This is the repeated source of struggle for most female entrepreneurs…this belief that content is the actual converter for clientele to take advantage of your offers.

The question: “content converts for me, right?”

The answer is “kind of.”

The content acts as a significant cue and intentional touchpoint in your client’s journey to conversion, but it’s not the only reason for conversion! We’ll show you why below.

Content is the Cue

Content acts as a significant cue within the customer journey, but it’s not the only cue. We’ve heard that content is king for over 25 years now (originally coined by Bill Gates in his 1996 essay, once in existence on Microsoft’s website). 

Content IS king in the way that Bill Gates described it: the Internet is indeed a marketplace for content, however, in the rising competitive marketplace that now exists in 2022…we know that content is only one portion of the journey.

Content is king, in our cheetahlicious opinion, ONLY IF connection is queen.

Connection is the Next Step

If you walked into a coffee shop today, let’s call it The Cheetah Cafe in relation to this blog but let’s take it IRL…

…and we didn’t greet you, talk to you, ask you anything, say anything in the purchase experience…would you call this a great experience or subpar and potentially not worthy of telling your friends about (unless it’s a venting session about that dang cafe that has great coffee, but terrible customer service)? 

I would call this a terrible experience from an ownership standpoint and an awful experience from a marketing and sales perspective. 

We’ve now given you the opportunity to:

• Experience a negative touchpoint (that you may feel deeply enough to tell a friend that you wouldn’t recommend us)
• Create an atmosphere that feels entitled (we expect your sale and we’re not expecting that we’ll have to serve you too deeply to get it)
• Choose whether to return for the “good coffee with a bad attitude” experience vs. our competitor across the street who has a great experience alongside a subpar cup of coffee 

I, as a coffee lover, always end up going to the coffee shop that has the best customer service EVEN IF I’m getting a potentially different cup. We live in Asheville, North Carolina and we have at least 20 coffee shops I can choose from every day. With that kind of saturation and competition, Asheville coffee shop owners strive to be the best, but you know what they also do…? 

Collaborate. 

We’ll get to that in a second, but before we move on, how can you help your potential clientele experience a great connection experience previous to purchasing your product to help them feel confident and comfortable with you?

• I will preach a lead list until the day I die; if you don’t have an ongoing list of folks that you’d love to work with, that you connect with weekly, then you’re already making your customer’s experience more difficult (and you’re probably costing your company at the same time!) We give you a lead list template inside of The Cheetah Coalition Membership if you’d like to learn more about that space here.
• A lead list can be called a Connection List or whatever feels best to you to ensure that you feel good, connected, and aligned with the mission of the list.
• We’re here to help, serve, connect, and empower those on that list to see you as a supportive person in their corner with services that they can take advantage of whenever they’re ready. 

The note here, though, is you’re not just connecting to connect – we’re connecting with your absolute-clients (the ideal ones that you desire to work with that most likely need your support) to specifically be available, and show them our expertise through our content, connect with them on a human level in the same way we would with those entering into our coffee shop, and we invite them into conversion. Do you regularly invite folks into your offers or are you waiting for them to convert on their own accord? If so, I welcome you to download this free resource regarding sales, retainment, and conversion for an extended expansion of how simplistic sales can be.

Collaboration is the Final Step

I shared that some of the best coffee shops in Asheville, North Carolina are in regular collaboration with other companies and I believe from a sales perspective that it is the most beneficial action the shops can take to be customer-centric and community-focused.

Collaborations we see regularly:

• We usually head out on Saturdays and end up seeing pop-up coffee stands at our favorite shops, asking us to enjoy coffee and visit them at the official coffee shop the next time we need coffee.
• We see collaborations with coffee shops and breweries (another huge market in Asheville, NC) to enjoy a specific brew for a limited time that you can’t usually find at the coffee shop (many coffee shops around here are open at later hours for the after-hours drinks!)
• We see coffee shops connecting with local efforts to support mission-focused goals such as charities, organizations, or even just “around” a mission that they want to make a difference in but aren’t sure how quite yet.

Can you do this in the online business space? Collaborate with others that have parallel audiences to yours? So you both can serve them equally in their journey, in separate industries?

The answer is yes.

Some of our favorite collaborators to collaborate within our industry are:

• Business Coaches/Mentors/Consultants
• Brand Designers
• Mindset Coaches
• Money Coaches
• Systems Providers (Online Business Managers)
• Engagement Specialists 

The list could go on and on. This is one of the main places we start when we’re working with our private clients: we list out parallel audiences and begin the visibility plan initiative for both collaborators to see connection, collaboration, growth, and conversion through intentional content that serves both audiences. 

Who are your collaborators? How can you begin your own visibility plan?

Conversion Comes from the Journey

Content, in 2022, is only one piece of the puzzle. We revere the words of Bill Gates because they led us this far, but we’re positive that connection, collaboration, and community-centric experiences are needed for conversion to happen at a higher rate with way more simplicity than pumping out loads of content on the daily.

Wouldn’t that feel good for you as a busy business owner? To shift from being just content-focused to content, connection, and collaboration for simplistic conversions? 

If you feel like the world of marketing and sales is complex, difficult, or overwhelming…it’s most likely because you’re having to piece together a lot of disconnected strategies or “one-hit-wonder” strategies that don’t allow for consistent connection, collaboration, and conversion. If you’re seeking support, review our services page. If you’re interested in more ways to increase revenue without burning out, all while serving your absolute-clients (our version of ideal clients!) and retaining them then find our complimentary resources here.