How Marcus Ringgold Creates Content for Founders, CEOs, and Solopreneurs

Learn how practicing mindfulness and studying psychology gives this content marketer an edge

At ease, Captain!

Welcome to a free edition of the Content Captains Newsletter where I answer your questions about creating content, generating traction, and becoming a full-stack content marketer.

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Introduction

Marcus Ringgold is a content marketing agency owner based out of Sacramento, California.

Over the last few months, Marcus has been scaling his content marketing agency, Ringgold Digital. A self-taught content marketer obsessed with human psychology, his main objective is to create content that satisfies the buyer’s journey:

“The buyer’s journey represents the customer’s road map of their initial discovery of your brand to making a purchase and becoming a loyal customer. This is important to know because it will inform how to create content tailored to the specific needs at each stage, and provide each customer with the right information at the right time.” 

In today’s interview, we cover how he got started in content marketing, how the buyer’s journey influences content marketing, and why you should become a more mindful person.

1. What made you want to create your own content marketing agency?

Funny story, I’m actually extremely lucky to be where I’m at today.

Back in 2018, I’d just graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology, and I couldn’t find a job. My crippling anxiety kept me from networking or even talking to people in general. I was lost.

Then I went down a YouTube self-improvement rabbit hole and started learning about digital marketing–that rabbit hole turned into an obsession. I bought a course or two, and read everything I could about digital marketing. 

Suddenly, serendipity struck when my dad found an ad on Facebook from a local marketing agency pitching their services to his company. He called, and we were shocked at their proposal: three monthly retainer options at $10,000, $15,000, and $20,000 each. My jaw hit the floor, and from that moment on something changed in me. And I promised myself I’d work hard at learning, delivering for my clients, and scale my business.

Today, I’ve niched down even further to content marketing. Not only did I already have some experience creating content, but I also realized content marketing was a natural fit for me. It’s the marketing discipline that excited me the most, and the one that I’ve chosen to pursue full force.

2. What’s the main pain point you see founders, CEOs, and solopreneurs experiencing when it comes to content marketing?

A lack of time and resources. 

Most of the time business leaders are so focused on running their business that they either don’t have time to create any content, or the content they do create is super low-quality.

That’s why anytime I get a new client, I start by auditing their current content strategy: 

• What’s working for them? What isn’t? 

• Where’s the biggest hole in their funnel? 

• How can I specifically support them?

Next, I hone in on their target audience’s demographics and behaviors, help clarify their messaging, and propose 2-3 content pillars. This eventually becomes the backbone behind every piece of content we’ll put out together.

Then I focus on content ideation. I like to collaborate directly with clients during brainstorming so we can come up with content that will not only resonate with their target audience but also deliver the business results they're looking for. Once we get some ideas flowing, I’ll start thinking about distribution, repurposing, and other content tactics at my disposal to really lock-in an idea.

And finally, we get to create. Here’s where I’ll take all this prior information and do the work: writing headlines, hooks, and long-form content; designing assets, social media posts, and graphics; tailoring all content to each specific platform and scheduling posts out.

Once we start seeing results, that’s when the real learning begins. And together, we’ll go through these steps again. Only this time, we’ll have some solid data to work off.

3. A lot of your content is about how to use the buyer’s journey in content marketing. Why do you think it matters?

The buyer’s journey represents the customer’s road map of their initial discovery of your brand to making a purchase and becoming a loyal customer. This is important to know because it will inform how to create content tailored to the specific needs at each stage, and provide each customer with the right information at the right time. Let me break this down:

The first stage in the buyer’s journey is the Awareness Stage. 

The goal here is to seamlessly introduce potential customers to your brand and make them aware of a problem they have. Your content at this stage should focus on creating “aha” moments that help them recognize an issue they face as something they should fix. 

They aren’t looking for anything yet, so you want to reach them where they’re at. And at this stage, you should focus on creating social media content, long-form and short-form videos, and SEO-based articles.

Then there is the Consideration Stage. 

At this point, your prospects are already aware of the problem, and now they’re looking for potential solutions. The goal here is for your content to focus on why your product or service is superior and how it addresses their specific needs.

They’re in the market to buy, but they need help choosing the right solution. At this stage, you should increase the number of touchpoints your content serves–the more your prospects see you, the more likely they are to make a purchase. You should also create more gated content to capture emails, activate nurture emails, and begin retargeting your ads.

And finally, the Decision stage. 

Most of the hard work is over. Your audience is ready to buy, but they’re waiting for the right moment. At this point, your content should focus on addressing any remaining objections you may anticipate prospects having, making your offer clear, and demonstrating high-impact results.

Things like case studies are key here. You want to give your prospects a sense of FOMO when they read your content, because this is your best chance to nudge them into a purchase.

4. What is the important skill aspiring content marketers need to learn to be successful?

This will probably not be the answer you expect to hear: mindfulness. 

If you can be mindful in your everyday experiences, you can become one of the best content marketers in the world. Let me show you how.

When you practice mindfulness, you become keenly aware of how you’re spending your time. For example, what do you usually do in your free time? You probably consume some sort of content. Now think about this: If you spend an average of four hours per day consuming content, you can choose to do so passively or mindfully. 

Passively, you’ll just scroll and scroll. But with mindfulness, you can start to note what made things catch your attention, what keeps your attention, and how you behave afterwards. If you begin to mindfully consume content, you’ll uncover what makes content great, and get ideas on how you can make your content even better.

5. What’s your superpower? 

Obsession.

I’ve been consuming content my entire life, but I’ve been doing it mindfully since 2006. I know what types of content work, and I know what it takes to increase the likelihood of virality, thanks to my obsession with getting better at content marketing.

Once I start working with a client, I’ll apply that same level of focus to their unique needs. Then I’ll be able to synthesize their ideas, products, and services, and start creating content that distills down to the core messaging their audiences’ need. But that’s not all, this level of obsession also enables me to have a high attention to detail.

For example, a few years ago, I helped a business with a YouTube channel in the mental health niche start creating better content. I helped them research pain points, decide on topics, and create titles that would make their audience want to click. The details.

And when I started working with them, they had a few thousand subscribers. Now, three years later, they’re about to cross over 2 Million subscribers. All thanks to obsession.

Thank you, Marcus, for jumping aboard and sharing your story with us. 

You can follow Marcus on LinkedIn to see everything he posts about content marketing for free;. everything from how to succeed on every social media platform, to the psychology behind building a community that trusts you and eventually buys from you. 

Send him a connection request letting him know you’re a Content Captain student and he’ll add you to his engagement list.

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Thanks for reading,

Content Captains