It’s been pretty much drilled into the heads of anyone interested in marketing their business or organization, they must be online. But “being online” is a lot different than it use to be. Being found online is now an intricate mix of search marketing and content marketing, with the goal of creating a funnel for your customers.
Content marketing has an overall goal of attracting and retaining customers. This takes knowledge of your target audience so you can create something they see as valuable.
What are the most important things to know about content marketing before you start posting articles and videos on your website, blog and social media accounts? Read on to find out.
1. Determine what your story is
Like everything else you do to promote your business, your content marketing strategy needs to match your brand.
Your brand is part of the story you tell your target audience so they know who you are and what you have to offer. What stories do you want to tell about your company? How do you want to tell them? You need to answer these questions before you tackle content creation.
2. Serve your potential customers
The best and most effective content marketing puts the target audience first. This means, you as the content creator must figure out what your potential consumers need to know. Then share this information in a way they are likely to see it.
3. Promoting your content is crucial
You can write as many blog posts or produce as many videos as you want, but if you are not promoting the content it won’t matter.
You need to get your target audience to look at your content. Develop a plan of how you will promote your content. This plan can include things like social media, email newsletters, encouraging readers to subscribe to your blog and link building.
4. Don’t be afraid to re-purpose your content
Content marketing doesn’t have to be about writing blog post after blog post about different topics. Instead, use events or seminars your business is already hosting and repurpose them as different pieces of content.
For instance, a conference presentation can turn into a video online. This can be transcribed and then used to create several different blogs about various topics covered in the presentation.
5. Content marketing isn’t just about writing
A lot of businesses get wrapped up in article and blog writing.
While this is the most common form of content marketing, it’s not the only kind of content you can create, nor is it always the best. When developing your content marketing strategy, don’t forget content like videos, podcasts, infographics, SlideShare presentations and one or more images.
In order to be most effective with your content marketing, it needs to relate to the products or services you wish to sell your target audience.
Still, you don’t want to hit your potential customers over the head with a sales pitch.
Be relevant, informative and helpful. You want to share with your potential customer base everything you have to offer without overselling, so that they turn their browsing into buying.
