How to Use Hooks to Drive Engagement and Leads (Ep 37)

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Welcome to episode 37 of Digital Marketing Made Easy. And in this episode, we are going to talk about hooking people in to your content using standout titles. Now, hooks, for me, are totally underused. And I think we’ve fallen into the trap with social media where it’s literally like create content, stick it out there on broadcast. I see so much content that I literally am switching off. And when we look at what gets really good engagement but what also turns connections into paying clients is when people use hooks.

What is a hook?

Now, what is a hook? Well, a hook is an amazing title that is going to stop the scroll. It’s going to get people to take action. It’s aligned to that person’s pain problem or challenge in such a way that it’s just like, “I have to do something now.” So amazing hooks would be, I use one which is about a strategy we use online, which is all about engagement. Now, if I was using a hook, it would be something like this, which is, this one strategy, this one thing, increased our engagement by 373%. Do you want to know more?

Now, that sort of hook is showing a result-based outcome. Telling people like, “This is what I’m getting. Do you want to find out more?” Now, think about when you have maybe created free assets, lead magnets for your business. Could be guides, could be masterclasses. These things that you’re using for client attraction and conversion, why are they not getting the results they could do? Well, maybe because you’re not using the right hooks. Because if you said something like, “Here’s my free guide. Do you want to download it now?” It just doesn’t have the same impact as like, “This one strategy or this one checklist just got my client 42 new clients in the past 30 days. Do you want a copy of it?”

We need to stop refocus and think

So we have to put some effort in. And I think where we are at with social media is, quite honestly, so much of it is staid, boring, feature-orientated, and it doesn’t get engagement. So we need to stop and refocus and think, do you know what? If you’re posting on social media and it isn’t getting comments, and it isn’t getting likes, and it isn’t getting shares, and it’s not actually driving revenue into your business, why on earth are you doing it? Stop. Change tack. Do something different and align your content to what people want, using hooks. Now, all you have to do is think like, every day, spend five to 10 minutes thinking about what the hook is.

You need to create content that’s aligned with your client’s goals

Now, the principles that I use, that I teach in our Academy, and I have done since Business Consort started way back in 2005, haven’t changed. They’re all about creating content that people want. And the thing is, with a hook is, if you truly understand your ideal client, your persona, your avatar, who it is you’re marketing to, then you start to speak in the right language. You start to create content that, number one, there is demand for, but that people actually will engage with because it’s so aligned to what they want as their goal, as their outcome, it’s their desire, that they will take notice. They’ll stop scrolling. And suddenly you’ll start getting epic engagement. And this is about standing out from the crowd, switching things up and spending some decent time on your social media.

The three content pillars

So many times I see this handed out to agencies, I see it handed to juniors. This is the most important, most impactful part of your business. And you have to be involved in some form of the strategy, be it from creating these hooks, being the driving force behind it. Now, what I do for our social media strategy is I look at my three content pillars. I talk about marketing, motivation, mindset, endlessly. These are the three things I’m known for. And the reason that I’m so clear on my content is that each and every day I’m thinking, “Right, which content pillar am I using?” And I drill it down even further.

And what I’ve done is I’ve segmented my days into talking about four key things. I talk about my wins, my challenges, my learnings, and my focus. And by doing this, if I’m talking about my challenge and I’m talking about marketing, then I can use an amazing hook. I can say, “This one framework, this one strategy, changed the way that our business worked.” Or, “This one thing saved me £50,000 on my marketing.” Or, “This one thing made us a 50% increase in sales, booked us 20% more discovery calls,” whatever it is. And you start to see the language, why a hook is so much more dramatic.

What do people want to know?

What do people want to know? Well, they want to know the answer to their problem, their pain, or their challenge. They need the advice. And they’re looking for a thought leader who can help with that. So it’s things like, “These three tactics helped my content go viral,” or, “These four things were the foundation of my first million in business.” So think about the tone and terminology and think about the hook. Really start thinking about who is my ideal client, how do they operate day-to-day, what would be the solution that would change their world? Instead of posting on social media, “Do you want this?” It’s like tell them the outcome and then get people to either engage in the post or direct message you. These are all amazing engagement strategies. They’re all amazing strategies that are going to really help drive your business forward in such a positive manner.

If you’re not using the right hooks, then people won’t take notice

Now, everything that I’m doing at the moment is about connections, is about communication. It’s about collaboration and community too. But if you are not using the right hooks, then people won’t take notice. It’s a game-changer in terms of actually getting people to do something. And it’s the key difference or the success factor that will mean that your social media connections will turn into paying clients. So think about, each and every day, what could be the hook? How could you align it to your three content pillars? And most importantly, how can you post with purpose? What is the goal or outcome that you want from that?

If you got 50 people saying, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I want this free checklist, this free guide,” then there’s opportunity to reach out, to really nurture those contacts and find out what they did with it. It could be a free masterclass or a checklist or any lead magnet you have. And I guarantee you’ll have content sitting in your business right now that you can go and test this out with.

So good luck with your hooks. And I hope you see a big difference. Now, I promise you, if you get the hook right and you truly understand your ideal client, it is an ultimate difference between getting the horrible tumbleweed when you post to getting people really taking action. And it’s the driving force behind growing and scaling your online powerful communities and ultimately, your business.

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