4: RESEARCH

The new world economy—addicted to content

Plan, package, produce

There is a simple way to package information that, under the right circumstances, can make it irresistible. All you have to do is find it.

— Malcolm Gladwell

You are now a publisher, just like Time magazine, Vogue and The Huffington Post! And like any publisher, you must find the key to unlocking the greatest challenge facing media companies today — how to make great profits in the new world economy.

In June 2013 Facebook was reported to have 1.15 billion monthly active users. Millions of people are jumping online every single day to post their thoughts about everything from the latest fashion, what they ate and who they hung out with to their political views or sharing how-to tips and lifestyle advice — all of which express who they are as individuals and contribute to their feeling connected, accepted and even revered by friends, family and co-workers. The need for humans to assert their social status (a primal instinct) is shaping the content of our new world economy.

Content is king

Content may be king, but until it's packaged it remains intangible. How much is a piece of advice really worth if you can't physically grasp it? So much depends on how that advice is packaged and marketed. Of course it also depends on the outcome that piece of advice aims to help you achieve. How much would you pay someone to learn how to make a billion dollars? Five thousand dollars, a hundred thousand, a million? The higher the perceived value, the more money some people will be prepared to pay. It's a simple equation.

If you are an agent of influence, content is the key to creating the business — and life — you love. It's what shapes opinions, transforms lives, drives sales and generates mass media. It allows you to flee 9 to 5, because once you have created it you can leverage it in varying formats again and again. An article can become an audio program, a blog can become a book, and a book can become an online course. With each adaptation a new means of leverage presents itself.

Whether you sell products or services, you must now have content for online distribution sites such as Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter, plus your own email communications, media and blogs.

Many might view this as an overwhelming task, but I'm here to tell you it's not. With the right systems, processes and support, creating new content that you can package into marketable materials can be fun, and the great news is you can do this work anywhere. I'm sitting on Waiheke Island in New Zealand overlooking a stunning bay while I write this chapter. I don't share this with you to brag (okay, maybe just a little!), but because it exemplifies the Flee 9 to 5 message and lifestyle. Sitting on a beach in the sun, I'm also doing work I love, an activity from which I derive my income.

Having been a writer for more than ten years, I have developed various processes to create content and products. I'll simplify them for you here by introducing you to my content creation system, a series of processes that will make the work feel like a walk in the park instead of a crowbar to the knee. And it will set up you and your brand to receive online sales in no time.

So far in this book we have identified your expertise and knowledge and started to work on your ideas. It's now time to learn how to develop these ideas and package them into marketable products.

Finding the algorithms that deliver: the crucial step almost everyone ignores

In his fascinating book, Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions from a Media Manipulator, Ryan Holiday explains how there are people in the media who study algorithms to discover the precise headlines and content that will keep your eyeballs glued to their websites. In essence, eyeballs = cash.

So media specialists research the trending topics to find out where the money is and shape content that keeps people stuck in a loop: reading one article, they are enticed by another, and another. People find themselves caught in these infinite loops on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media sites, and increasingly linked to one another in a complex network that often appears to the user like a single vast source. Content creators understand human behaviour and language, and how to capture and seduce their audience.

Finding the algorithms that shape our own niche, what's trending and which topics are ‘paying' isn't as hard as many believe. Creating addictive content that can shape the world is a formulated process. You simply need to add real heart and soul to the mix to create an authentic experience that shapes how people behave, think and feel.

The answers are right in front of you. A simple search on online news sites for your niche will uncover the trending topics. For example, if your area of expertise is business, visit sites such as www.forbes.com and do a search of its trending articles. This will give you an indication of which headlines people are clicking on and furiously liking and sharing. This process allows you to catch and ride the currents, which are made up of a mass of online content that constantly ebbs and flows.

This provides you with the tools and the information to package and produce your content into marketable products. How? By identifying the headlines and the sub-topics in your niche that people want to learn more about. This research not only shapes your products, it shapes how you will market them. It also helps to identify keywords to use to find this content online. These are the terms and phrases your audience types into Google on a daily basis to find how-to answers to their problems — problems you will soon be solving with your products, if you're not already.

Going niche, then going broad

Nobody puts Baby in a corner! But what if I told you the corner is where the cash is?

We've all heard someone described as ‘a jack of all trades but master of none'. Many experts, in getting started, want to exploit all of their expertise at once. The challenge here is that it makes marketing massively costly, because they are using a ‘scatter-gun' approach, firing off round after round in the hope that some will hit the target. But ammunition (marketing) is expensive. Secondly, the media won't touch you: they don't know which box to fit you in because your identity embraces an amalgam of skills. Putting forward just one skill at a time will yield you much better results.

With this in mind, I recommend the following process:

1. Identify your ‘overarching' marketing message

What is it that you stand for? (My slogan is ‘Shape the world we live in'.) This can be applied to business, career, life and love. Think of a slogan that can ground all the work you do, and the expertise and knowledge you possess. Brainstorm 20 ideas, then bring that down to five, then three, then finally one.

2. Identify the tool or strategy you use to deliver your marketing message or generate your outcome

For example, if I was to pick a specific genre, such as business, and focus on my subcategory, publicity, the tool I would use to help people win publicity is influence. This tool can be used in various areas, but in this particular case I would teach individuals how it can generate major publicity for their brand and business quickly to help them shape the world we live in. To make it seamless, it should always tie back in with the overarching message of the business.

3. Get known for your main message and one tool only within a defined period of time

Give it, say, three to six months before you move on to another genre covered by your overarching message. For example, I would spend three months educating my email subscribers and social media channel on influence and how it can be applied to generate publicity. After a set period of time, after becoming known in relation to this particular subcategory, I would switch focus to how to become a paid speaker and the tools required to achieve this, then stick with this subject for a defined period of time before moving on again.

Attacking all subcategories at once confuses your target market. They don't know who you are, what you stand for or, most importantly, why you are an agent of influence within your particular genre. Work in waves and each wave will yield you a massive return on investment, particularly when it comes to launching your product.

Think now, what is the genre you're focusing on for one particular product, and which ‘tool' are you going to teach people how to use to get results?

Plan, package, produce: winning the trifecta

In horse racing terminology a trifecta is a bet in which the gambler must successfully predict which horses will finish first, second and third, in correct order. If there is a trifecta in content marketing, it is:

This is the sequence to follow in order to achieve rapid results. Let's kick off our race with planning.

Planning your way to profits: the vital first step

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.

— Stephen King

Whether you are creating content or a product, the same process applies. This process can be applied to a range of content formats, including blog posts, feature articles, digital products, audio scripts, online courses, keynote presentations and even books. No matter what you are creating, there is always a beginning, a middle and an end.

The Matrix Strategy of Content Creation

I'd spent days listening to Anthony Robbins, trying to work out how he mesmerises his audiences. That man has a tongue that can always seduce. Suddenly I realised what he does. He speaks in a very particular pattern, and it is this pattern that forms the foundation for all of the content that has attracted millions of dollars and won him fans around the world. I broke it down into four easy steps and then tried it out for the first time on stage in front of an audience of over 200 in Melbourne, Australia.

They were captivated. They were leaning forward, hanging on every word I said.

Later I wove it into my products — and noticed how much more compelling they had suddenly become. Over the years, I've evolved this to make the planning process and the content even more enjoyable and easy to create.

Let's take a look at how these four steps work.

Table 4.1 shows an example of how it works.

Table 4.1: the Matrix Strategy of Content Creation (example)

This powerful process achieves a number of objectives:

• It makes a potentially overwhelming task manageable and easy.
• It engages the audience by continually reinforcing why they need to pay attention to the content, no matter what format it is presented in.
• The case studies, examples, statistics and stories add colour, depth and life to your product or presentation, painting a picture of what's possible when your how-to strategies are applied.
• Depending on how much information you provide in the how section, you have just created a seamless upsell to the next product or service in your ascension marketing model, by using real-life examples and case studies as supporting evidence.

You can use this format to write articles, books, audio presentations, keynotes and more. Its potential is limitless. It literally takes your how-to advice and packages it into a marketable product.

And the best thing about this is that it takes only 30 minutes or less to plan a complete product. It automatically simplifies what you are trying to say and condenses it into clear and digestible messages for your audience. Secondly, it infuses your content with credibility by declaring, ‘Here is the technique and here's how it can be practically applied'.

Now it's your turn. Pick one of the products you would like to create and complete the template in table 4.2.

Table 4.2: the Matrix Strategy of Content Creation (your turn)

Packaging: making the ‘intangible' tangible

Several years ago a colleague of mine, Rhondalynn Korolak, approached me to help her come up with a title for her upcoming release on accounting and finance.

You can imagine my expression. My first question was, how do we make a topic that sounds so dry and dull into something brand-new and exciting? And that's when it hit me. Let's call it ‘Financial Foreplay: Whip Your Business into Shape'. I came up with the cover concept of a leather boot with a whip wrapped around it at the base, with yellow as the background colour. It was an instant bestseller.

It starts with the name

How you package your knowledge and expertise is everything. And now you are clearer about the direction your products and information can take, it will be easier to envision how they can be packaged. We start this process by coming up with a compelling name. Once again, you can apply this process to any content, be it an article, book, audio program, workshop, event or digital product. To begin the process use this checklist as your guide.

How to come up with a best-selling product name

Research a list of the top 20 best-selling books within your niche, and identify patterns that they have used in the titles (for example, are they outcome based?).

Brainstorm 20 product name ideas of your own, using your list for inspiration.

Narrow it down to three, then select your number one choice.

Create a subtitle that clearly explains the ‘outcome' the product aims to achieve (for example, ‘Fat Obliterator — How to Lose 7 kg in 7 Days').

Write a summary of what the customer will gain by purchasing it.

Keep it simple and clear, and focus on the problem your product solves.

Keep it simple, and make it clear what it offers (for example, Flee 9 to 5, Get Paid 6 to 7 Figures and Do What You Love. Anyone one chromosome away from a tomato can work out what this book is about. Ensure yours follows suit.

Seduce them with visuals

Once you have a name and a blurb, it's time to package it up by getting your visuals completed. If you're creating a book, you'll need a cover plus an online landing page. This is a web page dedicated purely to promoting this one product, and ideally it will include a promotional video. If you're creating an audio program, you will need a landing page that features a 3D image of the product. Visit www.benangel.com.au/flee9-5 to view active and regularly updated examples of landing pages that have worked.

Branding and packaging are indispensable because their design directly expresses and reflects the quality of your product. Don't cheap out and get your cousin's girlfriend to do the graphics. It could severely decrease your conversion rates and impact your sales.

To help you get your graphic design completed at an affordable rate, I've teamed up with 99designs, a design marketplace where you submit a brief for what you require, then designers from all over the world compete for your work. In many cases you can receive 20 or more proposals for the work you need designed. You then make your choice and the funds are released to the designer. As the buyer you're completely protected. For details on an exclusive offer, visit www.benangel.com.au/flee9-5.

When it comes to design, draw on inspiration from industry experts outside your field. How did they package their products and services? Getting external inspiration often throws up a new twist and breathes new life into an old subject, making you the go-to person in your field.

Producing: first create your production schedule

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell 'em, ‘Certainly I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.

— Theodore Roosevelt

If you want to get something done, make a public announcement and have your social media networks keep you accountable. In writing my second book, CLICK — The New Science of Influence, I decided to announce publicly that I would write that 60 000-word book within 30 days and launch it on my thirtieth birthday, March 30. With the external pressure of others watching my every move and seeking updates on my progress, I found a support network and a valid reason to get it done on time — to avoid public humiliation! Announce your intention publicly, then ask for support. This is about stripping away potential excuses so you can just do it.

Create a production schedule that blocks out set times each day for you to focus on your work. If you're currently working 9 to 5, start by doing just an hour a day in the morning before work or in the afternoon when you have some quiet time to yourself. Make a commitment right now that you will never use time as an excuse to not get it done. This process is about buying back time, and to achieve this an investment is required in the early days. But because you'll be focusing on something you love, it will feel fulfilling to be doing something for yourself.

Create an action list of what's required now to produce your product. By this stage you will have various ideas that you can work on. Revisit your ascension marketing model and begin with your introductory offer, keeping in mind what the next product in line is to seed by way of the segue.

The 60-Minute Expert: using fear as your fuel

People wonder why first-time directors can make a brilliant picture, then suck on the second one. It's because they're a little terrified the first time. So they listen to all the experts around them.

— James Caan

Last year I received an email from GQ men's magazine requesting my opinion on the career choices of actor Ryan Gosling for an upcoming feature. It had been years since I'd seen a Gosling film (and I couldn't even remember what it was). I was given 60 minutes to prepare for the interview.

With my heart racing I jumped on YouTube and watched the 60-second previews for each of his movies. I could see immediately why he took such roles to develop his personal brand, and how this had impacted his career.

An hour later I conducted the interview, then went about my day as usual. Later that afternoon I received an email of thanks, saying, ‘Great work. Rarely is an interview subject as prepared. Appreciate the effort'.

How confident are you in your skills?

People must take you seriously, but being taken seriously is as much about perception as it is about skillset and content. Combine skills with credibility and you create an authentic, unstoppable brand that drives sales and exposure at little cost. Experts know this and leverage its power.

Positioning individuals to appear in the media as experts is my specialty. The great news is, you can learn on the job. You don't need to know everything there is to know about your topic right now; you just need to know more than your customer or the person interviewing you.

It may take no more than a quick internet search, a telephone call to a colleague or an email to get the answers to your questions. Whether or not you require qualifications within your industry depends on several factors. There are many useful questions you can ask to handle this, including:

• Are there industry standards that you must adhere to, and if so, what is the industry body you should contact to find out more?
• How are you creating your content? Is it from experience, through repurposing of publicly available information, based on your unique story or through interviewing other experts with qualifications within your field? All of these options add credibility to the mix.
• Where is your content sourced? Can you license it or pay an expert to contribute to your material?
• Do you have client case studies and statistics that you can weave into your content to give it credibility and further position you as an expert?

And, most importantly, do you believe in the message, story and strategies that you are delivering?

Only twice in my ten-year career as a professional speaker have I been asked what my qualifications are and if I went to university. Why? Because I believe in what I'm doing and I back it up with evidence and real-world experience that anyone can use to make a real change in their life. Mark Twain put it eloquently: ‘I've never let my schooling interfere with my education.'

Set your own curriculum

I feel strongly that continuing education is key to a successful business. I do what I do because I love it, and because I love it I continually educate myself by staying on top of industry trends and searching for new and innovative ways to help my clients. Here are others ways to become an expert:

• Spend 30 minutes each day reading the top industry blogs related to your niche. This information is often more up to date than books, as there can be a massive lag time between a book being written and it being released and read.
• Follow the top experts in your field and find recommended resources or reading to uncover further information on their secret-sauce formulas.
• Write a weekly article using the format outlined in the Matrix Strategy of Content Creation (see p. 62). You'll quickly realise that you already know more than you thought and uncover gaps in your knowledge that you need to fill.

The winning edge

Self-discipline gives you the winning edge when it comes to planning, packaging and producing products and online content that converts. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more you will enjoy it. Get started now by setting yourself 30 minutes to map out your first ‘introductory' product.

Having completed the exercises in each chapter, you'll find this will come together quickly, and with this swift progress you'll suddenly feel that it is all within reach. Keep your end goal in mind each and every day.

Now you know how to monetise your message, it's time to discover how to market it using my 3D Marketing System.

Tips and resources

Aim to create content that compels people to buy and encourages them to share your message with the world.

Find the headlines and topics that people in your niche want to learn more about, and draw them into infinite loops of engagement.

When marketing content, go for the trifecta: plan (using the Matrix Strategy of Content Creation), package (devise an inspired way to ‘make intangibles tangible') and produce (draw up and adopt a production schedule and action list).

For up-to-date information, checklists, tools and links to help you create your product, visit www.benangel.com.au/flee9-5.