Being this first, the only, the most unique is obviously a great advantage for brands trying to get the attention of its customers. It’s also easier said than done. Michael Greenberg, is the CEO of Call For Content and author of the Authority Marketing Playbook. He says he uses strategies to develop unique, niche-specific, quality content that is engaging and delivers new customers.

Call for Content

Call for Content is a podcasting agency primarily focused on creating B2B content market for use in lead generation. Over the years, Michael says podcasting has proven to be the most effective tactic for lead gen, resulting in his company moving to podcast-based strategies for the company’s clients.

Developing Content

Michael believes it’s critical to develop a strategy that connects with the client’s customers from the start. He uses direct customer research that is both qualitative and quantitative and combines both to develop ideal customer personas. Call for Content will audit the client’s current materials and conduct one-on-one interviews with up to five of the client’s customers to find out what they want to know.  The interviews are typically followed by a survey and additional talks with people who fit the client’s ideal customer personas but are not customers. This research typically costs $2,500 and takes about six weeks. For clients interested in making an investment in lead generation using content, keeping the price low initially is good because it gives the client time to get to know Call for Content before the content creation begins.

Too many companies make content for use in SEO or sharing it in newsletters, but what they should really be looking at is who they should be creating content with to bring in new customers. The content should help open the door to new relationships and partnerships that will attract new customers. As an example, Michael says you might consider positioning your podcast by interviewing ideal clients for your business or creating a series with tech leaders who serve the same industry.

Podcasting is an effective way to generate content even if it isn’t part of a podcast show. And if the client’s target demo includes millennials, Gen Zs, tech-savvy or highly educated individuals, there is a good chance there are not enough listeners for a podcast series to make sense. The audio content created from the podcast, however, can be used to create written content and be re-purposed for use in blogs, videos, newsletters, social media and other vehicles…all in the voice of the client’s authority figure – the person who speaks to your target audiences as an authority.

Authority Marketing

The size of a company plays a big role in determining who will be its authority figure. If the company is small, say 20 to 30 employees, the authority must be the owner or founder. Companies with 150 or more employers might be able to use division heads or a VP of sales and marketing. If the company has 1,000-plus employees, there may be an entire team working full-time on the podcast.

Michael has three labels for authority figures. Best-in-Class includes the person who has a proven track record in his or her field of interest. The Simplifier is the person who uses a podcast to make things simpler for everyone and the Innovator does things by going against the grain. This person has become successful using unconventional tactics.

Michael talks about authority marketing in two ways: specialization and relativity. The more you can niche-down or specialize in an industry, the easier it is to build authority. Michael points out that it is difficult to build authority if you are trying to be an expert in digital marketing. However, if you are trying to be an authority in lead generation using Facebook ads for dental practices in middle market cities, you can become an expert in just a few months.

Authority is also relative. The only people you need to be an authority for are the people who will actually buy your product or service.

Useful Tools in Creating Content

There are many, but Michael likes using Google Docs because it lets you collaborate with others in real time and get instant feedback. He also likes using Otter.ai for transcriptions. For about $70 – $80 per year, you can record phone calls and have conversations transcribed.

Connect with Michael

The best way to connect is to go the website, callforcontent.com, and look for the chat widget in the righthand corner. Select “office hours” and schedule a time to talk with Michael.