 Uncategorized No comments yet
Brad Cozza, Owner of a Florida investment group, is guest on the Episode 4 of The Come Up sponsored by Content with Teeth

Florida Investment Group Does The Come Up

In the latest episode of The Come Up, meet the guy every entrepreneur dreams of becoming.

He is owner of a thriving Florida investment group which means recently he has been printing cash …

He is one of Gulfshore Business’ 40 under 40 …

He is a former model …

Meet Brad Cozza.

Things weren’t always so rosy. In his earlier days, he took stock of his life after couch surfing in the Big Apple.

Now he is the founder of Cozza Investment Group which The Wall Street Journal named #10 in the country for volume produced.

The Come Up Episode 4 Highlights

The Come Up is a short video podcast produced by Content with Teeth that documents the up-and-coming entrepreneurial scene in Southwest Florida.

In Episode 4, Everyone Loves Brad Cozza.

Jumping between different companies and industries, from real estate to restaurants, you definitely want to follow this guy’s career arc.

Back in his school days: Brad was a hungry hunter for investment opportunities at FGCU when it was a lonely outpost with more snakes than students.

Cozza’s advice to entrepreneurs: Take risks, but calculated ones only. Learn how to adapt and NOT die.

Real estate success: learn how to work the genie to up your odds of being in the right place at the right time.

Watch the episode and learn the connection between Cozza and Pitbull and the ultimate advice on unlocking a real estate gamechanger.

About Brad Cozza and Content with Teeth

For UnBoring Content like The Come Up, contact Content with Teeth HERE. Find Cozza Investment Firm located in Fort Myers HERE.

The Come Up Episode 4 Transcript

Scrappy Jackson: What’s up? What’s up? What’s up? I’m Scrap Jackson, and this is The Come Up, a video podcast celebrating Southwest Florida’s most interesting entrepreneurs. We’re brought to you by Content with Teeth, a creative content marketing agency right here in Southwest Florida. They do all kinds of good stuff: copywriting, video production, HubSpot services, and based on this big ass Fathead logo behind me, you can tell they do it big, real big.

Scrappy Jackson: Our guest today is Brad Cozza, an FGCU grad who’s turned his business degree into a Southwest Florida real estate and entertainment empire. He’s done it with moxie, risk-taking vision, passion. It’s awesome to have you here, Brad. We really appreciate it.

Brad Cozza: What’s up, Scrap? Thanks for having me. How you been?

Scrappy Jackson: Good. Really good. Really good. Southwest Florida is alive with real estate entertainment. You’re on the cusp. But I’m thinking back in the day, when you were in West Warwick, Rhode Island, you’re playing shortstop for your little league team, in your wildest dreams did you think you’d be here today?

Brad Cozza: Well, everybody in their wildest dreams in West Warwick, Rhode Island in little league thought that they were all going to play for the Boston Red Sox, so that was, I guess, my dream back then. But no, I’m very blessed to have made that move to Southwest Florida, because it was just a golden opportunity and moved at the right place at the right time, and I was very happy to go south.

Scrappy Jackson: And then you went to FGCU. Tell us about your experience there with Business Administration.

Brad Cozza: I did. So I was one of the second, I think it was the second graduating class at FGCU. So back then, you would take a ride to your dorm room down Ben Hill Griffin. And I felt like Jack Hanna, basically looking for boar, for reptiles, for snakes. It was just before there was any growth pattern, that now you take a look to see Gulf Coast Town Center, you take a look at Miramar, it’s a completely different environment where it was 15 years ago.

Scrappy Jackson: If you only had one acre of Miramar land back, then you’d be pretty much set. Right?

Brad Cozza: I would have bought something, I just didn’t have any money.

Scrappy Jackson: So, you get involved in modeling. You go to Miami. Perry Ellis, Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, you’re doing really big for the Miami modeling scene, but I read somewhere where you were stuck on a couch and you wanted more out of life?

Brad Cozza: So, the modeling industry was for the time being. It was one of those situations where you would go to the coolest parties, and I had a vast appreciation for fashion, but it’s one of those industries where you don’t make any money.

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah.

Brad Cozza: And I went to college and wanted to, obviously, use my college education. And I found myself one morning in Queens, basically living on a couch. I was like, “Okay. This was fun, now it’s time to actually do some work.”

Scrappy Jackson: But in many respects, it was the groundwork for your perspective today, because your real estate vision involves somewhat of a metropolitan, cosmopolitan feel. Right?

Brad Cozza: Sure, absolutely. So, definitely, the real estate investment arena in Southwest Florida has been what I actually focused on when I first got my license. When I was a licensed agent, typically you get into real estate and you do cookie-cutter showings and working with buyers. I knew right off the bat that I had a passion for ROI investment, development, and was in the right place at the right time during the market boom of 2005. And we started marketing to major metropolitan centers. We would run ads in the San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, New York Post. And it went from five deals to 10 deals, and in 2006, our company was ranked number 10 in the nation by the Wall Street Journal for volume produced nationwide. So it was a great accolade and definitely found my sweet spot with working with investor.

Scrappy Jackson: Foreclosures, pre-construction, flips, sales, what do you like the best? What’s the most exciting to you?

Brad Cozza: Depends on what the market is.

Scrappy Jackson: Really, because you’re a businessman. Right?

Brad Cozza: So, right now you read the market and there’s a housing scarcity. So what makes this market different from ’05, ’06 is back then it was just anybody could get a construction loan, state-to-state programs, everybody was irresponsible. It was investors buying from investors. It was all hyper appreciation, false appreciation.

Brad Cozza: In this market, the game changer was COVID. 2020, our governor, you never actually bring up politics in business, but you have to state the obvious. When our governor DeSantis basically said, “Hey, listen. Florida’s open for business,” it just really spiked our local economy, spiked the economy of Florida. And from 2020 to 2021, it was the largest economic boom that Florida has ever seen.

Brad Cozza: Now you’re seeing the drip, drip, residential effect, where there’s a huge demand for housing, because people are being relocated here from their northernly blue states. And you’re starting to see for the first time, you’re seeing New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, you’re seeing New England, you’re seeing Washington, you’re seeing California. So it’s good to see that we’re now increasing the people that basically are actually coming to this area, in addition to the Midwesterners that historically come to South of Florida.

Scrappy Jackson: From a complexion standpoint, where do you see the demographic texture going here in Southwest Florida?

Brad Cozza: Major metropolitan, which is very diverse, and you’re going to see, which we love, we love a melting pot. We love different concepts. And especially to see that this market is very educated and metropolitan-oriented, it’s completely different where it was five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago. This market is looking and feeling more and more of something you would see in the East Coast.

Scrappy Jackson: And you’re on the cusp, that’s for sure. Gulf Shore Magazine’s 40 under 40. And I was doing my homework on you, Brad, and I came up with this idea. Now tell me if I’m wrong. Modeling was an indoctrination, real estate, a foundation, food and entertainment, an avocation.

Brad Cozza: I think I might use that. That’s IG-worthy.

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah, man, because your avocation-

Brad Cozza: Yeah. Listen, hospitality has always been a passion mine, and I consider it a fun environment to be around. And I really think that Southwest Florida is ready for some major metropolitan ideas and some concepts that more and more we’re seeing that. We’re getting away from what historically would actually work in Southwest Florida five, 10 years ago, because it is so diverse and we are seeing such migration to this location, to Southwest Florida. So it’s getting that metropolitan vibe and we love it.

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah. You’re not satisfied with just real estate. Colleoni’s is a wonderful Italian restaurant. Tell us about that.

Brad Cozza: Yeah. So I was always one of their biggest patrons. I used to go there all the time. And COVID happened, and they have some family back in Milan, so they said, “Hey, Brad, would you be interested in promoting and selling our business?” So I said, “Well, how much do you want?” And we actually came to terms, and I said, “I’d like to take over the tradition itself.” So we hired a really good team, hired a really good chef that basically provided a little, had that whole Colleoni family recipe, but added a little modern touch to it. And it’s been great. We’re looking for expansion, and it’s been a tremendous opportunity.

Scrappy Jackson: That’s great. As an entrepreneur, you’ve definitely carved your own path. You’ve taken risks. You faced adversity. What kind of advice can you give a young entrepreneur today?

Brad Cozza: Take risks, but definitely diversify. Take calculated risks, do your homework. What works in one market might not work in another market itself. So just really dial into what market you would like to take that risk in, and take that jump in the pool.

Scrappy Jackson: Another piece of advice; I want Brad to give advice to his 20-year-old self.

Brad Cozza: Get in real estate before you’re 25. But again, the experiences I had with modeling and hospitality and so on and so forth, I like to be well-rounded, and I like to do numerous things at the same time. So I would not second guess anything, and I’m very happy and very fortunate to be in such a growing, explosive marketplace.

Scrappy Jackson: As ambitious as you are, how do you keep all these things, how do you keep them balanced, work/life?

Brad Cozza: That’s always the challenge. The challenge is I always like to work. I work when I’m basically not working if that makes any sense.

Scrappy Jackson: Yes.

Brad Cozza: I always, whenever I go on vacation, I’m basically looking at other concepts, I’m looking at other ideas. And so, it’s always churning in order to basically stay ahead of the game and ahead of curve, especially in a market that you can definitely actually take advantage of in a positive way, and basically actually impact some positive changes.

Scrappy Jackson: Cozza Investment Firm. Tell us about it right now, and how can we participate with you in future opportunities?

Brad Cozza: So, we’re working with some large institutional hedge funds, as well as individual investors. Again, we never want to basically overplay one specific marketplace, so we’re very flexible. There’s a huge demand for affordable housing, so we’re taking our investment group and our investors, our builders, and we’re moving north. We’re actually going to Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, North Port, Claremont, center of the state, anywhere where it makes sense where you can create affordable housing. That’s where the true demand is, and that’s where you’re going to have your exit strategies in a very safe, relative marketplace compared to what it was in that 2005, 2006 market. So we like to be flexible and we like to… Because the more investors make, the more they’re going to invest back with us.

Scrappy Jackson: Given your flexibility, do you still have a niche?

Brad Cozza: We do. We do. Pre-construction is definitely a huge niche because we’re in such a hot seller’s marketplace right now that the cost of reproduction is the only way that we can show an equity position for our investors. Because we give our builders such high volume, they can afford to scale it, and basically, actually reduce the price per square foot. So pre-construction is the niche now, but again, you never know. The market changes. Who would have known in 2008 that our sole business plan would be attending the foreclosure auction every day?

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah. Yeah. I’ve seen you on IG, family, fun, friends, entrepreneurship. You’re a good dude, and I really appreciate you, man. And one of the things that I kind of correlate with is Pitbull. He says, “Live life. Don’t let life live you.” And you’re certainly doing that.

Brad Cozza: That’s correct. It’s got to be a well-rounded lifestyle.

Scrappy Jackson: Brad Cozza, I appreciate you, bud, really do. This is The Come Up, a video podcast celebrating Southwest Florida’s entrepreneurs. It is brought to you by Content with Teeth, a creative content marketing agency right here in Southwest Florida. From copywriting to video production to HubSpot service, they do it really big, just like this Fathead right here, Content with Teeth. Brad, thanks again, man. I really appreciate it.

Brad Cozza: Scrap, you’re the man. Thanks, brother.

May 20, 2022 The Come Up No comments yet
Time up Ep-3

Naples, FL Wedding DJ Does The Come Up

 

If you are about to say, “I do,” DJ PatPat, a Naples, FL wedding DJ, is the OG in back, NOT the chump in the front …

Find out why in Episode 3 of The Come Up where host Scrappy Jackson interviews the coolest DJ in Southwest Florida who has been spinning DJ entertainment and keeping the nuptials party alive for some four decades.

 

Naples, FL wedding DJ

The Come Up is a short video podcast produced by Content with Teeth that documents up-and-coming entrepreneurial scene in Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Charlotte County.

The Come Up Episode 3 Highlights with a Southwest Florida Weddings DJ

Check out some notable moments from this episode featuring a professional Naples DJ:

The art of delegation and organization: Event entertainment services are undoubtedly not stress-free. Find out how the veteran DJ PatPat keeps everything together, from customer service to employee retention, by using one simple trick for wedding receptions.

About handling “Bridezillas” and some of the most demanding clients on Earth : Everyone wants perfection at a wedding. Achieve that by serving the client a long-form document where all ground rules and contingencies are outlined and planned for! Discover what Wedding DJ PatPat puts in her planners to avoid drama at wedding receptions.

How to deal with wedding DJs who undercut prices: DJ PatPat is a dance floor Queen who has been running the Naples DJ scene for some 40 years. Discover the strategy of this Naples Florida wedding DJ to fend off low-cost c0mpetition.

A tip to your 20-year-old self: Stop spending money on dumb stuff!

Regarding starting your own business: DJ PatPat’s advice is grounded in a simple maxim – Invest in yourself. Learn how she grew her DJ service empire in Southwest Florida by following this concept.

The worst best man’s speech made in history: Your jaw will be on the ground after hearing dance floor queen DJ PatPat’s story – “Did that dude really say THAT!?”

Don’t forget to watch to learn more about the marketing tactics that DJ PatPat uses for her Southwest Florida DJ service and more wisdom that applies to all businesses, not just DJ entertainment.

About DJ PatPat and Content with Teeth

For UnBoring Content like The Come Up, contact Content with Teeth HERE.
Reach out to DJ PatPat’s company HERE. Check out one of the best Naples wedding DJs’ social media accounts HERE, HERE and HERE.

The Come Up Episode 3 Transcript

Scrappy Jackson: What’s up? What’s up? What’s up? What’s up? What’s up? I’m Scrap Jackson, and this is The Come Up. I’m so excited about The Come Up. We do this every week on a video podcast with Content with Teeth. We celebrate entrepreneurs, unconventional entrepreneurs like DJ PatPat, my girl representing hard for Naples. What’s up, girlfriend?

DJ PatPat: Yo, Scrappy. What’s popping?

Scrappy Jackson: It’s awesome to see you. You’re definitely unconventional when it comes to an entrepreneur. That’s for sure.

DJ PatPat: Oh, man. I love the entrepreneur world. I really, truly do.

Scrappy Jackson: Tell us about it. You started off as a teenager.

DJ PatPat: I started off really young, at 14 years old, man, just working with my parents at the restaurant back in the day. It was actually a Spanish grocery store, and I used to handle money and stuff like that.

Scrappy Jackson: Okay. How did it progress from there?

DJ PatPat: Well, from there, by the time I was 16, I started actually DJing, and I started my little entertainment company, and I started doing private parties and events. I’ve just basically been in the whole restaurant entertainment world for almost 24 years now.

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah. You’re a staple in Naples, whether it’s DJing on a radio station, doing it at the club, doing it at quinceañeras. Forget about it. You’re at nightclubs, all over the place. But your core business is definitely weddings. Tell us about that.

DJ PatPat: Yes. So, the wedding industry is pretty big here in Florida. We are a destination hotspot for weddings. A lot of our weddings are ceremonies on the beach, and then the receptions and cocktails are at a country club or at a hotel or a resort. It’s just a really popular industry. Everybody’s just getting married these days. A lot of young people are starting to get married, too, at 22, 23 years old.

Scrappy Jackson: You’ve been at this for 24 years in the wedding business as a DJ. How much of it is fun versus business at this point in your career?

DJ PatPat: That’s a great question. I still love, obviously, what I do. I don’t get bored of it. It’s my passion. I don’t think I’m ever going to say, “Oh, I’m just doing this to do this.” You know what I mean? My goal is to hang up the gloves at about 56 because that is going to be 40 years of doing this, and I want to be able to say I was a DJ for 40 years.

Scrappy Jackson: Well, you can hang up your hat. You still have five or six DJs working for you, right?

DJ PatPat: Yeah. No. I will. I will have the team out in the field working it while I work it behind the scenes, but I don’t want to be that, let’s say, 56-year-old, 60-year-old DJ. I don’t. You know what I’m saying? People that are booking in their 20s and 30s, they’re probably going to look at it like, “I don’t want this 60-year-old.” They’re going to want somebody younger. I get it because, if it was my wedding, I would probably want the same thing, even though this 60-year-old guy has been doing it for 50 years. You get what I’m saying?

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah. Yeah.

DJ PatPat: Times kind of change, and your style kind of changes a little bit too. It’s not going to be my thing.

Scrappy Jackson: You can be the mack in the back.

DJ PatPat: Correct. Correct.

Scrappy Jackson: Your DJs can be the chump in the front.

DJ PatPat: You got it.

Scrappy Jackson: How do you market your business these days?

DJ PatPat: I use WeddingWire. I use their sister company called The Knot. I attend bridal shows. I do Google AdWords, a lot of word-of-mouth referrals.

Scrappy Jackson: Well, that’s what I was curious about because you’re so popular. You’re so prevalent in the community. Do you have to market yourself outside of just referrals? Because you’re pretty much the known quantity in Naples.

DJ PatPat: When it comes to the wedding industry, I’m always going to advertise on wedding websites because clients are going to go there first and say, “Oh, where can I find my florist?” if they don’t know a florist, or, “Where can I find my video guy if I don’t know a video guy?” You become the first reference for them, so it’s really good to do that. I also am a preferred vendor at a lot of venues. I make a relationship with the facility. I show that “Hey, I’m a pro. I know what I’m doing,” and they like what I do, so I get added to their list.

Scrappy Jackson: You’re such a professional, and there’s so many things you have to worry about: being responsible, customer service, taking care of your employees. How do you keep it all together?

DJ PatPat: Great question. I put everything on my calendar. For example, on our iPhones, we have iCal or whatever, and I put on there, “I have to call so-and-so at a certain time” or, “I’m meeting …” I make a to-do list on my calendar, and I follow that daily, and I write things down, and I try to be one to respond back to emails in less than 24 hours. I’m very organized when it comes to writing everything down and putting it in my to-do list.

Scrappy Jackson: I think it’s amazing how you delegate too. You’re definitely the jefe, but you have a great ability to empower the people that work around you to do their job and do it responsibly.

DJ PatPat: Thank you. Thank you. It’s a lot of hard work. It really is. Sometimes, it’s-

Scrappy Jackson: How do you choose your people?

DJ PatPat: Well, I meet them. I interview them. I check out their experience. Are they put together? I want to see your system, how it looks when you’re out in a field. If I see you’re not how I’m set up, well, I’m going to tell you some tips and tricks and have you get the things that you need so you can follow my brand. That’s pretty much how I do it with my team. Once they see it, they’re like, “Oh, man. Thanks for telling me to do this or put a speaker skirt over my stand just to keep things neater.” That’s pretty much how I do it with my guys.

Scrappy Jackson: But you don’t lose any sleep because the customers are very, very, very, very, very demanding in your business. The brides want it perfect. I disc jockeyed a couple of them, just a couple of them, and I was overwhelmed by the demands. How do you keep it all intact?

DJ PatPat: I give my clients what’s called a 12-page wedding planner, and that’s what keeps them organized and me knowing what they want me to do, or my team. It’s basically fill-in-the-blanks. Every question that I have for them will be on those 12 pages. It’s a great guide and a reference on how your day’s going to go from start to end. Then, once I get that back after it’s been filled out, at least two weeks before their wedding day, I’ll call them in the evening time when they’re both home and we can all discuss, me, the bride, and the groom, and we can discuss that paperwork, drop our timeline.

DJ PatPat: Then, once that’s done, then I get with my team, tell them what the dealio is. I’ll put it all together. I’ll provide them with any extra equipment we need. I’ll provide them with any lighting, any extra enhancements, if we need assistance, with an assistant to help the DJ. That’s where I come in and organize everything. We create a timeline and provide any additional things that are needed.

Scrappy Jackson: Interesting. Interesting. I didn’t realize you were that organized.

DJ PatPat: Yes. Yes, Scrappy. I have to be.

Scrappy Jackson: Because I think of DJ PatPat, I’m thinking [inaudible 00:07:15].

DJ PatPat: No. See, a lot of people think, “Oh, yeah. I found a DJ for 500 bucks.” I’m like, “Well, you’re going to get what you paid for, or I’m going to get that call, “The DJ just canceled on me last minute.”

Scrappy Jackson: I’m so glad you said that because that was my next question. You’re an elite wedding service, but there’s so many up-and-comers that try to undercut you. How do you deal with that?

DJ PatPat: I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff anymore. Like you said, I have 24 years of experience under my belt. I have over 1,500 weddings that I’ve either DJed or produced with my team. I have more than enough experience for some Joe Schmo to come in and say, “Well, I’m half the price.” Does Joe Schmo provide you with a planner? Does Joe Schmo provide you with two people at your wedding day? Does Joe Schmo provide you with uplights or these enhancements or a photo booth or planning a timeline. A lot of times, they’ll be like, “Oh, no. No. He didn’t mention that.” “Well, then how do you know what you’re going to do?”

DJ PatPat: A lot of those guys that are cheap, I have to say they’re more of a nightclub-type DJ, a bar-type DJ. A nightclub/bar DJ that is not a mobile DJ does not understand how a wedding should flow. They just don’t.

Scrappy Jackson: I’ve witnessed you in action, and you’re so polished. Your organization is so polished. That’s a reflection of you. It’s a personification. DJ PatPat is organized and polished and customer service-driven. You do an amazing job, and it really shows over time.

DJ PatPat: Thank you, Scrappy. Thank you, man. Nobody taught me this. This was all self-taught, just watching and seeing and learning and going through a bumpy road, bumpy things on a road and having to pick myself back up and, “You know what? I’m not going to do it like this anymore. I’m going to change it. I’m going to do it like this now.” What I do now works for me.

DJ PatPat: I tell anybody new that comes and works for me, I’m like, “Hey, man …” Great example. Last Saturday, I had a new guy training, being my assistant at an event. He did a fantastic job. He’s a little DJ, bedroom DJ for his friends and stuff. Great attitude. He’s a business owner. He’s available on the weekends, polished dude, great day with him. I was like, “Wow. You’re really into this.” He’s like, “Yeah, man.” He goes, “And I just learned some things from you today. I didn’t know you did this like this or you did this like that.”

Scrappy Jackson: Cool. You want to hear that?

DJ PatPat: Yeah. Absolutely. I told him, I said, “Hey, when you do next Saturday with me,” I said, “you’re going to notice that this becomes repetitive.” It’s repetitive. It’s the same sound system. It’s the same setup. We might just include a couple of little things or tweak a couple of little things out, but it literally just becomes a repetitive thing every week where it should just be flawless.

Scrappy Jackson: Best man’s speech. What’s the worst one you’ve ever heard?

DJ PatPat: A few years back, this guy starts with, “I’m not going to say a few things that’s happened with us in the past, but I am going to mention this.” He starts talking about the groom’s ex-girlfriend and how him and the groom had a great time with her one night. I was like, “Oh my goodness. Why do we even bring this subject up?” I don’t know what happened that day after all that. I was so embarrassed myself just listening to this and knowing that I have control of this guy’s microphone. This guy was pretty much saying that him and the groom had a great time with his ex-girlfriend if you know what I mean?

Scrappy Jackson: Yeah. As accomplished as you are, what advice do you give young entrepreneurs?

DJ PatPat: Hard work. Hard work. A lot of late nights. A lot of failure. A lot of patience. You really have to put a lot of passion and perseverance into what you do because I feel like that is what equals success.

Scrappy Jackson: Absolutely. Absolutely. Another piece of advice. Pat, give yourself advice to your 20-year-old self.

DJ PatPat: My 20-year-old self, huh? I wish that I wouldn’t have thrown away a lot of money in my 20s.

Scrappy Jackson: Okay. All right. That’s cool. That’s personal. How about from a business tip?

DJ PatPat: Business tip. When you’re young, start investing in yourself. Okay? If you want to start a business, start buying what you need little by little. Open up that name, get that logo, the little things that you’ve got to start with. Invest in yourself because, when you invest in yourself, that’s when you’re starting to invest in your company, in your future, in your business, and how to pick up and start doing it on your own. Always invest in yourself and in your venture, what you want to do.

Scrappy Jackson: DJ PatPat is an iconic brand in Naples. That’s for sure.

DJ PatPat: Thank you, Scrappy. Thank you.

Scrappy Jackson: Do you want to shout out your business? This is an opportunity for you to market yourself.

DJ PatPat: Yeah, sure. My entertainment company, you can find us on the internet at hpsentertainment.com, and anything social media @hpsentertainment.

Scrappy Jackson: You have robots too. What services do you offer? I know you have lighting. You have robots. What else?

DJ PatPat: We do DJ services. We do photo booth. We do rentals with a slingshot for people’s photos. We do uplighting, dance floor lighting. I have an in-house hair and makeup artist who is my wife. I also have an in-house videographer for videography needs. Yeah. We try to do a little one-stop-shop so, that way, we can help a lot of the burden of your event all in one place.

Scrappy Jackson: Content with Teeth, young entrepreneurs on The Come Up doing big things. You can see this logo behind me, this fat head, this big bulldog. Contentwithteeth.com. Check them out, a creative content agency. Pat, I got nothing but love for you, baby.

DJ PatPat: Scrappy, you know I got nothing but love for you too, homie.

May 14, 2022 The Come Up No comments yet
This Florida Entertainment Boss is Come Up's second episode's star

Greetings from Lakes Park, S.W.F.L. 

When you think of The Boss and entertainment, you immediately think of Bruce Springsteen. 

Not in Southwest Florida where The Boss is Rachelle Ford, Owner of Ford Entertainment Magazine chronicling the world of entertainment with a hip hop flavor.

In Episode 2 of The Come Up, Scrappy Jackson interviews Rachelle who is legendary for her compact but killer tenacity.

Our video podcast chronicles the up-and-coming entrepreneurial scene in Southwest Florida.

Here are some highlights of The Come Up E2:

Print: With Ford Magazine Entertainment, Rachelle will have you reconsidering print if you solely rely on digital.

Motto: If you can sell one, you can sell a million (or maybe a 100 million!) Rachelle offers lessons on how to shoot for the moon.

Best advice to your 22-year-old self: Skip waiting on that co-sign and Express Yourself.

Rachelle’s secret sauce: Doing one thing so well and getting paid for it rather than working on several projects that spread you thin and don’t grease the wheel.

About Rachelle Ford and Content with Teeth

For UnBoring Content like The Come Up, contact Content with Teeth HERE.
Order issue 71 of Rachelle’s magazine HERE or on her app HERE.

The Come Up Episode 2 Transcript

Scrappy Jackson: What up? What up? What up? What up? What up? I’m Scrappy Jackson. This is The Come Up for up-and-coming people in Southwest Florida that are entrepreneurs and highly intriguing. So we call it The Come Up because they’re up and coming, we flip it on its ear. And it’s brought to you by Content with Teeth, an amazing content agency. They’re incredible, they do creative content, and they’re big, they’re really big, they’re huge. So big check out this fathead, that’s how big they are.

 

Rachelle Ford: I love it. I love it. What’s up, Scrappy?

 

Scrappy Jackson: Content with Teeth. Yes, definitely. Rachelle, it is awesome, awesome, awesome to see you. I love you. I got nothing but respect, admiration, appreciation for you. Few people understand and comprehend how amazing you are. I see you blushing.

 

Rachelle Ford: I am. Thank you Scrappy. I have so much respect for you, so much love for you. Oh my gosh, it’s a pleasure. It’s really a pleasure.

 

Scrappy Jackson: It’s really awesome for me too. You’re a Haitian immigrant. At age 14, you came to Southwest Florida. You got the bug for entertainment, you became a teen model. And then in 2009, you did something special, you started Ford Entertainment Magazine, highly impressive, awesome. Tell us about your magazine.

 

Rachelle Ford: Well, my magazine, I’ve always been into journalism and interviewing and I’ve always wanted to be curious about someone’s journey, someone’s story, especially the creative beings because I feel like I’m one of the creative beings, I just don’t have any singing talents. So it’s like those who can’t do teach or report it. So I report the stories. So I started the magazine because I’ve always wanted to be in media, publication and I just went for it and I’ve just been enjoying it ever since.

 

Scrappy Jackson: I met you in 2009 when the first issue came out and I have to say three things hit me immediately, Rachelle. Number one, you’re the boss, you’re definitely the boss. And you’re not that tall, how tall are you?

 

Rachelle Ford: I am 4′ 11.5″.

 

Scrappy Jackson: But you’re still the boss.

 

Rachelle Ford: Still the boss. I’m compact but I’m the boss.

 

Scrappy Jackson: And I think everybody can see by this video that you’re amazingly passionate about what you do on a daily basis no matter what it is. You attack life, I respect that. And number three, your confidence, your amazing confidence. Oh, I have number four actually too. And I don’t know if this is because of Haitian people in general, but you’re gentle and wonderful and warm and soft yet you are the boss.

 

Rachelle Ford: You have to be in this, especially in the music industry. It’s a very male-dominated industry but there’s so many ladies that are trailblazing, that are kicking butt out here, and I just want to be one of them. I feel like as far as confidence if you believe in what you’re doing… I know everybody has checked out the latest Genius documentary and it just inspires so much, and it’s the same spirit. If you believe in what you’re doing and you believe in where you’re going, you just got to keep that sight, keep that vision in mind and just keep going and keep… What we’re trying to do. So let’s take some time to explain or show them more because you don’t want to waste time banging on the same doors because it’s a numbers game. If you knock on 1,000 doors, at least 10 of them is going to open for you. So you don’t want to keep knocking on the same 10 doors, you want to keep going. So relentless is keep going, but not so much in that same little corner all the time, you’ve got to broaden your horizons.

 

Scrappy Jackson: But it must be crazy frustrating when you have something so special that you know is undeniable and will touch the world, highly creative and you get no, no, no, no, no.

 

Rachelle Ford: Of all the nos you get, you have to pay attention to the yeses. Because like I said, you’re going to get nos. If every single person you talk to says no, then take a step back and look at yourself and say, “Okay, wait. Do I need to tweak some stuff? What’s going on?” You got to pay attention to the yeses because the yeses are what’s going to keep you going. When I see a random person looking at the magazine or like someone was talking to their friends and that person was looking at the magazine on the phone not knowing I was there and he was like, “Yo, this is great, I love this, this is on point.” And they were saying really great things and I was in the corner like, “Oh my gosh.” Blushing [inaudible]. When people gravitate towards your product, if you can sell one, you can sell 10. And if you can sell 10, you can sell 100 million.

 

Scrappy Jackson: True that. True that, that’s a great point. That’s a great point.

 

Rachelle Ford: You’ve got to perfect your craft. So when you hear a no, don’t take that no from, oh, they’re hating, they’re trying to keep me in the bucket, they’re trying to do this. Be like, “Okay, let me keep going. What can I do better or what can I change? What can I tweak?” Sometimes you don’t have to change anything about it, it’s just not the right person. There’s a billion people on the planet, why do you keep chasing that same one person?

 

Scrappy Jackson: Good point, good point, good point. When you were in Haiti growing up, did you have any entrepreneurial spirit way back when?

 

Rachelle Ford: Growing up in Haiti, literally my childhood was just my childhood. I had such an amazing childhood, I had no responsibilities except to be a kid, go to school, and play with my cousins. So life didn’t really start for me until I left Haiti. Which was so impactful for me because moving out of what I know from my little cushion bubble and then moving to the real world, into a brand new culture, brand new language, brand new people, and then trying to figure things out. So I think my entrepreneurial spirit really kicked in starting with a survival spirit really because coming into a country that’s completely foreign and you have to navigate your way through it.

Rachelle Ford: And I’m the type of person I’m not going to wait for anyone to feed me, I’m not going to wait for anyone to hand me a check. I want to go get it, I want to know, I want to be in charge of every second of my day. So that’s how that started. If I’m going to be learning the culture, what do… And then I also went through a really horrible period of my life in a toxic relationship, a very violent relationship with children, and all of that. I used to tell myself if I was to get out of that, what would I do? And I said, “I would be in charge of my time, I would be in charge of my dreams, and I would just go for them relentlessly.” And I just did that. So my entrepreneurial spirit really started in America, so thank God America.

 

Scrappy Jackson: Busta Rhymes once said, “There’s no such thing as plan B.” You mentioned you’re a survivor and you’re going to do it, whether it’s domestically or professionally. Speak on that because you jumped all in with your projects.

 

Rachelle Ford: It’s like I want to do it all, it’s a blessing and a curse. When you tell yourself, I can do anything, everything is within my reach, I just got to focus on it hard enough, it almost becomes dangerous because it applies to everything. So then we find ourselves trying to do everything because opportunities sometimes come in waves and you don’t want to miss out. So I always get into this feeling of, oh my gosh, I don’t want to miss out. And then also how my weird Gemini brain is wired is like, I want to do it now, I want the world right now, I want everything right now. So I’ll be trying to do it all, I’ll be trying to do it all, I ain’t even going to lie.

Scrappy Jackson: Tell us about your magazine. When I first heard of it, I thought of it as straight-up hip-hop. But it’s so much more than that, it’s entertainment magazine.

 

Rachelle Ford: It’s entertainment, it’s Ford Entertainment Magazine. It really did start as hip-hop because I’m in love with hip-hop, but it focuses on artists, models, business entrepreneurs, everybody, actors. Entertainment industry is not just music. So it started off with music but music has so many legs you can’t do anything in life without music. So the magazine is not just music, it’s life literally.

 

Scrappy Jackson: You facilitated a lot of artists over the years, a lot of local up and comers. Tell us about your grind.

 

Rachelle Ford: My grind has been nonstop. I’ve met so many amazing artists, I’ve done so many projects with so many amazing artists, both locally and nationally, because it is also a national magazine. I even did a Nigerian issue one time with YCee, which is my favorite Nigerian artist of all time. So I use the magazine to meet all the cool people, so hey.

 

Scrappy Jackson: Okay, cool. You’re in print and you’re online, how do you stay afloat in print?

Rachelle Ford: I don’t even know how to answer that because it’s a self-funded business. So a lot of people in the entertainment industry, they feel like they’re superstars and they shouldn’t have to pay for anything, everything should be free. So they get offended when you tell them no, it’s a fee-based publication, it’s a business because it goes towards the printing. So it does get hard to manage the printing, but we’re going to keep going because we have a large subscriber base that are incarcerated, that can’t see it online, that can’t go on our app, which is on Apple and Google Play. So we keep the print alive and we’re going to keep the printing alive. And we’re just going to increase and expand.

 

Scrappy Jackson: It’s interesting to say that because you’re very passionate about that. But if you operate as two individual cost centers, online versus print, is it sustainable in print? Are you making money in print?

 

Rachelle Ford: I make more money in print than I do with online.

 

Scrappy Jackson: No, well.

 

Rachelle Ford: Because everybody thinks that print is going away. But you go to any doctor’s offices’, barbershop, nail salons, there’s magazines on the waiting table and people are going to pick them up.

 

Scrappy Jackson: True.

 

Rachelle Ford: So people love to say, print is dying, no print is going to stay forever because we read, everybody reads, and not everybody is digitally inclined. Some people want to relax and go over a nice little story and that’s what we’re doing.

 

Scrappy Jackson: Sure. Your business model, I see advertising in your magazine, but you also have rappers and models, et cetera. Do you charge the rappers and models for exposure?

 

Rachelle Ford: I do. But the way we do it, it’s more than just I charge you and I did an interview with you. We’re taking it so much further to brand that artist, to promote that artist. For example, the artist that I’m working with now, he’s on the cover of the magazine. We did a full story on him and we also dropped a juice, which is a personal custom lemonade, orange pineapple lemonade for him. And we’ve been selling this lemonade for the last month now, we now have it at a local grocery store and the artist makes a commission from that product. So it’s more like a business venture together.

 

Scrappy Jackson: I read about it, it’s called Juice Box, very innovative. And when does The Scrappy juice come out?

 

Rachelle Ford: Scrappy juice got to tell me. This girl’s craving [inaudible].

 

Scrappy Jackson: Let’s make it happen. Let’s make it happen.

 

Rachelle Ford: Scrappy juice coming out, you just got to tell me your flavor, I’ll pay [inaudible].

 

Scrappy Jackson: I’m bad about it. And you don’t have to pay me, I just want to hear Scrappy juice, that sounds really cool.

Rachelle Ford: Let’s do it. Let’s do it, Scrappy. I got the logo in mind and everything. I just had the whole thing fucking in my head.

 

Scrappy Jackson: You’re really, really creative, you’re really inspiring, you’re very ambitious. I think about you and the conferences and the awards and the Iron Circle with empowered women and the homeless people you take care of, and the magazine and the digital magazine. You do so much. How many people are on your staff to do all these things?

 

Rachelle Ford: [inaudible] there are four personalities. No, but there’s a lot of great, great, great people in my circle, a lot of great people on my team. Just quick plug, I’m actually sitting right here at Smoke’ N Ink, which is going to be the newest, hottest tattoo shop in Fort Myers, I’m telling y’all right now. And it’s me being a part of a team. So there’s not a lot of people on the team. I’m pretty much the captain and the steer and the janitor. But at the same time, I have some really great resources and great people and smart individuals around me that I can always reach out to and say, “Hey, I need to do this, I need to do that, how can you help me?” So it’s always great to have that support system.

 

Scrappy Jackson: So you’re the 4′ 11″ dynamo, you’re doing everything and then some. But I’m just curious from a business perspective, with doing at least six or seven things on such a remarkable level, do you ever think to yourself, if I just did one thing incredibly well, I would get paid?

 

Rachelle Ford: Yes, I actually do that. So what I’ve been doing actually is consolidating all of my projects into what makes sense and what I enjoy doing. So I’ve been asking myself literally all last year and this year, okay, let’s cut it down to what’s really work and what’s really me being creative and getting paid for it. I much more enjoy being creative and getting paid for it. And my baby, my passion, that answer always doubles back to the magazine.

 

Scrappy Jackson: How about a financial partner, have you ever thought about taking somebody on? Not me, but.

 

Rachelle Ford: [inaudible]. I was like, wait a minute. No, but serious conversation, I have my business plans, my partnership agreements, my investor agreements, I even have where if you wanted to sponsor a copy, how we can partner up and you sponsor a copy and how you can double your money back. So I have all of those plans. It just comes into finding the right people because a lot of people are talkers not really doers, a lot of people just want to see what you got going on, and people don’t really be real, they’re not really be willing to work. So I’m all the way, 1,000% open. If you’ve got a bag and you’re ready to work, let’s go, let’s blow this up, that’s all I know.

 

Scrappy Jackson: I can feel your intensity and your energy and your passion and your brilliance, it’s awesome. One last question for you, what would you tell your 22-year-old self?

 

Rachelle Ford: Leave that man. Because that’s where I was at 22, I was stuck in this prison of a relationship that was very abusive. Dealing with someone who’s addicted to drugs is not an easy feat, it’s a whole interview by itself, just that situation. And being stuck in that situation at a young age, I had my first child at 19 turning 20. So from age 19 to about 25, I was just like a baby breeder.

 

Rachelle Ford: But if I met me at 22, I’d be like, “Look girl, [inaudible] a little sooner.” But at 22, I would tell myself too as well, take better care of yourself, listen to your spirit, listen to your dreams and go for it, stop doubting yourself, stop waiting for that cosign. I feel like a long, long, long part of my journey was me waiting on a cosign, was me waiting on somebody to say, “Yeah, girl, you can do that. Oh yeah, that’s going to be prosperous.” I feel like part of me to this day still looked for that cosign, for somebody to say, “Yeah, this could be a success.” But I’ve stopped believing that I needed that cosign. If you know something-

 

Scrappy Jackson: You gained a lot of strength in that relationship and it taught you so many different things that makes you independent and strong and the boss.

 

Rachelle Ford: That’s true. We’ll give them that credit, Scrappy, we’ll do that.

 

Scrappy Jackson: 71st issue, is that right now? Where can we find it?

 

Rachelle Ford: It’s online, we also have them at Palm Avenue Groceries, which also carries our custom Ten Toes lemonade, which is coupled with issue number 71. They can also order it on the website, fordentmag.com. They can also order it on the app, which is Ford Entertainment Magazine for Apple and Google Play. We do ship to all correctional facilities.

 

Scrappy Jackson: Oh wow.

 

Rachelle Ford: So if you have someone who’s locked up and you want to do something nice and you want to spend a couple of bucks, you just got to tell us just their name. We’re able to look them up and find out exactly where they’re housed and we send them a copy.

 

Scrappy Jackson: Cool. Content with Teeth made this possible. Just look over my shoulder, Content with Teeth, get in touch with them for all your content and digital marketing needs. Content with Teeth creates unboring content like this podcast. It gets attention for your product, your service on the interweb. If you want to be my next guest, all you have to do is holla @heyscrappy on IG. Content with Teeth, thank you very much. Rachelle, I want to give you a hug through the computer, but it’s not possible.

 

Rachelle Ford: Bring it in Scrappy, bring it in Scrappy. I love you Scrappy. Since we’ve met, I think we met… Actually, the same person that we are doing the tattoo shop is where we met. Because we met in Naples at a showcase that was being thrown by Peter 4K and you were a judge and I was a judge as well. And ever since then, you’ve always been a supporter, we’ve always had that love, and I just love it. I love you Scrappy, I appreciate you for everything.

Scrappy Jackson: I love you too. And I’m a fan of Rachelle Ford, I’m a huge fan. God bless you.

Rachelle Ford: I’m a huge fan of Scrappy.

 

Scrappy Jackson: And thanks for everything, Rachelle. I appreciate you.

 

Rachelle Ford: I love you.

 

May 7, 2022 The Come Up No comments yet
Watch The Come Up E1 sponsored by Content with Teeth and detailing crypto in Florida

Introducing The Come Up

 

Out of the ashes of dead newspapers that no one reads and local news that only “the olds” consume for their Preparation H fix, there is a new outlet to document emerging Southwest Florida entrepreneurs – The Come Up sponsored by the hot new streamer CWT –.

It is a video podcast hosted by local media personality Scrappy Jackson. The Come Up lives on this blog and new episodes drop every Friday at 3 pm ET on our YouTube channel.

Read below for highlights for The Come Up maiden voyage.

Crypto in Florida

Michel Pacifico is Scrappy’s first guest. He is a successful cryptocurrency entrepreneur based in Cape Coral. He has founded three different businesses over the years, including USScyber, a blockchain company focused on cybersecurity, WSCE, a sports token company that aims to revolutionize the world of sports, and XLiquidus, an upcoming cryptocurrency exchange platform.

Sports and Crypto? Better than Peanut Butter and Chocolate

Why invest 17 minutes on The Come Up? Here are the CliffsNotes, a list of tantalizing nuggets that Scrappy covers with Michel in Episode 1:

Primer on crypto: Learn the three types of cryptocurrencies and that NFT doesn’t stand for “non-fungible testicles” (for some).

About blockchain: People use crypto for trading, but Blockchain is the main system, that’s where you need to look if you are serious about this new realm of non-fiat currency.

About sports token/utility token: Sports Tokens benefit fans around the globe and create a new ecosystem for adventurers, blockchain enthusiasts, crypto investors and even gamblers. Learn about how Bulgaria, tokens and sports find “synergy.”

NFTs Can Help Sports Fans Make Money: NFTs are available in all the sports, have launched soccer recently, listed 95 countries, over 2,760 soccer teams, divisions A and B. The entirety of South America, North America, the entirety of Europe, Asia, Africa, and so on. Michel is signing up clubs, working on the entire Bulgarian thing and other markets.

About Europe’s situation and token benefit: The war cooled things off a little bit in Europe. Learn how Michel’s company is pumping resources into sports clubs and giving fans a “sports stock market.”

Qualities of an entrepreneur: Michel details how a successful entrepreneur is realistic, has a clear vision about the product and is more disciplined than Mark Wahlberg around weights! 

What percentage of Michel Pacifico is passionate vs. opportunist: He leans passionate but pockets opportunist. Find out just how wildly it can swing depending on the product.

What advice would he give himself in his younger years: Michel’s advice involves Bitcoin and the tender age when people bar hop instead of opportunity hop.

About Michel Pacifico and Content with Teeth.

For UnBoring Content like The Come Up, contact Content with Teeth HERE. You can get your crypto jones and all things Michel Pacifico HERE and HERE.

The Come Up Episode 1 Transcript

Michel Pacifico: Hey buddy, how are you doing? Thanks for having me here, appreciate the time. I’m doing great, man. I’m feeling great, too. It’s such a beautiful day in Florida.

Scrappy Jackson: Absolutely. You were from Brazil, you immigrated here when you were 19, 20 years old, to Cape Coral. You were a pilot, and you got into cryptocurrency in 2010. Tell us about your journey.

Michel Pacifico: Yes. Coming from Brazil, I was in pilot school. I decided to go over my entrepreneur skills. I quit all that, all the schooling. Back in 2010, I was introduced to Bitcoin. What fascinates me was the technology behind it, which is the blockchain, the cryptocurrency, and the new digital money, the new digital coin. What’s that? It was intriguing, it was very interesting. I started digging in, unfortunately, I didn’t invest at the time, because I wasn’t sure what it was.

Scrappy Jackson: Sure.

Michel Pacifico: What’s up? Welcome to The Come Up. I’m Scrap Jackson, and this is a weekly podcast celebrating Southwest Florida’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs. We call it The Come Up, up and coming, we flip it on its ear. There are a lot of intriguing stories right here in Southwest Florida. Talking about ambition, challenges, sacrifice. Our guest today is my man Michael Pacifico. He’s the owner of three startup companies, cryptocurrency businesses: USS Cyber, WSCE Coin, and Xliquid USBR. Content With Teeth is this awesome content creative company, doing all kinds of big things, and they want to make sure that, when you look at this logo behind me, they do things big, really big. Big engagements online, a creative content agency. So make sure you show them some love.

Like everybody else, I wish I did, but I was learning so much about it. The more I was looking into it, the more fascinated and intriguing the blockchain is. The cryptocurrency today, usually people utilize it as a secondary market. Trading to make money. Actually, we have to look into the blockchain, the system. That’s what I think is the most valuable of all.

Scrappy Jackson: Okay. Now, there’s cryptocurrency, there’s NFTs, there are assets, digital assets, there’s Bitcoins, there are tokens, there’s a lot of vernacular out there. Can you break it down for us that don’t really know about cryptocurrency?

Michel Pacifico: Sure. There’s actually three different types of crypto right now. There’s regular cryptocurrency, which is Ethereum, and Bitcoin, which is a form of security, but not called security yet by the SEC, and so on. There’s the NFT, which is the new generation of token, non-fungible token. There are also security tokens. We are launching a new form of tokens based on future performance tokens, sports based on performance.

Michel Pacifico: The cryptocurrency Bitcoin, today it’s usually for trading faster payment processes, and so on. Back then, it was the fastest thing ever. You would’ve transferred money within 30 minutes. Ethereum came along a few years later, with between a 10 to the 20 minutes gap, usually 15 to eight minutes, 12 minutes or so, to do a transfer. Now, there are payment processors out there which are super, super fast. Give an example, our payment processor, we can do a 100,000 transactions in a minute. The blockchain has been growing and growing, the evolution of the technology has been out there.

Scrappy Jackson: You’re a technological nerd, so I’m going to break it down for our audience just a little bit. From my perspective, blockchains to technology, you’ve got Bitcoin to the left, for currency trading, and on the right, you’ve got tokens, NFT, nonfungible tokens that you use for sporting events, VIP opportunities, experiences. That’s the realm you’re in. You’re not so much a Bitcoin guy as you are a token guy for sports, correct?

Michel Pacifico: Exactly. Our first launch, our first product is WFC, World of Sports Coin Exchange. We wanted to specialize in that market for sports, at first. Our coin is based on performance of games, of teams. Give an example. Soccer, which is our first coin at the moment, live, every time you pick a team, a country, perhaps it’s Spain, you pick Real Madrid. Every time they do well on the field, the token goes up in price.

Scrappy Jackson: It’s betting. You’re betting, you’re hedging.

Michel Pacifico: It’s different than betting, though. Betting is a one-time event. This one, you lose a fraction of it, if the team doesn’t do well. It’s an algorithm. It’s an intelligence algorithm that we created, artificial intelligence that we created, which is attached to the performance of the team, game by game. That will give a price according to their matches during the season. I’m sorry, not a price, a value, according to the matches through the season.

Scrappy Jackson: Why don’t just call my local bookie, Jimmy the Bookie in New York City, and say, “Yo, dude, hook me up with a Boston Red Sox?” Why would I go with your thing rather than something that’s more tangible?

Michel Pacifico: Put it this way: it’s heaven. Think about it. If the Boston Red Sox don’t do well, you still own your token. It’s still there. By the end of the season, who knows? It could win the World Series, and it could explode in evaluation, instead of if they don’t do well, and you lost your investment, as a bet. We’re not a betting company. There’s nothing to do with betting. It’s a mixture between stock market with commodities. Because it’s based on future performance, which is not a commodity entity. It’s something new. It’s a new form of token out there. It’s a new product out there. It’s hard to describe but think of it this way. The Miami Dolphins, touchdown, boom! The token goes up in price. The other team, the token is going down on price.

Scrappy Jackson: It’s a sports stock market.

Michel Pacifico: Yes, very similar to that. Very similar to that. We want to be careful with the words here, but yeah.

Scrappy Jackson: Okay. When I think of sports tokens, I think of more of a VIP perspective. Access to the players, voting, balloting maybe on what the song is at halftime, merchandise.

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Michel Pacifico: Yes.

Scrappy Jackson: Are you in that realm as well?

Michel Pacifico: We have a part of that too, as well. That’s called a 100% utility token, but we’re utilizing those offers as well. We just closed with a team in Bulgaria. Lokomotiv, and we are doing pretty much everything for them. Their token right now, it’s not doing so good, because they lost a couple of matches, as you can see on the platform.

Scrappy Jackson: You as a business person, as an entrepreneur, you’re watching the game saying, “Come on Bulgaria, please!”

Michel Pacifico: Exactly. We’re literally opening a new channel for people all over the world to watch games, that was not so much of an expression out there. Teams in Bulgaria, I would never watch a game in Bulgaria, but now I’m watching a game in Bulgaria, just to see how the token has performed.

Scrappy Jackson: Absolutely. You have an investment in the team, emotionally and financially.

Michel Pacifico: Exactly. It’s for the fans, and also for adventurers out there. Blockchain enthusiasts, crypto enthusiasts who like crypto, and so on. For everybody, even gamblers, they’re welcome to come in.

Scrappy Jackson: Is it really competitive, getting Bulgaria to sign on with you guys? I’m thinking to myself, the volatility of it, the level of competition, how it’s exploded. How do I get hooked up with a team as a startup entrepreneur in Cape Coral, hooking up with Bulgaria?

Michel Pacifico: First, we were going for major leagues. Bulgaria plays in a major league, they also play Champions League as well, and Euro Cup. The way we structure the algorithm is, we have to go by what the FIFA ranking is, according to the leagues. We have Bulgaria, they’re not so strong in Europe, but they are a bit strong. It was the first team that actually loved the project. They jumped right in it. Not just the Lokomotiv team, which is the team that we closed. We have a lot of other teams in the pipeline and want to close with us, because we’re a new form of revenue for the clubs. We are giving tokens to the clubs as they’re signing up with us. Plus, we’re giving them transactions fees too, every time somebody buys a token from them.

Scrappy Jackson: Sure.

Michel Pacifico: We give them some percentage of a transaction as well. We’re a new form of revenue for the club, especially clubs in soccer right now. As you can hear in the news, you know it’s been hard all over the world with major soccer teams and they don’t have money. There’s so much that fans can help with. Now, this is a great take for the fans. They can help the club that they love, and they can earn something from it. Not just the gambling, which you help, and if you lose, you’re out. No, at least if you lose, maybe by the end of the season you can do well, and the token can go up in price.

Scrappy Jackson: You still have equity, which is really cool. I’m thinking to myself, I’m a big New York Knicks fan. It’d be cool to have an NFT on that. What I could do is stack them up, and get my meet and greet with Randle. That’d be cool.

Michel Pacifico: Exactly.

Scrappy Jackson: That’s fun.

Michel Pacifico: Yes, man, it is fun. We do all the sports. Right now, we’re launching soccer. We have in the platform right now listed 95 countries, over 2,760 soccer teams, divisions A and B. The entirety of South America, most of North America, the entirety of Europe, Asia, Africa, and so on. We’re signing up clubs as we go with it. Right now, we are pretty much working on the entire Bulgarian league, Portuguese league. We’re working on the Spanish league. We’re trying to bring everybody with us because fans love it. Everybody that sees the project and hears about it, they love it. You can make money with the team that you own. Why not?

Scrappy Jackson: Contractually, do you have them locked down? They’re pretty much in your back pocket now?

Michel Pacifico: Yeah, we have contracts with them. Everything is contracted.

Scrappy Jackson: That’s great.

Michel Pacifico: We’re only with one team at the moment, but we have pipelines with other teams right now. The war cooled things off a little bit with us because people don’t know what’s going to happen in Europe. It cools off a little bit, some of the contracts. We are talking to Russia, we had to back away from Russia. We’re engaged in Ukraine, too. Unfortunately, we had to back away from that, because of what’s going on today. The rest of the world, we’re working on it.

Scrappy Jackson: If your teams are your strategic partners, tell us about your customer, and how you market to them.

Michel Pacifico: Yeah, what we do is this: every time when we close a club, all we ask is for them to market. That’s all we ask from the club.

Scrappy Jackson: Interesting.

Michel Pacifico: We’re giving 25 million tokens for the clubs, plus a percentage on the transactions, buy and sell, for life. All we ask is for them to do our marketing. Their cost, and their risk, are very minimum. Zero, because they own a marketing team. They own their own marketing. That’s what we ask. In the meantime, we’ve been doing our own marketing about our technology. We focus on our technology. We created a really awesome hybrid technology that today, the world needs. Our gas feed is very, very low. Our transactions are really fast and secure, too. We’ve been marketing our technology.

Scrappy Jackson: That’s fascinating. You have the clubs actually working for you. They’re the ones that market to the fans, and you worry about the tech, and hooking up the teams, more or less.

Michel Pacifico: Yeah, we work together. They don’t work for me. We are working together-

Scrappy Jackson: Okay.

Michel Pacifico: For the success of the token, because remember, they have half of it. 50% of the token belongs to the club, in total of 50 million coins per team. They own half of it. We’re giving them half. We’re working together for the success of it. The more you market, you know how it is, supplying demand has an influence into the algorithm, too. Our algorithm is based on performance: goals, league difficulty, draws, wins and losses, and points into the leagues. We also have a calculation in the algorithm for supply and demand, which is pretty strong, too. We need people to support their own clubs.

Scrappy Jackson: Very cool. Switching up, you’re from Southwest Florida. You’re a start-up entrepreneur.

Michel Pacifico: Yeah.

Scrappy Jackson: What qualities do you think entrepreneurs need to have in order to succeed?

Michel Pacifico: You need to have a vision for your product, and you need to be realistic if this is good or not. I think the most quality…discipline is everything. You go into the gym, and you want to work out, and you want to look good, and you have to have discipline. Wake up early in the morning, do your exercise, eat well. It’s the same as starting a business. You need to start with discipline from the beginning, because how strong is your discipline is going to determine how you are going to grow.

Scrappy Jackson: Okay. Are you adverse to risk? Are you risk taker? “No big deal, I’m not worried about the sacrifice.”

Michel Pacifico: Nah, man, I’m all the away. There’s no 80/20. I’m all the way in, man. I’m chips all in. I don’t do it half away. If you’re going to do something, and you believe it, you got to do it all.

Scrappy Jackson: Okay. I want you to give two pieces of advice. First, advice to young entrepreneurs, maybe getting out of FGCU, they want to embark on this journey. What do you tell them?

Michel Pacifico: If you want to become an entrepreneur, the first thing you need to do is to start a business, and you want it to grow into your idea. First, you need to go legal. What I mean by legal is, go to an attorney, ask them about your idea, ask them what type of contracts you need. You want to protect yourself. I’m giving you business advice. You need legal on your side first, to make sure, because that’s going to determine how high you’re going to grow. Then, you don’t have any problems in the future with partners, or with employees, or any type of legal.

Michel Pacifico: The other advice that I give you is personal advice. You need to believe in yourself first, before you do anything. You need to know if you’re capable of doing, if you’re capable of growing. How to create this belief is to think, eat, sleep, and dream about your project. Every day, think about it. Don’t think about the gains. Don’t ever think about money. Think about the problems that come with it. If you can resolve every single problem of it, you’re going to succeed, no matter what.

Scrappy Jackson: What percentage of you are passionate versus opportunist?

Michel Pacifico: That’s a good one, man. That is a good one. I think it’s 60/40, and depending on the product, it’s 80/20. 80 passion, and 20 opportunities.

Scrappy Jackson: I can feel your passion, as far as this project and business is concerned. Last question, as far as advice is concerned, what advice would you give to yourself back in 2010, when you were just starting in cryptocurrency. What advice would you give yourself?

Michel Pacifico: Buy Bitcoin! Sell your house and buy Bitcoin. Sell your car, stop partying, buy Bitcoin!

Scrappy Jackson: My man, Michael Pacifico. Entrepreneur, three different businesses, doing it big with tokens and sports worldwide, globally. Highly impressive my brother, highly impressive. I’m Scrap. I have a large head right now, right beside me, and it’s dwarfing my head because it’s big. That’s how Content with Teeth do business. They get big results. They deliver unboring content, like this podcast.

Scrappy Jackson: Michael Pacifico, man, I appreciate you. Can you give out all your IG handles, and your social handles?

Michel Pacifico: Yes, one more time. Scrappy, thank you so much. If anybody wants to reach out to us, for the blockchain, the name of the company is called USScyber.com

. We also are on all the social media. For the sports token, it’s WSCE.world., worldofsportscoinexchange.world

. For the exchange that we’re launching globally, we have that in Portugal. We already have that in Brazil. We’re working on Asia right now. The name is XLiquidus.com, XLiquidus.com.

Michel Pacifico: Thank you very much Scrappy, I really appreciate what you’re doing.

Scrappy Jackson: I want a dozen tokens on Bulgaria, please!

Michel Pacifico: Yes sir.

Scrappy Jackson: We’ll see you next week with another Southwest Florida entrepreneur.

April 29, 2022 The Come Up No comments yet
why is copywriting important?

Why Is Copywriting So Important for a Small Business?

Table of Contents

  1. Find Dazzling Copywriting by a Pro
  2. Is Copywriting Meaningless Jargon?
  3. What is Copywriting?
  4. 4 Reasons Why Copywriting Is Crucial for Small Businesses
  5. How to Write Copies that Make Your Readers Want to Buy?
  6. Wands and Pens Out, Start Crafting Some Sentences!

 

Copywriting is persuasive writing about a product or service meant to boost sales. Good copy is essential for a business of any size because it emotionally captures the attention of your ideal customer, builds trust, and compels this target to become a potential customer.

If metaphors are vital to good writing, is copywriting so crucial for businesses that even wizards aim to master it at Hogwarts?

Choosing the right words might look like magic, but it’s a matter of practicing.

Your customers want to know what’s in it for them and how they can get in touch with you.

A copywriter will turn prospects into clients with the right spell(ing) and word choice. A good copywriter might paradoxically morph Tarantino with J.K. Rowling and turn The Boy Wizard into a hulking slab of beef steak that stabs the boring out of the content or an unnecessary emoji.

 

Find Dazzling Copywriting by a Pro

Hundreds of posts, emails, and articles are published every second — does your content have what it takes to get noticed?

You need to know how to sell your brand as an experience rather than just a two-dimensional logo attached to your product.

A pleasant content experience fostered by a creative approach will help create strong first impressions and keep your product or service in the minds of your potential customers.

If you want more creativity in your content, your smarty-pants headmaster Dumbledore recommends contacting professional wordsmith wizards Content with Teeth HERE or calling +1 (888) 552-9235.

Is Copywriting Meaningless Jargon?

“Copywriting” has become a buzzword for marketers and businesses in this digital era.

…and it makes complete sense. Owing to the rapid digitalization in almost every industry, companies now need to invest more in their online presence than offline, and when it comes to the online world, words matter more than you think.

Around 64% of users consider a brand “trustworthy” after reading its content, which is precisely why 90% of companies market through its content!

woman, bored, tired

What Is Copywriting?

Content writing is more like informing, educating, entertaining, or instructing readers, whereas copywriting is what we do to make things sell – it threads urgency and scarcity into a headline to elicit rapid action.

Copywriting involves tenacious research and is more like mining – where a miner digs, drills, and dynamites until he comes across carloads of valuable ore. Surprisingly, copywriting is proven to have generated 126% more leads for small businesses!

Those are some powerful stats.

They are also an urgent call for businesses to invest in the copy before time runs out.

We know that creating consistent, engaging content takes significant time and requires specialized skills. But every cent and second spent on a copy is worth it. Here’s why:

 

4 Reasons Why Copywriting Is Crucial for Small Businesses

Converting Ideas into Valuable Content

There is always a problem and solution behind the creation of a brand. An idea that has formed the foundation of business. But unless that idea is effectively communicated, you cannot capture the attention of your ideal customer.

90% of small businesses fail in their first year for the same reason! They fail to reach their ideal customer and explain their idea in time to capture the attention of the masses.

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

It would be best if you had someone who could convert your ideas into attention-grabbing content that reaches your prospects.

Excellent copy or well-written content is crucial for small businesses because a document speaks the language of your audience and connects with them by converting your ideas into valuable content.

girl, wow, fashion

Emotionally Connecting with Your Audience

Emotionally connecting with your prospective customers is crucial for every small business. But unfortunately, many new businesses make the mistake of sharing why their product or company is excellent instead of focusing on what the prospects want to read.

The thing is, your client cares about only one thing; what is in it for them. Their pain points are the same as the benefits your product provides. But a copywriter’s job is to frame the writing so that those benefits are presented as the customers’ challenges, pain points, and needs.

Let me give you an example.

 

Now, the first version states the benefits of your product, while the second version emphasizes what solution the customer (Wile E. Coyote) is getting.

It all boils down to understanding how to trigger the right emotions to induce a potential customer to buy from you; words will make your prospective client think, “this company gets me.”

Why rely on formless and generic Mass Words from Acme Corporation? If you need copywriting for your business or client, get unique missiles from Content with Teeth, a creative content agency with over 20 years of experience.

 

Creating a Voice and Personality for the Brand

Building a unique brand voice and weaving it across all networks is crucial. In this era, your small business needs a voice that effectively portrays its vibe and idea to the target audience.

For instance, Uber has a specific brand voice that is bold and simple. You’ll see that every tagline this brand puts out has very few words that are simple and direct, like ‘Where to, John?’ or “Your Uber Awaits” or “See you soon.”

Whether they use their name in the tagline or not, Uber’s copy tone is consistent across all countries and departments so that whenever you read a line, you can say, “Hey, that sounds like Uber.”

This consistent image can only be achieved through copywriting that translates across all your brand’s channels, be it online or offline.

 

Increasing Website Traffic and Sales

Here’s the thing: quality copywriting is like having a top salesperson selling your stuff 24/7.

This digital era is all about the online presence of your business. A good copywriter can hone in on target customers like Wile E. Coyote’s Acme missile and boost the conversion rates of your web pages. Even a solid freelance copywriter with a deep understanding of your brand can write actionable copy that turns more of your website’s visitors into customers and ultimately improves search engine results.

After all, the ultimate goal of any business effort is to gain clientele and generate revenue, and you can get tons of traffic without copywriting. SEO does that. But without good copywriting, you could have all the traffic in the world but generate only a trickle of sales.

In 2014, copywriting generated $26.47 billion in revenue for companies, and the market has shown double-digit growth. This is because compelling copy taps into the emotional side of your audience and makes your product look worth investing in.

 

How to write copies that make your readers want to buy?

You must follow the ten basic principles of copywriting:

  1. Give your text a personal tone – write to your reader, not to a random group of people.
  2. Use imperatives – give strong recommendations instead of commands like learn, call, get, benefit, etc.
  3. Appeal to your readers’ reasoning and emotions – mention the benefits and experience of using your product or service.
  4. Write short paragraphs and sentences – legibility is crucial for copywriting; keep it short and sweet.
  5. Say the most important thing at the beginning of your message – the most crucial fact, benefit, or keyword should be included in the first sentence or paragraph at the latest.
  6. Write so that others can understand you – one word is better than two; simple words are better than complex ones.
  7. Be precise – there is nothing more powerful than facts.
  8. Use humor with caution – humor works best for selling alcohol, cookies, chocolate, non-alcoholic beverages, bubblegum, etc. However, it’s proven to fail with medical products.
  9. Moderate the use of exclamation marks – they may reduce your credibility if used often.
  10. Write positively – keep things on the bright side, however dark and ominous they may be.

Wands and Pens Out, Start Crafting Some Sentences!

Medium and large businesses can often take the risk of ignoring copy needs for a while, but if you are a small business, you need to emphasize converting every single lead you can. That’s where the need for an impeccable copy from a professional copywriter arises. But small businesses are often not equipped to create pro-quality copy, which is precisely why 64% of B2B companies outsource their copywriting services to a good copywriter.

 

But which copy service provider will suit your needs best? You need a copy that brings in significant traffic and converts leads into repeat buyers, and that’s where we come in! Content With Teeth provides exceptional copywriting services that convert bored internet junkies into recurring paying customers. So, get in touch, and let’s stick your business in the magical world of copywriting to start transforming strangers into clients.

April 22, 2022 Content 2 comments
Chuck D of Public Enemy thinks your marketing automation is like ripping one on an airplane

Is Public Enemy Right About Marketing Automation?

Do you believe the hype on marketing automation?

As a connoisseur of old school rap, we wanted to view marketing automation tools through the prism of Public Enemy.

Why Should You Care?

What if you ain’t down with Public Enemy? What if Neil Sedaka is more your speed? What if you see the phrase marketing automation and your eyes instantly glaze over like when a work meeting extends into the Hour 2 mark …

You should read this post because we aim to make this topic interesting through the prism of pop culture. We show how you can use marketing automation to drum up substantial new business and, besides, we compare it to flatulence. Where else you gonna see that comparison? Keep reading!

Cue Up the Marketing Automation Example

We recently received a LinkedIn invite to connect with someone who most likely automated the organic LinkedIn outreach.

 

Marketing automation done poorly alienates the prospect

This message is impersonal, generic and sloppy. The person didn’t bother with a personalized first name placeholder and addressed me as “Hi there.”

The Connect Request seems generic in the icebreaker, building lukewarm intrigue by mentioning that the sender is “moving into” our geographic location defined generically as “the area.”

The Call to Action has a typo where there is a “form” instead of a “from.”

In processing this invite in seconds, I got a completely inauthentic feeling that I was being splattered by a massive automation gun and, consequently, blew the dude off.

If Chuck D got this message, he might compare it to smelling a fart from a passenger next to him on an airplane. The Public Enemy frontman isn’t pretending that he didn’t SMELL automation and is calling bullsh*t.

Is a Marketing Automation Strategy Hype?

P.E.’s 1988 song Don’t Believe the Hype enjoyed immense critical success. Frustrated, confounded and suppressed by the establishment, their message to the audience was don’t buy into media lies and propagandistic marketing. The group’s leader, Chuck D, espouses that we be critical thinkers in spite of what’s presented. Hype and reality do not go hand in hand. Hype is talk without the walk. 

Is marketing automation innovation or just spam? Is a marketing automation platform like HubSpot kitty litter for media and business elites to gush over in their insatiable thirst to cash in on the latest trends?

Marketing Automation Is Hype!

If you were remotely familiar with Public Enemy and Chuck D, a hard-scrabbled King to his sidekick Flavor Flav’s Jester role, you would assume the seer armed with a mic feels marketing automation is a steaming pile of bull excrement:

An automated cold email addressed “Dear Friend” isn’t intimate. It’s robotic. You’ve got our stats, but you don’t know us.

We’re just a cell in a massive Excel file. We can sense your automated “intimacy” is just you calculating a spreadsheet formula. You don’t care about us.

You spit out words in an automated SMS but we can’t hear you. Nuttin’ but noise! You didn’t segment your list and mistargeded us. We reply STOP to the disinterested bot hawking cheap carburetors.

As technology rushes, we lose touches. We believed initially in social media too. Now we understand why the people who build this stuff don’t let their kids use it.

Automated Marketing Campaigns: As Inauthentic As the Guy Who Sold You a Used Buick Sending You a Holidays Card Where He Misspells Your Name

Is Chuck D still living in the ‘80’s or does he have a valid point about the inability of marketing automation to effectively and meaningfully interact with humans? 

Given the pro’s and con’s of marketing automation software, today’s digerati might chalk up P.E. as old school with critiques of marketing techniques and marketing automation tools as outdated as the group’s standard definition videos.

Marketing Automation Origin

Back in the day, prudent marketers utilized Print, Radio, TV and Billboards to hawk widgets. Today, traditional media has been supplanted by internet marketing, of which marketing automation plays a central role. 

Today, marketers use software like HubSpot to create automated marketing workflows and marketing activities from launching campaigns to creating and scheduling posts, email campaigns, SMS/MMS, social media management and other “touches.” 

Marketing automation is more efficient, cost effective and requires less bandwidth to nurture incipient and long-standing customer relationships. In so doing, it has morphed automation into a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), allowing integration to automate repetitive tasks and carpet bomb your contacts with some level of finesse and at a lower price point while scoring invaluable customer data.  

Is There a Correlation Between Marketing Automation and Robots?

Marketing automation naysayers cite similarities. Times Magazine estimated that 2 million jobs will be replaced by robots by 2025. Robots are cleaning floors at Wendy’s, checking in guests at hotels, taking blood pressure readings at CVS, harvesting vegetables, erecting buildings and keeping malls secure as guards. Marketing automation is replacing sales people. Touch point marketing teams promoting face-to-face customer relations, flyers, street teams, personal trend influence marketing and site sampling are facing extinction. Call centers are leasing their space.   

It’s All About the Benjamins!!!

Says Marketo.com:

Companies that implement this kind of lead scoring enjoy 28% better sales productivity and 33% higher revenue growth than companies without lead scoring. Marketing automation saves money and time. Done well, nurturing can result in 50% more sales leads at 33% lower cost per lead.

 

2 Types of HubSpot Marketing Automation Features

Content with Teeth (CWT) is an official HubSpot partner. We will discuss automation in one of the most dynamic marketing automation platforms.

A Sequence is email based. A Workflow is more dynamic because it sets enrollment triggers to automatically enroll prospects or contacts with an assortment of data points from clicking on a button in an email to past purchases.

Is Marketing Software That Automates Across Multiple Channels Just Another Dumb Trend?

We have jumped on the marketing hype train. A few years ago, chatbots were the rage. They allow automated messaging in Facebook’s Messenger and other platforms. We saw an ad on Facebook promising hundreds of leads for a bargain, $0.99 a warm body or something similarly ridiculous. As connoisseurs of clickbait, we signed up for the webinar and bought the course north of a grand. 

The entrepreneur promised a 30-day money back guarantee. He answered questions diligently on a Facebook Group as we students got into the course. After 30 days, the dude ghosted, leaving students in the dust. Chatbots were a thing … yes, a scammy thing.

Marketing Automation Ain’t Hype!

Marketing automation helps and can be particularly effective when used with a content strategy. According to a ReportLinker press release:

The marketing automation software market was estimated at USD 3.60 billion in 2020 and is expected to be USD 11.46 billion in 2027, registering at a CAGR [Compound Annual Growth Rate] of 17.76% through the forecast period (2021-2027).

Businesses big and small are investing in marketing automation software like never before. Sorry Chuck D.

Need a Reliable Worker in 2021? Get a Bot …

In 2021, people talk about the “Great Resignation” where employees would rather work on their own instead of toiling for companies both big and small. In a tough labor market, employers from enterprise companies to start-ups can replace marketing efforts with automation.

A “bot” is available 24/7. If a prospect lands on your website on Friday night at 3am, marketing automation tools like chat workflows in HubSpot can respond and nurture a conversation that is sent to a human Sales Dedicated Representative the following Monday morning to follow up. Furthermore, a platform like HubSpot can conduct lead scoring to prioritize the most promising leads for that SDR. 

Marketing automation is always working, requires no expensive benefits and is reliable once you have mastered the basics.

Combining Inbound Content with Outbound Marketing Automation

Content marketing, inbound or whatever you want to call it, typically snails, taking 3-6 months to create engagements.

Says Neil Patel on the long-term outbound strategy:

Do you know that it takes at least 3 months to get rewarding traffic from search engines?

To see a considerable uplift in numbers from the search engines, you’ll really need 6 months. HubSpot shared that their organic traffic grew by 538% in a year, solely by relying on their personas to dictate their keyword usage.

Marketing automation is a short-term fix. Prospects get your emails, texts or social media messages and can respond immediately.

When you combine inbound with outbound, you shorten the cycle to gain traction from your content. For example, a dynamic inbound blog post (more content), coupled with the outbound method (marketing automation), is a recipe for immediate engagements and effective lead generation.

Hey Chuck D, the “Hype” Worked For Us

Recently, we ran a HubSpot workflow triggered by contacts in our mass list opening an email blast promoting a blog post on how to use LinkedIn to develop buyer personas. We enrolled 255 people in the Workflow, landed three meetings and enjoyed interest from one business owner who ultimately signed a long-term contract with Content with Teeth.

With the addition of this previous client into a long-term retainer, we were able to pay off the cost of developing the blog and automation mere weeks into the new contract.

Best Practices for Automation

Here are some suggestions for marketing automation in general.

Omnichannel

Hit ‘em on air, sea and land with email, SMS, social media and multiple channels. People learn differently. Some from reading, others from video. Some prospects might rely on email while others engage more with a message on their phone or a LinkedIn message.

Personalize

Use placeholders beyond your name. “Dear Friend” isn’t cutting it. Consider adding name, company into your messaging to disguise your automation to prospects who are growing more savvy to impersonal messaging.

Segment

Break your lists into parts.  CWT had a list of 2,500. We whittled it down to 1,000, then segmented it by business owners, marketing people and local Florida-based businesses. If we send a humorous “Florida Man” satirical post to the owner of a small business in Omaha, she is going to ignore it or unsubscribe because the content doesn’t align with her interests.

Hubspot Marketing Automation Best Practices

Here are some marketing automation tips for the HubSpot sales and marketing platform.

Don’t Spam

Don’t overload your contacts with messages. Build in delays, so you give people a breather. We recommend at least three days between messages.

When creating marketing automation in a platform like HubSpot, it is a good idea to give prospects a delay or spacer between outbound messages

 

In picking a particular delay, we recommend using “Delay for a set amount of time”.

Using set delays when creating a marketing automation strategy can lesson prospects from feeling bombarded

Be careful with “Delay until event happens”. That means if the contact gets an email and opens it, they immediately get the next email or message. This could be useful if the prospect is eager and you want to convert them. From our experience, however, the contact gets bombarded with emails and unsubscribes. You now have lost a lead.

Go Omnichannel

Marketing automation is more than email! You can use the SMS platform Message IQ that integrates with HubSpot. You can also integrate LinkedIn Sales Navigator with HubSpot to gather more data on your contacts.

Use If/Then Branches in Workflows

If/Then branches follow conditional logic. IF the prospect opens your email, THEN they receive an additional action like another email or text message.

 

 

Use If/then branches or conditional logic in HubSpot automation to lead prospects into further actions as they engage more with the content

You can create different “branches” as shown by the Interest and No Interest ones above. BE VERY CAREFUL deleting an If/Then branch.

 

 

Be careful when deleting an action in a HubSpot marketing automation workflow, so you don't lose hours of work

You don’t want to lose HOURS of work from a complex workflow by mistakenly selecting “This action and all after it”, removing all branches below this particular action.

Open Letter to Public Enemy’s Chuck D

If you run into Chuck D of Public Enemy at Ralph's, don't mention marketing automation

 

You run into Chuck D at Publix. He is shopping for Henny and you forget his name, just remembering him blankly as one of the faces on that CNN ‘90’s special.

 You ask him to take a selfie and he flees. He just got off a flight in Florida where some dude next to him beefed automation. He isn’t having it!

 Chuck, hire us to write creative content for the Public Enemy blog. We will combine it with marketing automation that disguises the stench with personalization, omnichannel outreach and other effective marketing automation strategies.

 We will prove you wrong that marketing automation is hype! It Will Take a Nation of Millions to Hold P.E. Down circa 2021.

Content with Teeth is a HubSpot marketing automation provider. If you have questions on how to wring results from marketing automation and generate leads, please get in touch.

December 8, 2021 Content, HubSpot No comments yet
A content creator creates content to promote and/or entertain

What Does Content Creator Mean?

So you’ve heard the term content creator. But you’re not sure what it means. Let’s define it: A content creator creates content.

But let’s expand on that.

A content creator provides information and/or entertains like taking a free stock photo (Angela Roma from Pexels.com) and adding a silly message.

There are different types of content creators or content producers: content writers (i.e. blogs, social media posts, landing pages, etc.), news writers (i.e. articles), photographers, video creators, and much more. You can create content on various platforms and marketing channels in a wide range of industries.

Business marketing teams assign a person (or people) who creates content to build awareness and drive organic traffic to their website.

Why You Should Care?

As a business owner or marketing professional, you NEED content to build a pipeline and guide leads down a sales funnel. Without it, you won’t be able to give your audience the information they crave. You might be sick and tired of this phrase, but content really is king. You can’t inform, entertain, and persuade your target audience without it.

Content creation and lead generation go hand in hand. So take advantage of a content creator to drive traffic to your website, help people solve problems and boost conversions.

What Is an Example of a Content Creator?

The writer-director Billy Wilder was a content creator before this term was even used

Billy Wilder, co-screenwriter and director of the film noir classic Sunset Boulevard, was a “content creator” before that term was even coined.

The beauty of content is that you can repurpose it in other media and multiple forms. For example, you can see Sunset Boulevard in multiple iterations.

Other content creators have turned the film into a musical (the original London production closed in 1997 after 1530 performances) and books (Sam Stagg’s expose of behind-the-scenes making of the film Close-up on Sunset Boulevard).

Before becoming a screenwriter and director in Hollywood, Wilder avoided getting into the family cake business, dabbled in journalism as a stringer and was even a taxi dancer in Berlin.

Most content creators AREN’T legendary Hollywood writers or directors. Most content creators DO take the circumstances and events from their lives and others and use this clay – like Wilder – to mold interesting work.

If old movies and their directors don’t push your buttons, here’s …

3 Reasons Why You Should Care About Sunset Boulevard

Billy Wilder is a content creator and his classic film Sunset Boulevard lives on

We get it. You hear about old movies that aren’t even in color and groan. Why should you care about prehistoric stuff like Sunset Boulevard?

1. For the introverts: join a work Zoom call without video. When others ask why your camera is off, turn it on and tell the group, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up!” People on the call may have zero idea what you’re talking about but innately know you are talking over their heads. They may diss you behind your back but will ultimately leave you alone.

If you are getting married, use this still from Sunset Boulevard for your engagement publicity

2. For the ladies: Use the above still from Sunset Boulevard as a template for your marriage announcement pics. Have your fiance float face first in the pool and you can stand over the ledge instead of a gaggle of reporters. Friends will admire your macabre sense-of-humor and, bonus, you can reuse the photo if the marriage tanks and you get divorced.

3. For the gossips: why recycle the latest Bennifer angle again at a cocktail party? The story behind Sunset Boulevard is full of murder and intrigue. Working this juicy backstory into your dishing of goss will give you a sheen of respectability.

Ok … So How Do I Find a Good Content Creator?

Looking to invest in digital content creation? Have a plan.

1. Determine Your Medium
Are you starting a podcast? Trying to create videos? What about blog posts? White papers or eBooks?

Whatever type of online content you want to create, find a content creator based on that. Need blog content? What about social media posts? Look for a content writer with experience with social media marketing and RSS.

2. Set a Budget
Figure out how much you can afford to pay for content creation. How much you pay a professional for creating content will depend on a number of factors:

● The scope of the project: This includes how big the project is. So if you need blog posts, think about how many you need. How many words will the posts be? Will it be an ongoing project? Or just a one-time thing?
● The type of content: Some content takes longer to create than other types. If you need a whitepaper or eBook, expect to pay more than you would pay for a blog post. And if you are looking for blog posts, you’ll likely pay extra for writers who can create a subscription list with an RSS feed.
● Skill level and experience: You can choose to hire a beginner or expert. Typically, the higher the skill level, the more you’ll pay. And you often get what you pay for, so look for a high-quality content creator. Hiring a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English, who has been featured in The New York Times, and has an impressive list of sample articles, will likely give you better results than someone with no credentials.
● The subject of the content: Some topics require way more research than others. So expect creators to charge more for technical subjects like technology and engineering.

3. Find out Where Content Creators Hang Out
Go wherever content creators spend their time. The thing is, a lot of successful content creators understand that they need to create their own content on top of the client work they do. It’s one of the best marketing strategies they can use to show off their work.

So you can find some of these talented folks on certain platforms, depending on the type of content they create:

● Medium: Writers
● YouTube: Videographers
● Instagram: Photographers and Videographers
● Unsplash: Photographers
● Dribbble: Graphic Designers

You can also focus on communities where content creators hang out like Facebook or LinkedIn Groups. Content creators are constantly marketing their services in these groups. For instance, there are tons of freelance writing groups on Facebook. Writers are not only networking with other writers, but they’re also looking for clients in these groups.

Comb social media and YouTube videos for user generated content and media that you like. You can use the search functions on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to find creators. Message the creator or brand and ask if they are interested in your project. Reach out to your LinkedIn network for introductions and referrals to content creators. You can also create listings on job boards. Be detailed in your job description in order to attract the best talent.

How Do I Become a Content Creator?

Maybe you don’t want to pay people for content creation. Or maybe you’re interested in joining the content creation field yourself. Whatever the case, you need a digital marketing strategy in order to become a successful content creator. Here’s the rundown:

Choose your medium(s): When creating content, which medium do you gravitate towards the most? Do you want to write blogs? Write product reviews? Do photography? Create a YouTube channel? Choose the medium that best serves your purposes. You might even choose more than one.
Choose your niche: Choose a niche that you’re interested in. Then, research the niche as much as you can.
Learn your audience: You can’t create relevant, valuable content if you don’t know who your audience is. Be as detailed as possible so that you can create content that’s tailored to a specific audience.
Research relevant topics and content ideas: Look up great ideas for topics and relevant industry news your audience may be interested in. If your chosen medium is writing, look at specific contexts. Let’s say your audience is into wellness. A good topic would be: “Five Habits to Increase Your Overall Wellness”.
Make a content calendar: Using your curated list of topics, plan out when you’ll be delivering that content to your audience.
Use tools to optimize your content: If you’re writing, use SEO tools like Yoast and Chrome extensions to boost productivity.
Create engaging content: Start creating content! Create valuable, bite-sized (attention spans are short these days) content that informs, engages, and/or entertains.

So you’re wondering how much does a content creator make? Well, that depends on a lot of things. In fact, it’s a broad range: $29k to $79k a year. How much you make will depend on your experience, how many clients you bring in, the type of content you create, and more.

Go Create Some Killer Content, or Better Yet, Get an Expert

You’ve looked at your email inbox and social media feeds. You hear about 6,000 TV shows that you MUST watch and just don’t have the time. Bottom line: there’s a boatload of people creating great content in today’s world. It’s critical that you hire someone who can craft content that gets and KEEPS your audience engaged. Creativity is key. If you’re still stuck, consider Content with Teeth. We’re ready for our close-up, Mr. DeMille! We have over 20 years of experience as content creators. Get in touch for a free consultation

October 8, 2021 Content No comments yet
Blogging and writing doesn't have to be REDRUM horror

You Can Still Do Blogging Even If You Hate Writing; Here’s How!

The Venn diagram above shows the intersection of three characters from three classic movies centered on writers. Jack Torrance from The Shining can’t get past the blank page and an axe gets put through a door among other things. Barton Fink faces the blank page and ends up waking up to a bloody corpse in bed. Paul Sheldon from Misery meets his ultimate creepy superfan. 

These three movies about writers all intersect in REDRUM. The message is clear. Writing is horror … WRITING IS MURDER!

If you are a SMB (small and mid-sized business), you know writing, specifically blogging, is an effective way to shill your product or service online.

Perhaps you have no phony angst about writing, just don’t have time for it or even dislike it and want to focus your energy on some other aspect of your business. Whatever your deal is, this post is a guide on how to do it yourself quickly and cheaply without mayhem and horror.

What is Blogging and Why Do You Need It?

The consultants, coaches and other assorted court jesters of the professional class tell you to pivot to video, carpet bomb social media, get nice with an influencer or buy a ton of expensive podcasting equipment that will collect dust in your office.

Is blogging even relevant? What is it exactly?

Simply put, blogging is the act of putting text, photographs, and other media on a self-published website. The act of publishing a personal blog post began as a way for individuals to update their audience on their daily lives using their free blogging sites with a free domain. However, business potential is what has taken blogging to greater heights via the self-hosted WordPress blog.

 Blogging has evolved from simply putting up text with photographs, to using those media to promote brands or act as support for businesses and services. The growth has seen blogging become a part of content marketing.

INSERT AD BLOCKER HERE

Blogging can disseminate your message beyond ad blockers

 Your own personal brand or business will absolutely benefit from having its own blog to enhance its digital marketing strategy as a whole. It is always advisable to use online ads to get to customers. However, the number of people using ad blockers has risen steadily over the years. It is now estimated that 42% of internet users block ads.

 When you think about it, ads cost a pretty penny, and the campaign will come to an end. That is the compelling reason to start a blog. In the long term, content marketing will be cheaper in comparison to ads.  This is especially true for evergreen content that will see users flocking to your website in search of answers and solutions.

 How To Blog Without Killing Someone (Or Yourself)     

Well, you’ve made up your mind to start a blog. That means you have to get web hosting and a custom domain on a blogging platform known as a content management system. You can start with free blogging platforms that have free hosting to get a feel of what it takes to run a successful blog.

 The best way for you to start blogging on your own blogs is to install WordPress. Start with a free blog, and many WordPress hosting companies will automatically install WordPress and even hook you up with your own domain to use on your free WordPress site. 

 From here, you can use the free themes or a website builder to design a beautiful blog site, whether it is a news blog, a fashion blog, or a personal brand. You don’t need to be an expert in web design to start your blogging journey. With a good WordPress theme, just publish content consistently and engage positively with other bloggers.

 The blogging community of your chosen niche, whether food blogs, travel or sports, can become a valuable asset. They can refer you to great blog hosts and offer great insights into your editorial calendar.

 When you start blogging, you can make money online by selling ad space on your blog. By far the most popular ad service is Google AdSense. These ad services work best on news blogs such as The Wall Street Journal, since they tend to have more traffic, but you can still sell advertising space on a niche blog.

 Before you develop your first blog post, consider this; whenever you are checking something on your favorite search engine, you will simply put in your query, and the search engine will do its best to give you results that match it. Why does that happen?

Research Keywords So People Will Find Your Posts

Keywords are the terms or phrases that people use when doing a search. If you want your content to be easily found, you will need to use keywords that relate to your content. Before you sit down to write, you should do some keyword research.

Traditional keyword tools can be quite costly. Luckily, there are affordable alternatives. One such alternative is Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest. The best part is, Ubersuggest can show you the exact keywords you can use to rank quickly on search engine results pages.

 Visit Ubersuggest and type in the keyword that you want to research.  You will then get a report that lists a number of useful metrics. However, what’s important is the Keyword Ideas button on the left-hand navigation panel.

 

Doing keyword research for blogging doesn't have to be insanely expensive. Use tool like Ubersuggest

 

On the new page, just above the table, there is a Page 1 Ranking Potential button. Click that and enter your website’s domain. Ubersuggest will analyze your website and suggest to you the keywords you can use to easily get on page 1 of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

Brainstorm by Talking Into a Transcription App

 

Brainstorm with an app like REV and turn it into an outline for a blog post

Once you have your keyword suggestions, it’s time to put your brain into search mode. This means coming up with creative content ideas to write about, and potential headings to use.

People get ideas in different ways. It can be while walking your dog, waiting in the drive through line or playing MINECRAFT. Brainstorming is a process that needs you to let go of your internal critic/editor and just fire whatever comes into your mind unfiltered.

You can use the REV app to dictate your babble. When it’s time to get down to business, you can then transcribe the formless ideas and get an outline or “angle” to turn your ravings into a blog post.

Structure the Brain Fart

Once you have the transcription, it’s time to attempt to give it a structure. For this, it would be best to get rid of all distractions. Feed the cat or dog and let the kids out to play. Schedule your spouse/lover for an appointment at the DMV, so they will be gone for hours.

Transcription in hand, structure your idea and then do a vomit draft.

Don’t be squeamish or offended by the vulgarity.

The purpose of the “vomit draft” is to release the words or copy for the post as quickly as possible WITH ZERO EDITING. The idea here is not to be perfect or try to reword your lines or ape being a prestige author like Hemingway or Virginia Woolf. The point of the vomit draft is to get to the end of the damn post as quickly as possible. If you can’t think of a word, do not THINK or look something up. Insert an “x” or “—” and come back later when rewriting your formless vomit draft into a masterpiece.

Writing Is Rewriting

Surfer SEO is a tool that is easy to use and affordable

 

Writing or any creative effort is much easier when you have something to work with. Vomit draft on hand, you can turn your base prose into flowing poetry or just a string of words that describe why your product or service helps solve a problem of your audience. 

You can use digital tools like Surfer SEO to help structure your vomit draft and make it rank quickly. Surfer SEO is widely hailed and loved for being an affordable option.

Their Content Editor tool makes things easier for you. Just start with picking the right keywords and creating a draft. From there, you can analyze your competitors to get a bearing on the kind of content you should come up with. Subsequently, Surfer SEO will provide you with metrics such as word count that you should aim for.  

The content creation tool will also give you suggestions for terms and phrases to use. These words are picked directly from Google’s APIs, which means your content will become fully optimized for the terms that users rely on for accurate results.  

Congrats! You Have a Finished Web Log With Minimal Drama

You did it! You finished the post without strangling your beloved cat or hubby. Writing isn’t so bad, is it?

 If you put this post into practice and still find writing and blogging equivalent to the act of moving in Hades 24/7 or dragging a cold corpse through hell, just get in touch. We have ample experience and can sojourn said corpse on your behalf.

September 17, 2021 Content No comments yet
Yes, Content Is a Buzzword King but there is no doubt content marketing delivers tangibly results over other marketing strategies

Is Content Marketing Worth It?

I bet you’ve come across cliques like ‘content is king’ in your recent online escapades. Or better yet, maybe you’ve heard ‘quality over quantity ‘ or ‘content strategy’ among many other content marketing buzzwords.

 

The truth is, while most people have an idea of what content marketing is, many find it hard to determine if content marketing is worth it. Before we get to whether content marketing adds any value to your business, let’s define it first.

 

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the creation, sharing, and promotion of different media to attract, engage and retain clients. Compared to other forms of marketing, content marketing is an indirect promotion of a brand and its products.

 

You can be the reason this post gets the attention it deserves. So, if this stuff is helpful, please click the “Click to Tweet” button below.

 

Content marketing is the creation, sharing, and promotion of different media to attract, engage and retain clients. Compared to other forms of marketing, content marketing is an indirect promotion of a brand and its products. Click To Tweet

 

The main objective of content marketing is to stimulate interest in potential customers to learn more about your company. The media, aka the content used in content marketing, can include blog posts, video content, podcasts, email newsletters, and social media posts. If content marketing is the road to paradise, content is the signposts that give directions to la-la land.

 

That said, distributing valuable content is only aimed at a clearly defined audience. This can only happen after thorough research and the creation of buyer personas. Furthermore, content marketing only provides a positive ROI or online sales after consistent and strategic campaigns aimed at the target audience.

 

Is content marketing the same as inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing and content marketing are basically the same but often thought of differently, courtesy of industry jargon. Both have the goal of creating value for business prospects, attracting them, and finally, retaining clients. Content marketing, or should I say inbound marketing, does all the above subtly while providing solutions to potential clients. Inbound/content marketing will both involve a blog, video, podcast, infographic, SEO, and definitely lots of words. While most say that the two are different, they mean the same thing and have one common goal: Help the customer see the value of your business and how it solves their problems. This begs the question, are content marketing efforts worth it, or just hype and time waster?

 

Content marketing is effective

Yes, this is a bold statement, but there’s a ton of data from Demand Metric to support it.

 

Less expensive, more qualified leads

As per Demand Metric’s infographic, content marketing costs 62% less than any other marketing strategy. This can be attributed to the long-term returns of content marketing. For instance, creating an evergreen post that solves a reader’s need and ranks well on search engines will see you getting leads months after the publish date. Just because content marketing is cheaper doesn’t mean the results are awful.  On average, content marketing gives you 3x as many leads compared to traditional marketing.

 

Go ye to where your customers are at

If that’s not enough for convincing, here’s another stat: 20% of internet users’ time is spent online reading content. Additionally, 57% of people read content marketing titles at least once a month. As the game of brand awareness shifts online, more than the traditional media, content marketing proves valuable. Not only do you get to show off your brand subtly, but you also get to help consumers with their questions, which increases brand recall. You wouldn’t easily forget someone that helped you in the past, would you?

 

Ads are not a customer favorite

While ads are effective to some extent, consumers don’t want nor tolerate them. By 2015, 200 million people were using ad blockers, and the number is expected to rise as privacy breaks the ceiling and rattles ad-dependent content marketers. Furthermore, 86% of people will skip adverts, and 70% will choose articles, any day, over paid advertising

 

Content Marketing is building relationships

On the flip side, 60% of people, after reading brand content, are inspired to seek out a product from the business. What’s more, 80% of people appreciate learning about a brand from custom content.

 

If you dig our vibe, share! Please click the “Click to Tweet” button below.

 

On the flip side, 60% of people, after reading brand content, are inspired to seek out a product from the business. What's more, 80% of people appreciate learning about a brand from custom content. Click To Tweet

 

These stats show that online content marketing, when done right, can hand you the consumer’s heart, loyalty, and brand advocacy. Interesting content takes the spot on why people choose to follow your business on social media, which leads us to the next point.

 

It’s not just about creating content and closing that chapter. It’s a game of consistency, and no matter how cliche it may sound, Quality over Quantity.

 

Content or inbound marketing isn't a numbers game, but quality game

 

As Orbit Media reports, consistency in content marketing leads to better returns. The report shows that bloggers who intentionally pump time and effort into blogging do make money. Orbit Media is not alone in making this claim. HubSpot complements this truth with its own. The CRM company notes that blogs with 16 posts a month can expect to triple their website traffic.

 

As Brian Dean puts it, the more time spent creating content, the better the results. Consumer’s bar for quality is only going higher. The ultimate truth still remains — it takes time to create content that is useful and share-worthy.

 

To achieve this type of useful and share-worthy content, you need a content strategy. The beauty of a content strategy is how it leads to organic lead generation subsequent to compounding traffic.

 

Let’s see content marketing at work with the content marketing examples below.

 

Case study: Realtor’s content generates leads

John Garuti III is a Southwest Florida realtor who invested heavily in advertising to develop leads. He found Google Ads leads were weak and decided to pivot a content-driven strategy focusing on video and written content.

 

He developed a “lead magnet” or buyer’s guide for Babcock Ranch, the community he specializes in. He has earned 270 leads from this content thus far, including 6 in the last month.

 

A piece of content or "lead magnet" generated new business for John Garuti III, a SWFL realtor

 

We started working with John recently to generate content. We created a content marketing strategy and focused on the keywords that he was well-positioned to rank for quickly.

 

For example, we did a post focusing on the keyphrase “homes for sale babcock ranch” a few weeks ago.

 

The result?

 

John is already in the first few pages of Google for this keyword and moving up quickly, as you can see.

 

Content marketing, specifically blogging, helped a SWFL realtor improve his search engine rankings

 

Creative Content leads to even greater results

Remember the stats I shared above? One of them stated that 80% of people appreciate learning about a brand through custom content.  For content to be custom and attractive to prospects, it needs to be creative content.

 

Take our client, Cloud Compliance Solutions, for instance. We got them started on HubSpot and kicked off several email campaigns that framed their services as a NASCAR pit crew.

 

 

IT professionals responded to the creative framing positively, and we achieved an email CTR of 5.2% (the average CTR of email campaigns is 2.6%).

 

Conclusion

Again, we have to admit that a content marketing campaign can be a whirlwind when you have other business operations to think about. However, the value content marketing brings to the table is undeniable. If you want to get the positive ROI content marketing is sure to give, schedule a free consultation with our content marketing team. We will develop a content marketing strategy, custom-tailored to your business needs.

September 8, 2021 Content No comments yet

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