Chapter 4: The Real Jet Fuel

Expert Content

Learning Objectives
1. Learn what expert content really is.
2. Understand how to develop an expert content creation pipeline that you can put into practice to leverage expert content on your site.

Expertise is Critical to Your Website's Success

At Hyperion, we use Expert Content Strategy as the foundation for bringing customers into your machine, and for keeping them in the machine. This is part of the jet fuel for your engine and is critical to your website’s long-term success.

Remember that the internet is extremely useful for doing one thing: transmitting information. That's it.

When we talk about 'expertise', we really only mean the information that you already know and have expertise in that can be used to add value to someone's life. In my experience, that's all that business really comes down to - adding value to someone's life to the extent that they are willing to pay you for it.

Take a moment to think about what your expertise is.

What does expertise do for your business and why is it essential?

Expertise that is displayed in an easily digestible format does the following:

Builds a reputation for you of knowledge and experience in your field.
Adds genuine value to people's life via education about your expert topic.
Pulls in interested readers and gives you the opportunity to convert them into customers.

The end goal is obviously number three. Why go to the effort of consolidating your expertise and putting it on the internet for free unless you plan on converting everyone who reads it into a paying customer? You wouldn't! Numbers one and two build trust and credibility, which ultimately lead to sales.

This is why the expert content on your site is the real jet fuel. Without it, you just have customers coming to a site where you ask something of them (call to action).

Just like in a jet engine, without jet fuel, you can have the most powerful compressor in the world, you can pull in tons of air, and you can have everything else precision-designed, but at the end of the day if you forget to fill the gas tank, you won’t make it down the landing strip, let alone reach your loftiest goals.

jetfuel

Realize That You ARE An Expert

A hurdle that many people encounter when trying to create content is imposter syndrome, which means a lack of ability to recognize one’s own expertise or skill. This is usually because we compare ourselves and our understanding of a given topic to others and our perception of their level of expertise.

The syndrome is often amplified by the massive amount of information available on the web. It’s easy to think that you fall flat next to the hundreds, if not thousands, of others in your field.

To some extent, this may even be true - you may not be as knowledgeable as someone else in your field. There will probably always be someone who knows more than you about any given topic.

The trick is to not focus on this and instead focus on the fact that you are an expert relative to the consumer of your information - your target audience. Those people are the only ones that matter.

Tip: You are already several steps ahead of your readers in your level of understanding. If this was not true, your readers wouldn’t be reading your content.

So How Do I build an Expertise Pipeline?

Now we know why expertise is important, and you have realized that you are indeed an expert in your field and of your craft. Now what? How do you turn this knowledge into action in a meaningful way? What can you do today to start working toward this, even before building your new website?

Your goal should be to turn what you know into informational content that will endure the test of time and continue to bring you customers with no more investment of your time and energy. In other words, you will create passive income with your content. This is the beauty of the informational strategy model.

The process of streamlining expert content is comprised of the following steps:

Take what you know and break it down into teachable chunks of information. You should be able to spoon-feed these chunks to someone who has no prior knowledge of your field.
Make a list of all of these tiny chunks.
Commit to the habit of writing out one of the chunks in longform regularly (daily, weekly, etc.) until you have finished the list. Odds are that as you write the first several pieces, you will uncover a plethora of new chunks to add to your list.
Polish these chunks before publishing them to your website. This can include adding relevant pictures (original is better) and editing your articles for cohesion. A professional writer/editor can add a lot of value to this process. You may even want to just create outlines of your chunks, and have a writer create the final piece. You can also hire a designer to add the visuals, and to create a polished layout.
Set realistic goals for how many pieces you aim to publish in a given timeframe. Consistency is essential for engaging readers continuously. Are you going to publish one a week? One a month? Think S.M.A.R.T. Goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound.
Keep in mind that quality trumps quantity. Your customers are smart people. Treat them like it and give them your best work.

Go Forth and Build Your Information Empire

Now that you understand what it means to have expertise in your field, and how you can leverage that expertise in order to grow your business, you’re ready to go! It takes persistence and commitment, but by putting your expertise on paper and committing to the long game, you can build an informational business strategy that will have a healthy ROI.