Introduction to the Podcast

[00:00:00] Christine McLean Lewis: Everything that you're doing in the content marketing space is about helping your customers and providing the best experience for your customers. So with content diversity and creating all of these multiple content assets, it's helping you to appeal to the needs of your customers and really help them to digest the content in the best possible way for them. 

[00:00:21] Crystal Waddell: Welcome to the third season of the Simple and Smart SEO Show, the podcast dedicated to empathy driven brand building SEO. I'm your host, Crystal Waddell. I leverage my obsession with user experience to help business owners just like you optimize your website with confidence. Thank you so much for being here.

[00:00:38] Let's jump into another great episode of the simple and smart SEO show podcast. 

Introducing the Guest Speaker

[00:00:46] Crystal Waddell: I am here with a new friend that I have found on LinkedIn, and that is Christine McLean Lewis. 

[00:00:53] She is going to talk to us today about how content and expertise work together.

[00:00:58] So Christine, welcome to this show. Thank you so much for being here. 

[00:01:02] Christine McLean Lewis: Thank you so much for having me, Crystal. I'm so excited. I love talking about content. So anybody who wants to invite me to speak about content, I'm always excited about it. So looking forward to the conversation. 

[00:01:12] Crystal Waddell: Awesome. 

Discussing the Brighton SEO Conference

[00:01:13] Crystal Waddell: So our paths crossed right before The Brighton SEO conference in San Diego. Did you like the conference? 

[00:01:20] Christine McLean Lewis: So this year I gave myself a challenge. 

[00:01:23] I wanted to attend an industry conference just to, have the experience of meeting people. 

[00:01:28] And, getting more knowledge and I decided that when I saw that Brighton was having their event in the U. S. for the first time, I was like, yes! 

[00:01:35] I can leave Jamaica and go to that conference in San Diego. So I went and to be honest, I think I was expecting that, I would meet a lot of people. 

[00:01:45] And just gel with a lot of people. And get a lot of, Great information. 

[00:01:49] And for the most part, I would say that was accomplished like 98 percent of the way I did meet some great people.

[00:01:57] And a lot of the talks were very insightful, very, and the thoughts also reinforced a lot of what I already know about SEO. 

[00:02:06] And how I already feel about content. 

[00:02:08] About creating that customer first content. So I really enjoyed, Those aspects of the conference. 

[00:02:15] Just meeting people and, getting all of that knowledge into my brain.

[00:02:19] Yeah. 

[00:02:19] Crystal Waddell: I agree with you on that reinforcement. 

The Journey into SEO

[00:02:21] Crystal Waddell: My journey with SEO started because of my e commerce store. And so it's not necessarily self taught myself.

[00:02:28] Because I was watching resources that were created by other people. 

[00:02:32] But I had to seek out that information and then assimilate it and make it work for me. And then share it with other people.

[00:02:38] So there's always this little piece of me that was like, did I get that right? So I loved at the conference. 

[00:02:44] When, I'm hearing these people talk. It was just such a great feeling to go and say, Oh my gosh, I'm doing the right thing. 

[00:02:50] And I left with so much more confidence.

[00:02:52] That was the thing that I really took away.

[00:02:53] Now, speaking of your story, how did you get into SEO? 

[00:02:57] Christine McLean Lewis: It's an interesting backstory. So you mentioned earlier that you were a teacher. 

[00:03:02] I was a teacher as well. But, I taught high school math. 

[00:03:05] And in 2013 this was one year after I started working, I just realized that the teaching salary wasn't going to cut it.

[00:03:14] I needed to earn some more money. 

[00:03:16] So I started looking for ways to earn money online.

Transitioning into Content Marketing

[00:03:20] Christine McLean Lewis: And I came across Upwork, and I started to do content writing on Upwork, and from there, I started to develop my knowledge and confidence in SEO. 

[00:03:29] Because I used to write a lot of articles for businesses. 

[00:03:32] And then I decided that there was so much more to content writing, or content overall, than just the writing aspect.

[00:03:40] There's this whole world of content marketing, where you can do so much more. 

[00:03:44] And you can actually help brands. Get value from the content that they create. So I transitioned into content marketing as a whole. 

[00:03:53] And in 2020, that's when I really started to dive deeper into content strategy. 

[00:03:59] Into helping brands create multiple content assets that will transform their customers into loyal fans.

[00:04:06] So my journey started in 2013 with content writing. 

[00:04:09] And then it evolved over the years. 

[00:04:11] Into what I do now. 

Understanding Content Assets

[00:04:12] Crystal Waddell: I love that you said content assets. Can you give us an example of what content assets are? 

[00:04:19] Christine McLean Lewis: Sure, of course. All of us use the internet to search for solutions to the problems that we have.

[00:04:26] And when we search for those solutions, there are different ways we go about it. 

[00:04:30] Some of us will go on Google and type in a search query. 

[00:04:35] And it will give us some articles that we'd want to read. 

[00:04:38] Or it might show us a few videos from YouTube that answer the question about a particular topic. 

[00:04:43] Those are content assets. Those YouTube videos are content assets as well. There are some brands that may produce things called white papers that illustrate how their solution solves a particular problem. 

[00:04:55] Those white papers are content assets too. Case studies are content assets. 

[00:05:00] They are very important content assets in the B2B space, particularly. 

[00:05:04] Because they give proof that what the brand is doing actually works for someone.

[00:05:09] So case studies are content assets. 

[00:05:11] Even when you go on social media and you start looking for stuff. So when you go on Reddit and you see people responding to questions and sharing content that way. 

[00:05:20] That can be looked at as a content asset, too. 

[00:05:22] On TikTok when people are creating these videos these short form videos. 

[00:05:26] Those are content assets, too. 

[00:05:28] There are so many ways to look at content assets. 

[00:05:31] This podcast that you're doing, Crystal is a content asset as well.

[00:05:35] Any type of content that you create to solve a specific problem or to answer particular questions for your customers. Those are content assets. 

[00:05:42] Many different types. 

[00:05:43] Videos, audio material, video material. Anything within those realms. 

[00:05:48] Crystal Waddell: Okay, so I have two follow up questions. And I'll ask this one first.

Creating Linkable Assets

[00:05:51] Crystal Waddell: One of the big takeaways that I had from Brighton was about the idea of PR and link building. 

[00:05:58] Like public relations and link building. 

[00:06:00] And then through my little journey of that, I dug down and found a term called linkable assets. 

[00:06:07] And so I wondered, do you have any thoughts around creating linkable assets? 

[00:06:12] And where the best place is for A linkable asset?

[00:06:16] Christine McLean Lewis: That's an interesting question. 

[00:06:17] Because when you say a linkable assets. 

[00:06:20] What you're really seeing is that the asset that you have created is something that is so valuable, so filled with rich knowledge and insights that somebody would actually want to link to it.

[00:06:32] And that type of content is not the easiest type of content to create.

[00:06:36] so when you speak about linkable assets, what you're trying to do is basically combine your expertise and knowledge with what your target audience is looking for. 

[00:06:48] And presenting that in a way that actually resonates with them. 

[00:06:52] That's how I would describe a linkable asset. And when you create those type of assets, as you said, with PR outreach. 

[00:06:58] It's about trying to identify the brands that align with your message. 

[00:07:04] And reaching out to those brand owners, those marketers, those journalists. 

[00:07:10] You can get that your content to be included in their own, to create those links. Yeah. 

[00:07:15] Crystal Waddell: As you're talking and my mind starts racing. And I'm like, okay, how can I apply this to my business? 

[00:07:20] And, I talked about this with another guy.

[00:07:22] about how one of the content pieces that I want to create for my website, collage and wood, where I make senior night gifts.

[00:07:28] Is to do a big piece on, What they called name, image, and likeness.

[00:07:32] It's called NIL in sports in the United States. 

[00:07:35] And so as you're talking, I was like, you know what? I should do one where the top five nIL athletes. For the girls. And then for the boys. And then I can update that. 

[00:07:45] That would be a perfect article to update every year. 

[00:07:47] Because it's like, okay, this year we've got 23, 24. 

[00:07:50] Next year, we're going to have 24, 25. 

[00:07:51] And then I can compare them. And then I'll actually start having statistics that would be worth linking to.

[00:07:56] Christine McLean Lewis: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Definitely. 

The Importance of Original Research

[00:07:59] Christine McLean Lewis: And I love that you mentioned statistics that are worth linking to. 

[00:08:01] Because one of the greatest linkable assets is original research. 

[00:08:07] Like research reports. And the things that you do to get data that people actually can use to make decisions.

[00:08:15] So that's another important linkable asset too. 

[00:08:18] Crystal Waddell: Another thing I want to ask you is something I just read about yesterday. 

Google's New Indexing Policy

[00:08:20] Crystal Waddell: So sorry to throw you this curveball! 

[00:08:22] But I saw that there was an announcement that Google was going to stop indexing video, when video wasn't the prominent thing on the page.

[00:08:31] So let's say you blog and you've embedded video. In that now, if the video is just, sometimes you get that error, that's like view outside of the, or something outside of the viewport or something like that. And Google search, if it falls into a situation like that, and it's not like the content of the page, it's not the focus content of the page.

[00:08:50] And so I just wondered if you had any thoughts on that, and how you thought that might impact search. 

[00:08:55] Christine McLean Lewis: That's an interesting development. 

[00:08:58] And it's it can be a concerning development because then that means that when you're trying to For instance get more visibility for a video podcast that you've embedded into an article. 

[00:09:09] It means that google won't pick up that video.

[00:09:11] So I would suggest is that We be more deliberate about including video content in our assets. 

[00:09:19] So for instance, a long form video that you've created like repurposing it into shorts So that you can embed those shorts into your content at specific areas.

[00:09:29] To be deliberate that way and I guess in a sense, Google is also trying to ensure that the videos we include in our content are actually easy to digest for the reader.

[00:09:40] Not something that's long and winded and something that you know, people don't really want to engage with in that particular piece.

[00:09:47] So I think it's forcing us So be more creative with the video assets that we create and how we use them in our written content to be more deliberate about that 

[00:09:58] Crystal Waddell: Oh, that's a great idea So i'm as you said that i'm just saying one client that I work with part of each one of her blog articles is her youtube video embedded. 

[00:10:07] And then we add the transcript but what i'm hearing you say is you know, Because we know the chapters and the topic of the content we could really Separate that out and make it more specific to that thing and also shorter.

[00:10:22] So it's easier to digest and all those things. So that's a great idea. Thank you for that. 

[00:10:26] Christine McLean Lewis: Of course, that I need to do too, because I'm guilty of just embedding the video into the article and calling it a day. 

[00:10:34] But to be more deliberate about making useful content for people you want.

[00:10:38] Things to be easily digestible. Easy to follow, easy to engage with. 

[00:10:42] So it does make sense that repurposing the content in that way.

[00:10:46] Would create better indexing opportunities. 

Optimizing Old Content

[00:10:49] Crystal Waddell: Essentially going back to our old content and saying, why is this helpful?

[00:10:53] And I guess that's what I'm thinking.

[00:10:54] It's that's the question we have to ask. 

[00:10:55] Go back and as you're optimizing your old content. 

[00:10:58] Like how can I make this better for the reader? How can I make it more digestible for whoever's watching it?

[00:11:04] Just really going back with the mindset of optimizing it for that person on the other side of the screen. it's going to be both a challenge and an opportunity, to do that, but just having the right lens to look at the best way to optimize it. I think you just gave us, a few gems right there. 

[00:11:21] So. Thank you.

[00:11:23] You're welcome. You're welcome. Okay. 

The Role of Content Diversity

[00:11:25] Crystal Waddell: Talk a little bit about examples of like content diversity and when to use them.

[00:11:30] Is there anything else you would add in terms of like how that helps satisfy helpful 

[00:11:34] content? 

[00:11:35] 

[00:11:35] Christine McLean Lewis: with content diversity, what you're doing is, I would say it's twofold.

[00:11:43] One, you're helping your audience to get the content that they need in different ways, in the ways that please them, in the ways that, that they want to engage with content. 

[00:11:53] And two, it helps you to reach people who have accessibility issues. 

[00:11:59] So like people who can't really read the content that you have on the screen. 

[00:12:03] Although they can use screen readers and things like that, maybe it would be better for them to listen to a podcast episode.

[00:12:08] Or to watch a video with the subtitles on it.

[00:12:11] Everything that you're doing in the content marketing space is about helping your customers. 

[00:12:16] And providing the best experience for your customers. 

[00:12:19] So with content diversity and creating all of these multiple content assets, it's helping you to appeal to the needs of your customers. 

[00:12:27] And really help them to digest the content in the best possible way for them.

[00:12:33] And it's also helping you to create multiple touch points, on your buyer's journey. 

[00:12:37] Especially in regards to b2b content. 

[00:12:40] You need those multiple touch points. 

[00:12:42] So, somebody who watches a youtube video, for example. 

[00:12:46] That person isn't necessarily going to become a customer automatically. 

[00:12:49] But they may watch a youtube video. 

[00:12:51] And then later down they watch up they read a blog post Then they listen to a podcast episode. 

[00:12:56] And they go down the funnel that way So, it's about creating those multiple touch points. 

[00:13:01] Creating assets that meet the diverse needs of your audience. Whether they have accessibility issues or they just like to consume content in multiple ways. 

[00:13:10] Crystal Waddell: Awesome. 

The Power of Social Proof

[00:13:11] Crystal Waddell: So where does social proof fit into all of this? Like, how do you gather it?

[00:13:16] And then where do you put it once you have it? 

[00:13:19] Christine McLean Lewis: Alright, so social proof can be acquired in multiple ways. 

[00:13:24] In the B2B space, it's usually through a lot of testimonials. 

[00:13:28] And case studies are very big in the B2B space. 

[00:13:31] But I'd also add that we can create, or encourage our customers to create, user generated content, too.

Generating User Content

[00:13:38] Christine McLean Lewis: So the user generated content actually displays a customer using the product. 

[00:13:45] Or using the service. 

[00:13:47] That applies to helping them solve a particular problem within their business, right? 

[00:13:52] So helping customers create that type of content is also a good way to have social proof.

[00:13:59] A good example of this is it's usually done in the b2c space. 

[00:14:03] But when you look at,a company that produces recipes, for instance. 

[00:14:08] And you have these cooks or these chefs who use these recipes. 

[00:14:13] And showcase the product at the same time. 

[00:14:15] That type of content, like thinking along those lines, in the B2B space.

[00:14:20] Can help you to show how your product can actually be used to solve a problem.

Strategies for Acquiring User Generated Content

[00:14:26] Crystal Waddell: I think we can unpack this just a little bit more But my first question was do you have any strategies or tactics for getting that user generated content? 

[00:14:34] Christine McLean Lewis: All right. 

[00:14:34] So. In my experience, it's very hard to get b2b customers in particular to even do a case study. 

[00:14:42] It's very hard.

Working with the Customer Experience Team

[00:14:43] Christine McLean Lewis: But my biggest suggestion is to work with the customer experience team. 

[00:14:49] Because they're the main point of contact with the customer. 

[00:14:52] So you work with the customer success team. 

[00:14:54] Explain what it is you're trying to achieve. 

[00:14:56] And Help them to create that connection with the customer. 

[00:15:00] That would make them want to be a part of this user generated content initiative. 

[00:15:06] And also you can offer the customer maybe like a 10 discount or some type of incentive for participating in this Particular initiative.

[00:15:15] That's another thing that you can do to sweeten the deal as well. 

[00:15:18] But it can be really difficult to get them to participate in all honesty. 

[00:15:23] But working through the CX team and giving those Incentives. 

[00:15:27] Can be a good place to start. And when you work with the CX team too. 

[00:15:32] It shouldn't be a one sided thing. Where you're just pulling from them.

[00:15:36] It should be open to helping the CX team with what they need as well. I just wanted to throw that out there. 

[00:15:42] Crystal Waddell: How do you make that more personal on the backside? 

The Challenges of Third Party Service Providers

[00:15:45] Crystal Waddell: Because I know a lot of companies will use third party service providers. Maybe even doing surveys. 

[00:15:51] But sometimes, as a customer, I receive a survey invite. 

[00:15:56] And I'm not sure how this person or this company received my information in the first place.

[00:16:01] I'm very hesitant to even click on that email because I don't know if it's spam. 

[00:16:05] So it seems like there could be some improvements in that process. 

[00:16:09] Christine McLean Lewis: And I agree with you. 

[00:16:10] I understand where the companies are coming from with using these third party sites to do the work. 

[00:16:16] Because it's a lot of work. 

[00:16:17] And these third party sites often, I don't know how they get the database, but they have the database of people that they can Reach out to get the survey responses. 

[00:16:26] But What I would suggest to b2b teams is to find a way internally. 

[00:16:33] To see if you can get that data yourself. So probably hire a data scientist. 

[00:16:38] Or freelance data scientist. 

Hiring a Data Scientist for Surveys

[00:16:40] Christine McLean Lewis: Or a full time data scientist if you can afford it. 

[00:16:43] And work with that person to create the surveys and push them out to your existing customers.

[00:16:50] Or collaborate with one of these companies. to create a transparent process for your target audience for whatever you're doing. 

Creating Linkable Assets

[00:17:00] Crystal Waddell: Yeah, and it sounds too like that would be a perfect opportunity to create a linkable asset, because you've got statistics coming in.

[00:17:06] Exactly. Okay. 

Background in SEO and Content

[00:17:07] Crystal Waddell: So I, again, my background in SEO, I've come in at multiple places, come in, from the content side based on what I learned at SEMrush. 

[00:17:15] And then, I came in on the. LLM large language model side based on what I learned in Jasper and with Surfer. 

Difference Between Content Writer and Content Marketer

[00:17:22] Crystal Waddell: One thing I never quite understood and I think maybe it'd be good to differentiate is the difference between a content writer and a content marketer.

[00:17:32] Is there a difference? And could you break that down for us? 

[00:17:35] Christine McLean Lewis: Sure. 

[00:17:35] There is a big difference between the two. 

[00:17:38] So a content writer, as the name suggests, is a person who writes content. 

[00:17:44] So that person will write blog posts. 

[00:17:46] That person will write your white papers, your case studies. 

[00:17:49] Any of those text heavy content assets that you need to create.

[00:17:54] That's what the content writer would do. 

Role of a Content Marketer

[00:17:56] Christine McLean Lewis: But a content marketer does more than just writing. 

[00:17:59] A content marketer sees the big picture.

[00:18:02] And is able to develop a content strategy that includes all of the assets that would be relevant to your brand. We spoke about content assets earlier. 

[00:18:11] So, whether you're creating blog posts or videos. Or podcast episodes or short form video content. 

[00:18:19] Whatever it is, that content marketer will Align the content strategy to your goals.

[00:18:24] And create the content assets that are relevant for that strategy.

[00:18:29] So that's what a content marketer does. 

[00:18:31] Crystal Waddell: Okay. 

Expectations from Marketing Companies

[00:18:31] Crystal Waddell: And, as I've learned more from different types of marketers, I've realized that there is a slight disconnect in what people expect from the companies that they hire. 

[00:18:42] And then the experience. 

[00:18:44] For instance, let's just say video marketing. 

[00:18:46] It's like that company is going to have to probably be involved in creating some of that content.

[00:18:52] And a lot of business owners that I've spoken with, it seems like they have this expectation that, okay, if I hire someone to create x, Y, Z content.

[00:19:01] That I'm handing it off to them and they're going to take care of it. You know what I mean? Have you experienced that?

[00:19:05] Or do you have any insight on that phenomenon? 

[00:19:08] Christine McLean Lewis: So it's a common experience.

[00:19:10] And it's not an unrealistic expectation. 

[00:19:13] Because you feel like if you hire somebody to do a particular thing, then you just hired a person to do that thing. So they should just do it. 

The Importance of Collaboration in Content Creation

[00:19:19] Christine McLean Lewis: But especially in the content space where expertise is so crucial, it can't be a case where you just hand off your content to an agency. 

[00:19:30] Or to someone to create everything for you because your expertise and your team's expertise is so crucial to making that content actually work. So content. Strategy development, content creation and content analysis that has to be a collaborative effort.

[00:19:47] And it's so important, even if you're a small business owner, to be involved in the process. 

[00:19:54] To work with your content marketer to create the content. 

[00:19:58] So that you can ensure that The expertise and the knowledge that you have is being translated into that content in the way that it should be. 

[00:20:07] Crystal Waddell: Awesome. 

Deep Dive into Content Marketing Process

[00:20:08] Crystal Waddell: So can you take us a little bit deeper into your content marketing process? 

[00:20:12] And give us, just a little bit of a sneak peek into how you pull all these pieces together? 

[00:20:17] Christine McLean Lewis: Yeah, man, of course. 

Customer First Content Marketing Process

[00:20:18] Christine McLean Lewis: So my content marketing process is what I like to call a customer first content marketing process.

[00:20:25] And what this means is that I start by doing customer research. 

[00:20:29] And customer research can be done in multiple ways. I use customer interviews. I listen to sales calls. I attend sales calls. 

Identifying Content Relevant to Customer Problems

[00:20:38] Christine McLean Lewis: I read reviews and put all of that information together to identify common themes amongst the brand's customers.

[00:20:46] And then those common themes or common problems, if you want to call it that. 

[00:20:52] Help me to identify what content matters to that brand's audience. 

[00:20:57] Cause it's not about the problems that matter to everybody else in the industry or in the space. 

[00:21:02] But it's what problems matter to your customers? And what solutions are they looking for?

[00:21:08] So once I've done that research, I then link that to keyword analysis. So these are the problems that these customers face. Yes. 

[00:21:17] But what are the common search terms related to those problems and to those topics? 

[00:21:22] Then I will use that information to identify what content should be created to address those problems.

Linking Content to Business Goals

[00:21:30] Christine McLean Lewis: And also how that content aligns with business goals. 

[00:21:34] What about the business goals are for the next 6 to 12 months? 

[00:21:37] So. With identifying all of that and putting the pieces together. 

[00:21:42] I've realized through my experience that it's so important to not only create The content for the unaware. And the problem aware type of people. 

[00:21:51] Who are at the top of the funnel. 

Creating High Intent Content

[00:21:53] Christine McLean Lewis: But to start by creating the content for those high intent customers. 

[00:21:58] Those people who are in the market to buy. Ready to buy, and want to find a solution.

[00:22:04] So. I start with what we would call the bottom of the funnel. And the middle of the funnel content. 

[00:22:09] I don't like calling it that because the customer journey isn't really a funnel. 

[00:22:13] But yeah. For ease of reference. 

[00:22:15] So the bottom of the funnel, the middle of the funnel. I started with those content pieces as best as possible.

[00:22:21] So the case studies. Super important. 

[00:22:23] Start with a case study. Start with any product led content as best as I possibly can.

[00:22:27] So, once I've identified the bottom of the funnel and middle of the funnel content to create and I've created that.

[00:22:33] I start working on top of funnel. I start to also look at How this content is working. 

Analyzing Content Performance

[00:22:39] Christine McLean Lewis: Over the first three months of working with a client. 

[00:22:42] How is this content working? Is it actually producing anything? 

[00:22:46] Is it helping the sales team reach their goals? Am I creating enough content that supports the sales team?

[00:22:52] what do I need to adjust? 

[00:22:53] What needs to change so that the content can actually yield the results that we're looking for? 

[00:22:59] And that's basically the gist of the process. But the big part of it is doing that customer research and then creating those high intent content pieces to, to make a difference.

[00:23:13] For the organization. 

Reflection and Adjustment in Content Strategy

[00:23:15] Crystal Waddell: So how long after implementation do you do the reflection piece? 

[00:23:19] Christine McLean Lewis: Three, three months after? 

[00:23:21] I know that three months isn't a really long time, especially if it's a new brand. 

[00:23:25] Because three months, SEO especially. 

[00:23:28] Although everything isn't related to SEO. 

[00:23:30] But SEO in particular, can take longer than three months for you to see results.

[00:23:35] But I use the three month mark because it's important to see how people are responding to your content.

[00:23:43] Especially if you're repurposing the content on social media. 

[00:23:47] that can be a good indication of how people are responding to the content. 

[00:23:51] And if you're sharing content with your sales team for them to use, are they able to use it? And what outcomes are they able to get from it?

[00:24:00] So it's important to start that analysis at the three month mark and make your adjustment. 

[00:24:04] Crystal Waddell: I'm curious, how is this presented back to the brand then? Is it like a handoff for them to implement or do you stay on in a consulting role? 

[00:24:13] Where would you fit in that handoff? 

Long-term Engagement with Brands

[00:24:16] Christine McLean Lewis: I like to stay with brands for at least 18 months. 

[00:24:19] So, even at that three month mark, when I do my analysis and I present my findings.

[00:24:24] It's not a case where I'm just handing it over to them and saying, okay, these are my recommendations. You guys do it now and move on.

[00:24:30] I actually stay with them. 

[00:24:31] And continue to tweak and adjust as needed over the next twelve months. 

[00:24:37] So yeah, that's how I work. 

[00:24:40] For you to really see the impact of content, you need that time. 

[00:24:44] And at least 18 months is a good stretch of time. To start seeing the impact of content. 

[00:24:51] Crystal Waddell: Awesome.

Visualizing the Customer Journey

[00:24:51] Crystal Waddell: And then you mentioned that the customer journey doesn't fit that stereotypical funnel. So can you give us a visual of how you see the customer journey? 

[00:25:02] Christine McLean Lewis: So Ashley Foss, I don't know if you've heard of her. 

[00:25:06] She's from Atlassian. She describes it very well. 

The Concept of Content Playground

[00:25:10] Christine McLean Lewis: She calls it a content playground. 

[00:25:12] I don't know if you've ever seen children at a playground. 

[00:25:14] The children aren't all going to go to this to like the slide. And then they go to the monkey bars. 

[00:25:21] And then they go to the... no, they don't follow a particular process. 

[00:25:24] They just go to whichever one tickles their fancy. 

[00:25:27] Some of them might climb up the slide instead of sliding down. 

[00:25:30] They just do whatever they want to do in the playground.

[00:25:32] It's a similar concept with content. People don't follow the path that you intend for your content. 

[00:25:39] They experience different content pieces at different times. 

[00:25:43] That's why you have multiple touch points. 

[00:25:45] And it may take one person, six different touch points. To reach a purchase decision. 

[00:25:51] For others, it may take 10 touch points, 12 touch points. 

[00:25:54] But they don't go from a YouTube video to a blog post to purchase those type of things.

[00:26:01] No,they go all around and experience content in so many different ways before they actually make a decision. yeah, 

[00:26:07] Crystal Waddell: I love that. Content playground. That is the perfect analogy.

[00:26:12] Inside of Shopify, they do a good job of being able to say where the person came from. As long as they can track it, they'll usually give last click attribution. 

[00:26:20] Crystal Waddell: To however the person purchased.

[00:26:23] And this has happened more than once, but let's just call this persona like the same person.

Different Customer Journeys

[00:26:27] Crystal Waddell: They'll come through and it will take them 21 days or more. 

[00:26:32] And multiple visits before they purchase. 

[00:26:35] And so there's some people who come in and it's one day. 

[00:26:38] They found me on Google. Click buy boom, we're done.

[00:26:41] And then it always cracks me up when I get that person that's like, triple checking. 

[00:26:46] Triple checking, you know, yep.

[00:26:49] I just, I think that's so funny because the customer journeys are so different. 

[00:26:53] Christine McLean Lewis: Yeah, it's very different.

[00:26:55] I like that analogy of the B2C space because as you said, so there are some people who will click and they will buy right away. 

[00:27:02] But then there's some who will take 21 different touch points to reach where they want to go.

[00:27:07] So yeah, it's Yeah, it's something. 

[00:27:09] Crystal Waddell: Yeah. 

[00:27:10] And one of those people I spoke to a couple of years ago. And she lived in Australia. 

[00:27:15] And she found me on Pinterest. Then she found my website, but then she messaged me on Facebook. 

[00:27:21] Which I hardly ever message with people on Facebook. But it was a crazy thing.

[00:27:25] you talk about a playground. We were bouncing from, you know- 

[00:27:28] Christine McLean Lewis: all different platforms. 

[00:27:30] Crystal Waddell: She even said, she's like, do you want me to buy at the slide? 

[00:27:32] Or do you want me to buy over here at the swings? 

[00:27:34] And so I was like, I don't care. Just, make your purchase. Ideally my website.

[00:27:38] But yeah, it is funny how those interactions, if you make them available, Some people will really utilize all of them. 

[00:27:45] Christine McLean Lewis: That is so true. 

[00:27:46] Crystal Waddell: I will never drive by and see it like the same again.

[00:27:49] That's for sure.

[00:27:50] Okay. I guess the final question for our friends on the other side of the headphones here. 

[00:27:56] Primarily solopreneurs or small business owners. 

[00:28:00] Even startups or e commerce sellers are listening right now.

[00:28:04] What do you think is the number one? Most impactful thing that they could do for their business? As it relates to their website? Or content development. 

[00:28:17] If you had to pick one that was going to be like your best tip or do this, what would you say? 

The Importance of Showcasing Expertise

[00:28:24] Christine McLean Lewis: Don't follow the crowd. Stick to your expertise. And showcase that expertise.

[00:28:30] That's what I would say. Don't follow the crowd. 

[00:28:32] Crystal Waddell: I have to follow up with that. Why do you say don't follow the crowd? 

[00:28:35] Christine McLean Lewis: Content online is It's like you're swimming in a sea of sameness. everybody is saying the same thing. They're just rewriting it in different ways or repurposing it in different ways.

[00:28:47] But when you create content that showcases your brand as an expert. As an authority. 

[00:28:52] That gives real life examples. Real life experiences that, helps people to really connect with what your brand stands for. That's what helps you stand out. And that's what helps you attract your ideal customer.

[00:29:05] Crystal Waddell: Wow. That is fantastic. Okay. So if, your client is listening right now, can you help them identify themselves? 

[00:29:11] Like the best fit for working with you? And then share how they can get in contact with you? 

Contacting for Content Marketing Services

[00:29:16] Christine McLean Lewis: Sure. I work with B2B software as a service companies and marketing companies. 

[00:29:23] To help them create fans and turn them into loyal customers.

[00:29:26] And, I do this through content marketing, as I mentioned earlier. 

[00:29:29] So you can reach me on my website, cemwritingservices.com. 

[00:29:35] Or you can reach me on LinkedIn. I'm very active on LinkedIn, Christine McLean Lewis. 

[00:29:40] Or you can send me an email at christine at. C E M writing services. com. 

[00:29:46] Crystal Waddell: Awesome.

[00:29:47] Christine, thank you so much for being here. This was a treat. This was a treat. 

[00:29:52] Christine McLean Lewis: It was great seeing you and meeting you. 

[00:29:54] Crystal Waddell: You think you'll go back to Brighton next year? 

[00:29:56] Christine McLean Lewis: I will be there. 

[00:29:57] I will be there. 

[00:29:58] Crystal Waddell: Okay. I already bought my ticket too. So we will definitely get together this time. 

[00:30:02] Christine McLean Lewis: Awesome. Awesome.

[00:30:04] Looking forward to it. 

[00:30:05] Crystal Waddell: All right. We'll see you next time, guys. Have a great day. 

[00:30:08] Christine McLean Lewis: Have a great day guys. Bye.