The 5 Phases of Content Marketing Ep 429

In this episode, Alex Hormozi, owner of acquisition.com, delves into the nuances of content marketing and its significance in business growth. He outlines a five-phase approach to building a content marketing machine, emphasizing the importance of volume and consistency over perfection in the early stages. Hormozi explains that content marketing serves two main objectives: lead nurturing and customer acquisition, detailing strategies to support sales teams and enhance paid marketing efforts. He also discusses the costs associated with content production, advocating for authenticity and expertise over virality. Hormozi stresses the long-term commitment required for content marketing to yield customer growth and the importance of providing genuine value to build a loyal audience.

• Easy-to-measure aspects are often overvalued due to our ability to measure them.
• Intangible factors can be more critical, even though they are harder to quantify.

There's a lot of things that are easy to measure and we over index how important they are just because we know how to measure them. There are other things that are intangible that are more important.

The quote emphasizes the human tendency to prioritize quantifiable metrics over less tangible, yet potentially more significant, aspects of business and life.

• Alex Hormozi is documenting his journey to build a billion-dollar enterprise with acquisition.com.
• He shares insights to help others succeed and potentially join his investment portfolio.

I'm trying to build a billion dollar thing with acquisition.com. I always wish Bezos, Musk and Buffett had documented their journey, so I'm doing it for the rest of us.

Alex expresses his desire to provide a documented path of his business journey, similar to what he wished industry magnates like Bezos, Musk, and Buffett had done.

• Six years ago, Alex advised Gym Launch clients to stop creating content, which he now views as partially correct and incorrect.
• He plans to discuss the evolution of his perspective on content marketing and its role in business.

Six years ago, I told clients of Gym launch that they should stop making content because they were wasting their time. And I was partially right and partially wrong.

This quote reveals Alex's past advice and his acknowledgment of its incomplete nature, setting the stage for a deeper dive into content marketing.

• Alex outlines a five-phase approach to developing a content marketing strategy.
• The phases range from initial posting to maximizing platform output and capturing content.

So I'm going to walk through the five phases, and then I'm going to talk about which of the objectives you're solving for each of these.

Alex introduces his intention to explain the five phases of content marketing, indicating a structured approach to the topic.

• The first phase involves simply creating content and posting it somewhere.
• Many people have not even accomplished this initial step.

So phase one is you make something and you post it. That's it. That's phase one.

This quote describes the most basic level of content marketing, emphasizing the importance of starting somewhere.

• Posting content consistently is the second phase.
• Finding a platform you enjoy and establishing a posting schedule is key.

Number two is that you post something consistently so you find a platform that you like, ideally one that you're probably already using, and you just post again after you posted once.

Alex highlights the importance of regular content posting to establish consistency, which is critical for audience engagement.

• The third phase expands to posting reliably across all platforms.
• Consistency across multiple channels is a significant step in content marketing.

But in phase three, you post reliably, and you do it on all platforms, all right? So this goes, you go zero to one, but you go zero to one on every platform, and you do it consistently.

The quote explains phase three as an expansion of content posting to a consistent presence on all relevant platforms.

• Phase four involves understanding each platform's content capacity and maximizing it.
• Different platforms have varying tolerances for post frequency.

Phase four is that you go from posting just even once on every platform on a regular cadence to maximizing how much every platform can take.

Here, Alex describes the strategy of increasing content volume to the maximum acceptable level for each platform.

• The fifth phase combines content creation with capturing content, such as through a call-in show.
• The goal is to enhance reach and volume through both original content and user-generated content.

And then phase five is that you go from creating for all of those to capturing and creating, all right?

This quote introduces the concept of not just creating but also capturing content to further amplify marketing efforts.

• Volume is crucial in the beginning as it leads to quality through practice.
• The rules of content are "no such thing as too long, only too boring," and while quality is important, quantity can trump quality initially.

The big rule with volume that I have is that there's no such thing as too long, only too boring, all right? And the second rule that I have is quality over quantity. But quality, quantity wins over quality, all right?

Alex's quote stresses the importance of producing content volume to improve quality over time and the balance between entertaining content and quantity.

• Content marketing should be used for lead nurture when other customer acquisition methods are already effective.
• The role of organic marketing is to support, not replace, primary customer acquisition channels.

And so if you have other ways of getting customers, which for most of you would be manual outbound affiliates or paid ads, right? Those are probably the other three ways. And besides referrals are the other three ways that you're getting new customers. And if those are the primary channels, you do not want to take your eye off the ball on that because that's what put foods on the table, that's what's paying the bills. That being said, if that is how you acquire customers, the purpose or the objective of having the organic content is lead nurture, not lead generation.

This quote clarifies that organic content should complement other customer acquisition strategies by nurturing leads, rather than being the primary method of generating them.

• The initial strategy for content marketing focuses on legitimacy and value provision.
• Simple, recent, and quality posts on social profiles or websites can establish credibility.
• Content should give a sense of ongoing business activity and expertise.
• The goal is to increase the perceived likelihood that paying the business will result in valuable content or services.

"The only litmus test you have to pass there is that you've posted something recently that's not shit." This quote emphasizes the importance of regular, quality content to pass the basic credibility check by potential customers.

• Content serves as an asset for the sales team to nurture leads and close sales.
• Salespersons should have a master sheet of the best content to address frequently asked questions and concerns.
• Effective content can be used between sales calls to increase the likelihood of closing a prospect.

"Because there is some content that you've made, knowingly or unknowingly, that convinces more people to buy from you." The quote underlines the existence of high-impact content that has the power to significantly influence purchase decisions.

• Performance of content can inform paid advertising and outbound marketing strategies.
• High-engagement content provides insights into effective messaging and hooks for customer acquisition.
• Content creation is a low-risk method for testing marketing approaches.

"Think of the content that you're making as just low risk ways of testing hooks and headlines to get people to buy from you." This quote suggests that content creation is a strategic tool for experimenting with various marketing messages to identify what resonates with the audience.

• Phase one and two involve regular posting of quality content aimed at lead nurturing.
• The content helps sales by providing answers to common questions and improves marketing insights.
• The objective of phases three to five shifts towards generating new customers from content.

"That is for phase one and phase two of a content marketing machine that you're building." This quote outlines the foundational steps of a content marketing strategy focused on nurturing leads and supporting sales.

• Phase three involves learning how to package content differently across various platforms.
• Phase four is about maximizing presence on each platform, which requires understanding their unique characteristics.
• Phase five, which Alex Hormozi is currently approaching, focuses on actively creating content that generates new customers.

"Phase four is you then say, great. I feel like we finally get each of these platforms, and this fucking takes time, all right?" This quote highlights the complexity and time investment required to master content marketing across different platforms in phase four.

• Content marketing, especially in advanced phases, requires financial means and significant time commitment.
• Alex Hormozi mentions that it can take around six months to reach phase four if resources are available.

"It takes probably six months. And this is if you have means to pay for this stuff." This quote indicates the time and financial commitment needed to progress through the content marketing phases effectively.

• Content creation at levels three to five is recognized by platforms and served to new audiences.
• Providing value leads to platforms rewarding creators with attention, followers, and likes.
• Quality content increases time spent on platforms, benefiting both the platform and the creator.

With three, four, five, you're actually making good enough content that the platforms are serving it to new audiences because they are able to grow the amount of time people spend on the platform because your stuff is good.

This quote emphasizes the importance of creating high-quality content that engages audiences, leading to organic growth and platform support.

• Call to actions are essential for converting followers into customers.
• Balance between providing value and making offers is crucial to maintain audience growth.
• Over-indexing on giving rather than taking helps in building a larger audience base.

Now, you still have to have a way to convert those people into customers, all right? And so the way to do that is just having call to actions, all right?

Alex Hormozi highlights the necessity of having clear call to actions to guide the audience towards becoming customers.

• The balance between giving and taking in marketing affects audience growth.
• Providing more value than what is asked in return leads to a surplus of demand.
• Creating scarcity by limiting offers can increase the perceived value and urgency.

And so if you look at it like a sliding scale between give and take, the more you give, the more you grow, the more you take, the more you shrink, right?

Alex Hormozi discusses the concept of give-and-take in marketing, suggesting that generosity in providing value can lead to audience expansion.

• Content creation for customer acquisition is a long-term strategy.
• Expectations should be set for a gradual increase in deal flow or growth.
• Fame as a business model is efficient but requires patience and time.

If you start doing content as your way of getting customers, expect it to take a long time.

Alex Hormozi advises that content creation as a method for customer acquisition will not yield immediate results and requires a long-term commitment.

• Creating content across all platforms requires significant effort and time.
• Leveraging labor through hiring individuals or vendors can expedite growth.
• Vendors may focus on virality over quality, which might not align with the creator's goals.

So if you're doing phase three, four, five, even at phase three, it's going to be pretty much beyond your capacity to actually create, capture, edit and distribute across all platforms.

Alex Hormozi explains that at higher levels of content creation, individual capacity is exceeded, necessitating the hiring of others for assistance.

• Vendors driven by data may prioritize virality over content that aligns with the creator's identity.
• It's important to attract the right audience, even if it means having a smaller following.
• Resisting the temptation to create viral but misaligned content is key.

But what happens is they'll try to start putting you in this box of like, this is the stuff that's working great.

Alex Hormozi warns about vendors who may push creators towards content that achieves virality but does not serve the creator's true purpose or audience.

• Producing content at a high volume can be costly.
• Comparing the cost of content creation to equivalent ad spend can provide perspective on value.
• Content creation can be a substitute for paid advertising, with its own set of costs and benefits.

And so for context, which is I'll just transition fully into money for us to put out. The stuff that we put out right now across all platforms for Leila and I costs about 70,000 a month.

Alex Hormozi shares the actual monetary cost of content production for his business, illustrating the financial investment required for maintaining a strong online presence.

• Alex Hormozi discusses the cost savings associated with organic growth.
• The effectiveness of organic growth is dependent on one's expertise.
• Being an expert in a field is essential, and self-proclamation does not equate to true expertise.

"And so I have a lot of cost savings doing it organically. The lever on that, though, is how good you are, and that's tough."

This quote emphasizes the economic benefit of organic growth and suggests that success hinges on one's capabilities and expertise.

• Narrowly defining the problem one solves can establish them as a leader in a specific niche.
• It's not necessary to be the best in the world, but to be the best in a chosen field or niche.
• To gain attention, content must be considered valuable enough for people to invest their time.

"And so the question is, how narrowly can I define the problem that I solve so that in that tiny world, in that pond, I am king."

Alex Hormozi stresses the importance of niche specialization to become an authority, which helps in standing out and gaining recognition.

• The biggest cost of a service or content is not its price but the other costs associated with it, such as time and attention.
• Identifying and solving the friction points of selling can make price a non-issue.
• Free content must be compelling enough to warrant the investment of attention from the audience.

"If you've ever struggled to give away your services for free... it's because the biggest cost isn't your price. The biggest cost is other stuff that goes to the thing that you sell..."

Alex Hormozi explains that the perceived value and associated costs, beyond just monetary price, affect whether people are willing to engage with free services or content.

• Content creators should focus on why their content is worth the audience's time.
• Providing tangible benefits through content encourages audience retention and sharing.
• One should not compare themselves to established figures but instead focus on their unique value proposition.

"And so the biggest picture and the underlying question that I always try and answer is, why should this person listen to me? And why is this worth their time?"

This quote highlights the need for content creators to clearly articulate the value their content brings to the audience in order to maintain engagement and loyalty.

• Start by dominating a small niche before expanding one's scope of expertise.
• Avoid "fake it till you make it" and focus on proving one's skills and knowledge with evidence.
• Building a reputation takes time and should be based on truth and past achievements.

"And then all you do is just slowly you expand your pond. Because what happens is first you're fixing toilets, and then you're talking about how you can expand a plumbing business..."

Alex Hormozi advocates for gradual growth and expertise development, starting with a narrow focus and then broadening one's scope as credibility is established.

• Evidence of one's expertise provides a foundation of truth and protects against accusations of fraud.
• Focusing on past achievements rather than future promises builds confidence and resilience against criticism.

"So if I look at you and say, hey, this guy has purple hair, right? You're not going to be offended by that because you know it's not true."

By using the metaphor of an incorrect accusation about hair color, Alex Hormozi illustrates the power of truth and evidence in defending one's reputation.

• Small business owners should start with posting valuable content without over-investing.
• As content marketing becomes a lead generation tool, investment should match that of paid marketing.
• Learning from vendors before teaching an internal team can lead to cost-effective scaling.
• The final phase involves maximizing output and creating targeted content.

"If you want to make content marketing your actual lead generation machine, then you need to invest in it the same way you invest in it for paid marketing..."

This quote advises small business owners on the strategic investment required to turn content marketing into a significant source of leads, emphasizing the need for a gradual approach to learning and scaling.