Your Network Is Your Content Calendar

Last week I told you content isn't your marketing, rather, it's the container. The relationship is the thing that actually gets you referrals.

The obvious follow-up question: fine, I follow you Billy, but I still have to put something in the container, and I don't have time to make it or I'm just not creative.

I hear that constantly from contractors, insurance agents, and real estate agents and I don't think either one is the real problem. In fact, I love that objection because the solution fits perfectly in our system. 

Here's what I think is actually happening: when you sit down to make content, you're trying to make content about yourself, your services, your listings, your rates. That stuff is hard to make interesting, and if we're being honest, almost nobody wants to see it, you only mix it in small doses to show the audience you are an expert in your content area.

So you find yourself staring at the screen, then you write something that sounds like a brochure, it gets four likes (one of them is your mom), and you decide you're bad at this.

Trust me, you're not bad at this, you're just writing about the least interesting subject in your feed.

Think about what actually makes you stop scrolling. It's not an ad, it's a face you recognize. A local spot you've been to, somebody you know getting a shoutout. People stop for people they know and places they care about. Every time.

So here's the mindset shift: if you're doing referral marketing the way I teach it in The Connector Blueprint, you're already giving to people, introducing people, grabbing coffee with people, and cheering for other local businesses. Every one of those moves is a post. Not a post about you, but a post about them, which happens to be exactly the content people want to see. And, lucky for you, it takes about five minutes because you're not inventing anything, you're just telling people who is amazing in your own community. 

That's what I mean when I say the system gives you unlimited content, not a vault of templates. As long as you're building relationships, you will never run out of something to say. Your network is your content calendar.

Wednesday I'll show you exactly how to turn each relationship move into a post so you can start this week.

For now, a gut check. Look at your last five posts. How many were about someone other than you?

Drop the number in the comments. Honest answers only.