Let me tell you a fascinating story about John.
He’s a fictional character but a good example of the type of people I help every day. In fact, if you pay close attention, you might realize you relate to him in more ways than one.
John is a developer. He writes code day in and day out for a large company.
He doesn’t think of himself as a copywriter. He essentially just codes, all the time. But John also has a strategy up his sleeve. In fact, he uses content marketing every day.
What John might lack in overt marketing skills, he makes up for with an ongoing list of small side projects. He spends hours of his free time building small code snippets and software. Then, he makes them free to download on the popular code-sharing site GitHub.
One day, John wakes up to hundreds of emails in his inbox — job offers, questions, and positive feedback all yell at him through his still-groggy eyelids. He might not be on his third cup of coffee yet, but John is smiling wide.
However, he isn’t surprised by his now-packed inbox; it was just a matter of time.
So, what really happened?
Recently, a big-time developer noticed one of John’s code snippets and decided to share it with his own audience.
This led to thousands of visits and additional links to John’s work, which exposed him to a larger audience, drove traffic to his website, and then resulted in a plethora of potential clients, fans, and leads.
John simply utilized content marketing in a fundamental way:
He provided free solutions to common problems.
Content marketing is more than just writing
Content marketing and copywriting are certainly a powerful combination.
But you can also find content marketing in unlikely places — produced by people who don’t touch the marketing department of a company.
When you offer a free solution to a problem and invite further dialogue by providing a way to contact you, you have the possibility of attracting previously unattainable business opportunities.
And this illustrates one wonderful truth: content marketing strategies can be applied by anyone.
How problem-solving creates profitable opportunities
While the above story of John the developer is inspirational, it might be difficult to understand how it relates to you and your own endeavors — especially if you’re not a developer!
In light of that, I’ve broken down this principle into three steps. Use this process to leverage content marketing to your advantage and grow your audience.
Step #1: Seek out problems
First, develop a list of problems you know people struggle with.
You could survey customers, run polls, or research your target market.
But there’s another tried-and-true method: take note of the problems you face each day.
I know, you’ve already got 50 problems in mind. It seems we humans have a surprisingly efficient ability to complain.
Once you’ve clearly defined a problem, ask your audience for feedback — even if that’s just your family members.
Here’s an example:
I recently had an idea for an application I wanted to build. It was a perfect opportunity to both solve a repetitive task I found myself doing and learn a new JavaScript framework.
So, the first thing I did was jump on Twitter and tweet out a poll. I asked if anyone would find the idea useful.
The answer? Eighty percent thought the idea had already been done.
Sure, my idea was likely not worth pursuing — but I got instant feedback and saved myself a lot of trouble.
Keep doing this, all the while keeping these ideas in a safe place. Eventually, you’ll stumble upon a few problems that get a resounding, “Yes, please!”
Step #2: Eliminate the expensive and time-consuming
The second step is to review your new list of problems and decide which ones you have the ability to solve.
Throw away the ones you don’t know how to solve (or save them for later) and create a revised list with the ones you do know how to solve.
With this process, you need to decide which problems you can solve absolutely free of charge.
At this point, you might be thinking about all of the free time you don’t have to produce free solutions.
But if you are strategic and smart with your time, you’ll be surprised by the value you can provide — it just takes focus and diligence.
Now, select one problem that:
- You have the ability to solve
- Doesn’t require an unreasonable amount of time and resources to solve
- You can give away for free
This will be your baby. You’ll nurture it at every free moment you can spare. (I have three hours before work every morning dedicated to side projects like my newsletter for web designers.)
This problem, which you hate, should now be your favorite thing in the world.
Step #3: Solve the problem and provide the solution for free
Developing a solution to your problem is the shortest step in the process but undoubtedly the hardest and most crucial.
Solving problems is hard. Solving problems with excellence is even more difficult, as any entrepreneur will tell you.
But solving problems is the essential ingredient to success, and the quality of your solution will be what markets your capabilities.
Finally, once you’ve solved the problem — and double-checked that the solution is excellent — you’re ready to provide it for free.
With this process, don’t ask for anything in return, but don’t be a stranger either — always offer ways to connect and an easy way to get in touch with you.
Remember the inviting further dialogue part I mentioned earlier?
Make yourself available. Inviting further dialogue is your call to action.
Content marketing anyone can do
By following this system, you not only benefit your industry and community, you will also indirectly build authority.
John was just a typical developer before that morning of email bliss. He was regarded as the “company guy,” rather than a content marketer or entrepreneur.
Yet, over time and as a result of consistency, prospects recognized him as a trustworthy resource they wanted to do business with.
By following this process again and again, you’ll not only benefit everyone who cares about the problems you can solve, you’ll also gain loyal customers who trust you. They’ll respect you, support you, and market your expertise and products for free for years to come.
The best part of it all? Absolutely anyone in any industry can do it.
You just have to start.
Additional reading: If you found this article useful, you may also like How to Decide Which Content to Sell and What to Give Away for Free.
Reader Comments (49)
Hi Calvin,
Thanks for writing this article. Very helpful and I will definitely put the tip about polling people on Twitter, and other places, to good use. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for reading, Mike!
Copywriting can be difficult for some freelancers. That is unless it is your niche market. Content marketing is not just fascinating, but it can give a great income. Thank you for such an informative post. The question now would be, how does content marketing help both the client and the freelancer?
Indeed, copywriting doesn’t come naturally for some people. That’s why content marketing isn’t only about copywriting. For those who can’t write eloquently, there are other ways of building an audience such as the story of the developer.
It’s helpful to both the developer and the user, since each benefit from the use of a free product.
Love the example of John the coder. It’s so funny how when talking about content, it’s easy to forget that every medium can fit into that content box.
The open source community is a great example of people just trying to help other people.
Great first post Calvin!
Thanks, Garrett!
I’ve been doing exactly that, providing free advice which often brings in clients who would rather hire me than struggle through it themselves.
Yep, free consulting is another great example of content marketing. Those people will think of you when they really need some help down the road.
Hi Calvin,
That’s inspirational:
I’m inspired to use the strategy you’ve outlined to create useful content for my audience.
You see, this is exactly how we’re supposed to make our little efforts known in our spaces as content marketers.
Great work Calvin. Thanks.
Francis
Thanks for the kind words, Francis!
A new way to think about content marketing, that I haven’t thought of before. Thanks for your contribution.
Just one of many ways, Linda. Thanks!
Calvin — truth be told, I never thought of content as being anything other than writing. Thanks for sharing — will definitely try using these tips!
That’s all I wanted to get across, so success! Thanks for the comment, Ted.
I am definitely a firm believer than the problem > solution approach to seeking out great content opportunities is a solid one in most niches.
Focus on the problem, market the solution. 😉
Hi Calvin,
I think that content marketing really boils down to problem solving.
If you are able to solve peoples problems for free ( thanks to internet) eventually you will build authority.
And it goes beyond just writting. Actually vuilding tools is very effective. I use a number of free online tools myself. This increases the chance of buying or sucsribing for more advanced version.
Glad that comments are back on copyblogger.
Neno
Neno, yeah this is definitely a popular model in the WordPress ecosystem. I can’t tell you how many free plugins there are with optional upgrades. That’s a great example!
Guess what? I read this article because you’ve sent me an email asking for me to read this. And luckily, I found this articles helpful. I would definitely use the tips for my blog written in Indonesia. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
i am content writer and working since 2010. This is great article & valuable advice about content marketing
Thanks, Rene 😉
Hi Calvin Koepke
Thanks for writing this inspirational and useful article. I have recently published my website and was worried about that on which topic I should write and how to find topics for my articles. But this article provide me a best solution for writing articles for my site and consuming my free time which were being wasted previously.
I think adopting this strategy, we not only create loyalty and business for us but also can help others in solving problems.
It also really helps you define yourself as a business. If you know what problem you’re trying to solve, you know why you exist.
Thanks for reading!
Solving unique problems is what sets people apart from the masses. Great tips on how to strategically go about doing this while gaining trust and respect.
I like the ideas about polling people on Twitter- there are so many free resources out there to take advantage of.
Polling on Twitter is a great way to get some instant feedback for sure. Depending on your follower size (and who they are), advertising a poll to get more feedback is also a great idea.
Thanks for the comment, Matthew.
“Throw away the ones you don’t know how to solve (or save them for later) and create a revised list with the ones you do know how to solve.”
I’d say look for the solution.
I’ve had this idea of actually applying a content marketing strategy to webcomics. I’m not sure if that would work or not. But this article has inspired me to give it a try.
Look for the solution, for sure. But don’t let it delay you from actually solving something. People can spend years looking for a solution and get left behind.
Thanks for the great article. I have just published my website yesterday. I created it using WordPress all by myself. I had no prior experience on how to set up a website or blog but somehow I managed it. I faced numerous problems like – which theme to select, how to put in the social media sharing buttons, how to make my blog interactive and user friendly etc etc. I wont say that I have achieved everything that I was looking for, but its a start. Every time I faced a problem I did research on the issue and every time I got a solution. So, I am confident that I will be able to help people who are trying to set up their new blogs.I may not know all the solutions for the problems they may face but I know how to get the solutions.
Hey Nilanjan,
You are doing great — I took a peek at your site and you’re already doing a great job of documenting your journey. Keep it up!
Thanks for the encouragement Calvin. 🙂
this is exactly how we’re supposed to make our little efforts known in our spaces as content marketers.
I agree! 😉
Hello Kelvin,
This is really inspirational as well as educational.
i totally agree that the key way to build your audience as well as become authority is to solve a problem and meet a need.
And doing that for free will definitely get buy-in and build audience.
Once again, great post!
Thanks Celvin.
Thanks for the kind words, Ifeanyi. It’s definitely not easy, but I believe it’s worth it!
Great post Calvin! Always good stuff on Copyblogger. 🙂
I guess at the end it all boils down to writing useful/valuable content and putting it in front of the right audience at the right time. It’s not easy but once you get the hang of it you’ll see a snowball effect on traffic. The Twitter polling tip was great, never thought of it myself. Thanks!
Thanks Tom! Yeah, that Twitter idea seems to be a hit with the readers—give it a shot and let us know how it goes. 😉
I like the basic principles you line up, but I have a problem with your work of fiction.
In your story, John is essentially just waiting to strike gold. That’s a small fraction of content marketing experience. Usually it is more like slow growth until your audience reaches a critical mass and then growth becomes exponential.
Plus, attention from one heavy influencer won’t last unless a relationship is developed with them and their audience.
I’m not looking for a big break, but a strong community that begins to do the leg work (promotion) for me. That means from day one you’re just feeding the community (mostly).
I like the basic principles you line up, but I have a problem with your work of fiction.
In your story, John is essentially just waiting to strike gold. That’s a small fraction of the content marketing experience. Usually it is more like slow growth until your audience reaches a critical mass and then growth becomes exponential.
Plus, attention from one heavy influencer won’t last unless a relationship is developed with them and their audience.
I’m not looking for a big break, but building a strong community that begins to do the leg work (promotion) for me. That means from day one I’m just feeding the community (mostly).
Hey Joel,
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree with everything you pointed out. The fictional story is obviously a simple case scenario.
Obviously, striking gold is an unlikely event that you shouldn’t hinge on—I agree that it may have come across that way, but I think the rest of the article counter balances that notion by emphasizing hard work, perseverance, consistency, and long-term fruit.
Thanks for bringing more attention the finer points. Again, I totally agree. The story is fiction, after all. 😉
Thanks for the article and response Calvin.
All the best.
Initially, when I started online. I had such negative attitude towards online entrepreneurs — marketing online. I stayed in an uproar.
But, through the years, I’ve been blessed to come across authentic entrepreneurs that provided a solid foundation for understanding the fundamentals necessary to reaching a successful status from online.
Calvin, I am so grateful to have discovered your article and believe your Willie-britches. I am applying your knowledge and experience in reconstructing my site project.
Thank for you for your articulate advice, and I truly value your input.
Heh, yeah. Unfortunately many entrepreneurs online (and in the physical distribution arena) can be sleezy.
In the end, it all comes down to discernment. Know where to put your effort, and look past he facade that people place around themselves.
You’ll know the authentic ones when you see them.
Thank YOU for your comment, Kevin 😉
You are spot on here Calvin… and Google is really rewarding content that does a great job of answering people’s questions in authoritative and compelling ways. Thanks for Sharing 🙂
Thanks, Andy!
Great article! A really practical view on how to start creating content that solves the “pain points” that people have. Thanks!
Glad to help, Nathan.
Really nice post Calvin. You’ve really inspired me to get back into content marketing
That’s great to hear, James!
Real quality here, thanks for taking the time to share this.
This problem solving approach is something I try to do with my blog http://www.joegallant.co.uk/church-communications-blog but it’s definitely something I could improve on, both in formalising a process, and in developing beyond copywriting.
Thanks again for the encouragement!
This article's comments are closed.