The Content Flywheel
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Let’s talk about building something that lasts — a growth engine that keeps generating leads, customers, and revenue even when you’re not actively working on it. I’m not talking about some magical, set-it-and-forget-it scheme (those don’t exist). I’m talking about a Content Marketing Flywheel.
The Content Flywheel: Your Perpetual Growth Machine
Imagine a flywheel — a massive, heavy wheel that takes effort to get spinning. But once it gains momentum, it becomes a self-sustaining force, generating energy with every revolution. That’s the power of a content marketing flywheel.
Unlike a traditional sales funnel, where viral content / ads attracts leads, who enter at the top and (hopefully) exit as customers at the bottom, a flywheel is circular and continuous. Every piece of content you create adds energy to the system, attracting, engaging, and delighting your audience. And as the flywheel spins faster, it generates more leads, more customers, and more revenue.
This is what I’ve used to build my own brand on social, and it’s how you win on social in 2024.
It’s also a relatively simple 2 step process.
Step 1. Pillar Content
Step 2. Cluster Content
Here’s how you use it for your business.
Pillar Content: The Foundation of Your Flywheel
The content flywheel starts with Pillar content.
Think of pillar content as the central hub of your flywheel — the cornerstone piece that supports everything else. It’s a comprehensive, in-depth piece of content (think long-form blog post, ebook, or video series) that covers a core topic related to your business.
Example: HubSpot’s Marketing Blog
HubSpot, a leading marketing software company, has built a massive content flywheel around its blog. Their pillar content includes comprehensive guides on topics like inbound marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing. These guides are regularly updated and linked to from other blog posts, social media posts, and email campaigns, creating a web of interconnected content that keeps their flywheel spinning.
Cluster Content: The Spokes of Your Flywheel
Cluster content is the supporting content that branches off from your pillar content. It delves deeper into specific subtopics, providing additional value and context for your audience. This could include blog posts, infographics, videos, or social media posts.
Example: Backlinko’s Skyscraper Technique Guide
Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko, created a pillar piece of content on the Skyscraper Technique — a strategy for building high-quality backlinks to your website. He then created cluster content around related topics like keyword research, content promotion, and link outreach. This interconnected web of content has helped Backlinko become a leading authority in the SEO space.
The Flywheel in Action: How It Generates Growth
Attract: Your pillar and cluster content attract your target audience through search engines, social media, and other channels.
Engage: Your content keeps your audience engaged by providing valuable information, insights, and solutions.
Delight: Your content exceeds expectations by being well-researched, informative, and engaging.
Convert: Your engaged audience members are more likely to convert into leads and customers.
Advocate: Your delighted customers become brand advocates, sharing your content with their networks and attracting new leads.
The flywheel is a virtuous cycle. The more energy you put in (i.e., the more high-quality content you create), the faster it spins, and the greater your results.
Crafting Your Pillar Content
Let’s dive into the tactical side of building your content flywheel.
Remember, your pillar content is the foundation of your flywheel — the cornerstone piece that supports everything else. It’s a comprehensive, in-depth piece of content (think long-form blog post, ebook, or video series) that covers a core topic related to your business.
Real-World Examples:
Intercom’s “The Ultimate Guide to Customer Onboarding”: This pillar piece covers everything you need to know about creating a successful customer onboarding experience. It’s packed with actionable tips, real-world examples, and data-backed insights.
Ahrefs’ “The Beginner’s Guide to SEO”: This comprehensive guide covers all the basics of SEO, from keyword research to on-page optimization to link building. It’s a one-stop shop for anyone looking to improve their website’s search rankings.
Buffer’s “State of Social 2023 Report”: This annual report dives deep into the latest social media trends, providing valuable insights for marketers and businesses.
Tips for Creating Pillar Content:
Choose a Broad Topic: Your pillar content should cover a broad topic that is relevant to your target audience.
Go In-Depth: Don’t be afraid to go deep into the details. The more comprehensive your pillar content is, the more valuable it will be to your audience.
Make It Evergreen: Your pillar content should be evergreen, meaning it will remain relevant and valuable for years to come.
Promote It: Don’t just publish your pillar content and forget about it. Promote it across all your channels to ensure it reaches the widest possible audience.
Building Out Your Cluster Content
Your cluster content is the supporting content that branches off from your pillar content. It delves deeper into specific subtopics, providing additional value and context for your audience.
Real-World Examples:
Intercom’s blog posts on specific customer onboarding tactics: These blog posts expand on the topics covered in their pillar guide, providing more detailed instructions and examples.
Ahrefs’ blog posts on specific SEO techniques: These blog posts provide step-by-step instructions on how to implement specific SEO techniques, such as keyword research and link building.
Buffer’s social media posts highlighting key findings from their report: These social media posts share bite-sized insights from their report, making it more digestible for their audience.
Tips for Creating Cluster Content:
Link to Your Pillar Content: Make sure your cluster content links back to your pillar content to reinforce its authority and drive traffic.
Use a Variety of Formats: Don’t just stick to blog posts. Experiment with different formats, such as infographics, videos, and social media posts.
Promote Your Cluster Content: Just like your pillar content, promote your cluster content across all your channels.
By following these tips, you can create a powerful content flywheel that will attract, engage, and delight your audience, ultimately driving more leads, customers, and revenue for your business.
Now You’re Flywheel’s Spinning, What’s Next?
Let’s talk about how to keep your content flywheel spinning and generating momentum for your business. Here are some advanced strategies to take your content marketing to the next level.
1. Repurpose and Recycle
Don’t let your content go to waste! Repurposing existing content is a smart way to extend its lifespan and reach new audiences.
Real-World Examples:
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Content Model: GaryVee is the master of content repurposing. He takes a single keynote speech and turns it into dozens of pieces of content, including short videos, social media posts, blog posts, and podcast episodes.
Moz’s Whiteboard Friday Series: Moz’s popular Whiteboard Friday videos are often repurposed into blog posts, infographics, and social media snippets.
How to Repurpose Your Content:
Turn blog posts into videos: Create short explainer videos based on your most popular blog posts.
Turn videos into blog posts: Transcribe your videos and turn them into blog posts or social media posts.
Turn long-form content into short-form content: Break down long-form content like ebooks and webinars into shorter pieces that are easier to consume.
Turn data and insights into infographics: Visualize data and insights from your research or case studies into eye-catching infographics.
2. Build a Community
Your audience isn’t just a collection of leads and customers — they’re a potential community. Building a community around your brand can create a powerful flywheel effect.
Real-World Examples:
Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community: Sephora’s online community provides a space for beauty enthusiasts to connect, share tips and reviews, and get advice from experts.
Salesforce’s Trailblazer Community: Salesforce’s community is a hub for Salesforce users to learn, connect, and give back.
How to Build a Community:
Create a dedicated online space: This could be a forum, a Facebook group, a Slack channel, or any other platform where your audience can interact with each other.
Host events and meetups: In-person or virtual events can be a great way to bring your community together and foster deeper connections.
Encourage user-generated content: Encourage your community members to share their stories, experiences, and insights.
3. Partner Up
Collaborating with other brands or influencers can help you reach new audiences and expand your flywheel.
Real-World Examples:
Co-marketing campaigns: Two or more brands team up to create a joint marketing campaign. This could involve creating co-branded content, hosting joint events, or cross-promoting each other’s products or services.
Influencer marketing: Brands partner with influencers to promote their products or services to their followers.
How to Partner Up:
Identify potential partners: Look for brands or influencers that share your target audience and values.
Reach out and build relationships: Don’t be afraid to reach out and introduce yourself. Start by engaging with their content and building a rapport.
Brainstorm creative collaboration ideas: Think outside the box and come up with unique ideas that will benefit both parties.
By implementing these advanced strategies, you can keep your content flywheel spinning and generating momentum for your business.
The Flywheel Mindset: Beyond Tactics
Building a successful content flywheel isn’t just about following a set of tactics. It’s about adopting a mindset that prioritizes long-term growth over short-term gains.
Here are a few key principles of the flywheel mindset:
Patience is a Virtue: Building a flywheel takes time. Don’t expect overnight results. Focus on creating high-quality content and building relationships with your audience, and the results will come.
Always Be Iterating: Your content flywheel is never finished. Continuously experiment, test, and refine your approach to find what works best for your business.
Think Long-Term: Don’t just focus on the next sale or the next lead. Think about how you can create a sustainable engine that will generate growth for years to come.
Measuring Your Flywheel’s Success
How do you know if your content flywheel is working? Here are a few key metrics to track:
Website Traffic: Are you seeing an increase in website traffic over time? This is a good indicator that your content is attracting new visitors.
Engagement Metrics: Are people spending time on your site, reading your blog posts, and watching your videos? This shows that your content is engaging and resonating with your audience.
Social Shares: Are people sharing your content on social media? This is a sign that your content is valuable and worth sharing with others.
Lead Generation: Are you generating more leads from your content? This is the ultimate goal of your flywheel, so it’s important to track how many leads you’re generating over time.
Customer Acquisition: Are you acquiring more customers from your content? This is the final proof that your flywheel is working. Track how many customers you’re acquiring from your content and how much revenue they’re generating.
The Flywheel vs. The Funnel: A Final Word
Building a content flywheel is an ongoing process. It requires consistent effort and dedication. But the rewards are worth it. A well-oiled content flywheel can generate a steady stream of leads, customers, and revenue for your business, even when you’re not actively working on it (giving you a chance to take a break from thinking about brand new content ideas and strategies).
The traditional sales funnel is dead. It’s a linear, transactional model that focuses on short-term gains. The content flywheel, on the other hand, is a circular, relational model that focuses on long-term growth. It’s a more sustainable and effective way to build a successful business in the digital age.
So, are you ready to ditch the funnel and embrace the flywheel?
I’m rooting for you,
Scott