The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Give content and sales will follow - ideas

Idea threads

exclusives88

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
166%
May 28, 2014
520
861
37
One of my business had a huge decline in sales from 2018 due to competition (on Amazon) so I’ve had pivoted to my own website.

I listened to Gary’s V podcast and he said to give content for audience to consume. Not the other way around. Give the content and naturally, you will get sales.

I’ve been doing it all wrong. All of my content is about why you should buy, why the product does this/that. My E-mail targeting is all about what I’m offering them (via discount code). How do I write content for the audience can consume?

I’m looking for some ideas. My business sells Himalayan Salt Lamps. All of my content is about why salt lamps is beneficial, what is salt lamps...etc.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Hassassin

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
126%
Oct 14, 2012
216
272
One of my business had a huge decline in sales from 2018 due to competition (on Amazon) so I’ve had pivoted to my own website.

I listened to Gary’s V podcast and he said to give content for audience to consume. Not the other way around. Give the content and naturally, you will get sales.

I’ve been doing it all wrong. All of my content is about why you should buy, why the product does this/that. My E-mail targeting is all about what I’m offering them (via discount code). How do I write content for the audience can consume?

I’m looking for some ideas. My business sells Himalayan Salt Lamps. All of my content is about why salt lamps is beneficial, what is salt lamps...etc.

I’m in the content marketing game, so I’ll bite.

How old is your site and how long have you been providing content? This will impact your ranking and authority in Google’ s eyes.

Do you know what your leads are searching for in search engines?

Are you trying to rank for keywords that your leads are searching for?
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,568
68,703
Ireland
Some people are looking to buy. Where are they doing that, and are you getting found by them?

Other people are looking for information. Where are they doing that, and are you getting found by them?
 

exclusives88

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
166%
May 28, 2014
520
861
37
@Andy Black In my opinion, people searching on google are just wanting information on what they are. Most of the time when they buy, it's through Amazon or sometimes on google through google shopping.

I've been putting out content the past 3 months. I'm starting to put out 3 articles a week. However, topics are starting to dry out. How much can I really write about such a small niche? I'm trying to figure out, what other things to write about that will give the audience value.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Hassassin

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
126%
Oct 14, 2012
216
272
@Andy Black In my opinion, people searching on google are just wanting information on what they are. Most of the time when they buy, it's through Amazon or sometimes on google through google shopping.

I've been putting out content the past 3 months. I'm starting to put out 3 articles a week. However, topics are starting to dry out. How much can I really write about such a small niche? I'm trying to figure out, what other things to write about that will give the audience value.
Why not prioritize ranking high on serps for the few relevant pieces that you have written?

Or guest post on other sites where your audience may hang out?
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,568
68,703
Ireland
@Andy Black In my opinion, people searching on google are just wanting information on what they are. Most of the time when they buy, it's through Amazon or sometimes on google through google shopping.

"himalayan salt lamps" looks like a pretty commercial search term and search results page to me:

27843


Pay attention to the "People also ask" section too. Those search terms would be info-seekers I'd think.

Let's try one from above:

27844

Interesting how there's no ads for that search term.

Go play with the Google Keyword Planner. Try to separate people into info-seekers and buyers. My trick is to ask “Are they searching with a cup of coffee in hand, or their credit card?"
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,568
68,703
Ireland
Interesting that there's a group for buyers and sellers of salt products.
At a guess it's pretty spammy, but who knows.

27845
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

exclusives88

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
166%
May 28, 2014
520
861
37
Looks like I will be joining those groups!

@Hassan Yes we are ranking our articles and have seen 2x traffic from it. Sooner or later, we will be out of content to write regarding Himalayan Salt Lamps. I guess I need to look for other type of products to write about such as salt blocks, tiles, salt spa...etc

The thing is that most of my content is information about salt lamps which sounds like its translating to "buy from me buy from me". Instead of genuinely giving them information. Not sure if that makes sense...

@Andy Black That is my thinking too... There are 3 competitors that spend heavily on adwords. They have to be making money if they are throwing so much $ in it. I just can't figure out why I can't sell as well on my website! Yes, we do focus on those search terms and wrote about them.

That facebook groups is interesting. I will join!
 

Charnell

Block me if you're a quack
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
276%
Oct 12, 2014
1,091
3,009
Kansas City
Here's a whole slew of questions you can answer: AnswerThePublic: that free visual keyword research & content ideas tool

Have you answered every one of these questions as far as content goes (apart from the region-specific)?
Does all your content serve a purpose (buy now!, learn more, join a list, share with friends, etc)? Every piece should have a call to action, even if it's not pushing for a sale right away.

As far as other things to create content on (which shouldn't be limited to written forever, don't forget video and if possible audio) you are on the right path with looking at similar topics like salt blocks and salt spas. What else are people that use salt lamps into? Natural medicine? Meditation? Spirituality? Flexing on Instagram?

Look up the mattress company Casper's content marketing case studies. You may not have the means to go all out like they did with their satellite websites, but it can give you some ideas. First hey answered every possible search around sleep, then moved into comfort as a whole with another website, basically acting as their own affiliate.

One way I'm doing well is converting articles into videos to hit a whole new audience that prefers that medium. It's pretty easy if you use the article as a loose script. I've created videos with slideshows for really informational pieces, used stock videos, and talking head videos as well. Hell, when I first started I'd just screencap the article and read & scroll. Embed those videos at the beginning of your article.
 

AllenCrawley

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
420%
Oct 13, 2011
4,112
17,270
52
Scottsdale, AZ

inputchip

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
409%
Mar 26, 2017
312
1,277
www.tmkings.com
This is super cool, thanks for the link Charnell! Bookmarked.

Reverse engineer why someone would be looking to purchase a salt lamp in the first place. What caused them to search for a salt lamp? Did they hear about the benefits on a natural health podcast? Did they see some YouTuber that recommended it? Did their friend refer them? Where are your market eyeballs?

There is a wealth of information from experts just waiting to be tapped into.

1. Record videos of interviews with natural health experts on all things natural health, including salt lamps. Can just be recording you on speakerphone with them.
2. Post video interviews to YouTube channel.
3. Take small snippets of interview and put subtitles to it and post over Insta, FB, Snap, LinkedIn, TikTok, whatever channels you are currently doing well on.
4. Post audio from the interview into podcast format.
5. Transcribe the audio to create blog posts.
6. Take content from blog posts and make info-graphics to embed within blog posts and post over social media again.

You can get a huge amount of content from a single interview.

Again, make sure to always have a clear call to action in each piece of content.
 

Hassassin

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
126%
Oct 14, 2012
216
272
Photos are content too. And speaking of that what if you had influencers and or celebrities with pictures of them enjoying their Salt Lamp or just one in the background?

Good call!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

NMdad

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
224%
Aug 6, 2017
612
1,370
New Mexico
27844
Hey, @Andy Black, is that some super secret keyword weapon plugin you have for Google that shows you CSV-exportable related keywords & "people also search for" lists on the right of the page? Curious how I can get that...
 

AllenCrawley

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
420%
Oct 13, 2011
4,112
17,270
52
Scottsdale, AZ
Hey, @Andy Black, is that some super secret keyword weapon plugin you have for Google that shows you CSV-exportable related keywords & "people also search for" lists on the right of the page? Curious how I can get that...
F247EBE8-B6A7-4B35-8F6F-190C49BD6938.jpeg
 

Bekit

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
493%
Aug 13, 2018
1,135
5,601
One of my business had a huge decline in sales from 2018 due to competition (on Amazon) so I’ve had pivoted to my own website.

I listened to Gary’s V podcast and he said to give content for audience to consume. Not the other way around. Give the content and naturally, you will get sales.

I’ve been doing it all wrong. All of my content is about why you should buy, why the product does this/that. My E-mail targeting is all about what I’m offering them (via discount code). How do I write content for the audience can consume?

I’m looking for some ideas. My business sells Himalayan Salt Lamps. All of my content is about why salt lamps is beneficial, what is salt lamps...etc.

Questions that may help you to upgrade your results from this...
  • Is every piece of content you produce out-classing the top 3 results on Google for the same keyword or question? If not, how can you upgrade it?
  • Do you have a proofreader or an editor go through your posts to make sure that they are grammatically correct and easy to read? (I ask because you said, "why salt lamps is beneficial, what is salt lamps" which is improper English right in your titles.)
  • If someone reads one post from your site, will they think it's worth their time to read ANOTHER post from you? Based on the content of one email someone sees from you, are they going to be likely to open the next email? Or are they going to be bored?
Here are 4 ways to out-class everyone else on your topic and command attention:
  1. Be provocative and polarizing. What if you wrote some really authoritative articles on "Why Veritasium is Dead Wrong about Salt Lamps" (see "Are Negative Ions Good For You") or "The Truth About Salt Lamps: Why Scientists Say They Don't Work" or "Are Salt Lamps a Scam? What the Government Doesn't Want You To Know About Negative Ions" etc etc etc. (Unless, of course, salt lamps really ARE a scam, in which case you have a different business problem on your hands.)
  2. Be entertaining and dramatic. Use showmanship. Try slapstick. Try being ridiculous. What if you recorded some slow-motion videos of things like running over salt lamps with a truck, hitting salt lamps with a sledge hammer, or setting a salt lamp on fire? What if you used deadpan humor woven into a documentary-style interview with fake "scientists" where you act like you're taking yourself all seriously while making over-the-top ridiculous videos? What if you filmed a choreographed dance around the salt lamps?
  3. Tell the best stories. Whether you tell the stories of the journey the salt lamps take from the moment they are mined from the Himalayas to the moment they are purchased from your shop, or you share your customers' stories of how the salt lamp improved their lives, some amazing storytelling will go a long way for you.
  4. Be the ultimate source of the best, most up-to-date knowledge on the planet for your topic. There is a reason why the top result on google is often a variation on "The Ultimate Guide to XYZ" and is a 2,000-word post with amazing graphic design and "INSIDERS" expertise that you can't find anywhere else on the internet. Be the most useful post on your topic (as voted by multiple backlinks to your page) and Google will reward you accordingly.
Side Note: Regarding GaryV's advice, be aware that this tactic worked fairly well, say, back in 2008, but the internet has been flooded with people doing this tactic ever since, and the results you can expect today are NOT the same as the results you could expect 10-12 years ago.

You're going to have to up your game significantly if you're relying on this tactic as a major part of your strategy. I say this as someone who has seen the inside of this industry. I worked for a large marketing agency that was serving around 5,000 small businesses with content written by excellent writers (including answering every conceivable question that AnswerThePublic.com could feed us). We could see and measure the business results that came from our efforts (traffic, conversions, phone calls, sales, etc). It was not pretty. It was usually a waste of the business owner's money. But it was easy to sell because people believe in it. So if you're going to do it, you're going to have to do it in a BIG way (like through using the four points I offered above at a world-class level).

Good luck!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Bekit

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
493%
Aug 13, 2018
1,135
5,601
I just can't figure out why I can't sell as well on my website!
There may be some hindrance on your site. It might be worth evaluating your site from a conversion, UX, and trust standpoint.

I would guess that it is one or more of the following:
  • It is not easy for people to buy from you. How many clicks does it take from viewing an item to finishing the checkout process?
  • You have not built sufficient trust and people are hesitant to share their information with you. What kind of trust icons is your site displaying?
  • Your copywriting is weak. Are your headlines, product descriptions, and call-to-action buttons written as effectively as they can be? Is it easy to tell at a glance what your site is about and what to do on any given page? Does your copy create desire?
  • Your graphic design is weak. Does your site look like it was made 10 years ago? Are the images fuzzy? Does it look like a basement-bargain web developer put it together?
  • Your prices are higher than the competition. For a product like yours, people are going to just look for the lowest price unless you can boast some kind of value skew or differentiator. How does this compare?
  • Your site is slow. Do your pages load fast enough to keep up with the pace of people's attention span?
 

exclusives88

Silver Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
166%
May 28, 2014
520
861
37
Questions that may help you to upgrade your results from this...
  • Is every piece of content you produce out-classing the top 3 results on Google for the same keyword or question? If not, how can you upgrade it?
  • Do you have a proofreader or an editor go through your posts to make sure that they are grammatically correct and easy to read? (I ask because you said, "why salt lamps is beneficial, what is salt lamps" which is improper English right in your titles.)
  • If someone reads one post from your site, will they think it's worth their time to read ANOTHER post from you? Based on the content of one email someone sees from you, are they going to be likely to open the next email? Or are they going to be bored?
Here are 4 ways to out-class everyone else on your topic and command attention:
  1. Be provocative and polarizing. What if you wrote some really authoritative articles on "Why Veritasium is Dead Wrong about Salt Lamps" (see "Are Negative Ions Good For You") or "The Truth About Salt Lamps: Why Scientists Say They Don't Work" or "Are Salt Lamps a Scam? What the Government Doesn't Want You To Know About Negative Ions" etc etc etc. (Unless, of course, salt lamps really ARE a scam, in which case you have a different business problem on your hands.)
  2. Be entertaining and dramatic. Use showmanship. Try slapstick. Try being ridiculous. What if you recorded some slow-motion videos of things like running over salt lamps with a truck, hitting salt lamps with a sledge hammer, or setting a salt lamp on fire? What if you used deadpan humor woven into a documentary-style interview with fake "scientists" where you act like you're taking yourself all seriously while making over-the-top ridiculous videos? What if you filmed a choreographed dance around the salt lamps?
  3. Tell the best stories. Whether you tell the stories of the journey the salt lamps take from the moment they are mined from the Himalayas to the moment they are purchased from your shop, or you share your customers' stories of how the salt lamp improved their lives, some amazing storytelling will go a long way for you.
  4. Be the ultimate source of the best, most up-to-date knowledge on the planet for your topic. There is a reason why the top result on google is often a variation on "The Ultimate Guide to XYZ" and is a 2,000-word post with amazing graphic design and "INSIDERS" expertise that you can't find anywhere else on the internet. Be the most useful post on your topic (as voted by multiple backlinks to your page) and Google will reward you accordingly.
Side Note: Regarding GaryV's advice, be aware that this tactic worked fairly well, say, back in 2008, but the internet has been flooded with people doing this tactic ever since, and the results you can expect today are NOT the same as the results you could expect 10-12 years ago.

You're going to have to up your game significantly if you're relying on this tactic as a major part of your strategy. I say this as someone who has seen the inside of this industry. I worked for a large marketing agency that was serving around 5,000 small businesses with content written by excellent writers (including answering every conceivable question that AnswerThePublic.com could feed us). We could see and measure the business results that came from our efforts (traffic, conversions, phone calls, sales, etc). It was not pretty. It was usually a waste of the business owner's money. But it was easy to sell because people believe in it. So if you're going to do it, you're going to have to do it in a BIG way (like through using the four points I offered above at a world-class level).

Good luck!

Thank you. This was very helpful! I honestly believe they work but there are a couple articles that states that they are more of a placebo effect and no scientific proof. I still have 5000 units so might as well continue with it!
 

Kung Fu Steve

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
283%
Jul 8, 2008
2,718
7,698
Road Warrior
I listened to Gary’s V podcast and he said to give content for audience to consume. Not the other way around. Give the content and naturally, you will get sales.

No, he says "jab, jab, jab, right hook" meaning content, content, content, PITCH.

But if you're selling a commodity, of course you're going to pitch more often!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Johnny boy

Legendary Contributor
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
621%
May 9, 2017
2,929
18,179
27
Washington State
One of my business had a huge decline in sales from 2018 due to competition (on Amazon) so I’ve had pivoted to my own website.

I listened to Gary’s V podcast and he said to give content for audience to consume. Not the other way around. Give the content and naturally, you will get sales.

I’ve been doing it all wrong. All of my content is about why you should buy, why the product does this/that. My E-mail targeting is all about what I’m offering them (via discount code). How do I write content for the audience can consume?

I’m looking for some ideas. My business sells Himalayan Salt Lamps. All of my content is about why salt lamps is beneficial, what is salt lamps...etc.

Watch the youtube show "hot ones" and think about how many bottles of hot sauce they must sell as a result of the show.

Now think about a way to make salt lamps interesting.

Shit, you could make a high quality documentary about how they are made and put it on youtube with your own version of the "how it's made" show that used to be on the history channel, hope it gets 2 million views and you sell the salt lamps that way.

(By the way, do not lick them. They are not that good, but yes they do taste like salt)
 

1step

Gold Contributor
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
231%
Dec 4, 2012
1,038
2,396
Kentucky

inputchip

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
409%
Mar 26, 2017
312
1,277
www.tmkings.com
I could be wrong, but I think the "Hot One's" sauces were born as a result of the success of the show. Not the other way around.

They built an audience around a niche, and then delivered a product that satisfied the market need.

You look at alot of successful YouTubers and Podcasters, and you will find this is often the case. They gain a large following that trusts them by giving free valuable content over and over, jab jab jab.

Then after being within that niche for so long and knowing the needs of the market, they drop a product that immediately sells.

This method can definitely be flipped on its head though.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Ethan S

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
158%
Sep 27, 2019
33
52
I would also think about what your USP is in the business before putting out a tonne of content..

Probably not best just to make content and hope people buy from you not from amazon!

Think about the things the other Salt Lamp Companies aren't talking about:
- Quality of Construction
- Lifetime of Lamp
- Type of Light?
- Sourcing of Materials

Even if you don't change your product at all or put down the others make sure visitors know WHY they should buy from you..

Also here is another point I randomly thought of..

Have you gone to Amazon.com and looked at the 1 star reviews of your competitors?

There is a goldmine of problems, concerns and dissatisfactions for you to come up with content and maybe even a USP.

Here are a few I found for you!

- Pictures don't accurately represent the product (Make videos to prove your product quality)(Put up testimonial photos of people with their lamps)
- The size of the lamp isn't accurate (Put common household stuff beside the lamp) (Make a lamp size buying guide)
- Lot of people mad about the lamp not being shipped properly and breaking (Make a STRONG money back guarantee for any little imperfections) (Make videos on how you pack, ship and handle your product to make sure it arrives in perfect condition)

I found all those in less than 2 minutes I'm sure there is a million more ideas.

Hope that helps.
 

Locomote

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
362%
Feb 10, 2017
86
311
Canada
I’ve been doing it all wrong. All of my content is about why you should buy, why the product does this/that. My E-mail targeting is all about what I’m offering them (via discount code). How do I write content for the audience can consume?

I just came across this issue recently myself. I was making the product the hero of the content and not the customer.

"Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller". It highlights making the product the hero and not your customer as a common mistake when selling/creating content for customers.

The book outlines a step by step framework on how to gain and keep the attention of a customer.

I also think it would be a great book for anyone to consume before creating content as the formula in the book is all about how to gain and hold the attention of the audience you're selling to.

You might find chapter 12 "building a better website" helpful as you mentioned you've pivoted from amazon to your own. It also has a dedicated chapter on email marketing and how to apply the framework of the book to it.

I can't stress enough how much it helped me get past this problem.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top