Content marketing is the art of developing and sharing valuable information with people who have a genuine interest in your business. Not only can content improve search engine rankings, customer satisfaction, engagement, conversions, loyalty—and thus revenue—but it can also build brand authority.
– Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Content Marketing Institute
Content marketing is about telling stories to prospects, customers, and influencers of your business. You can tell these stories through blog posts, videos, infographics, or any other format that your target audience will find valuable. I know this sounds like an amateur strategy, but it’s so much more than that. Content marketing is a technical process where the story is developed & measured with SEO, Social Media, and Analytics in mind. It is a complicated field that requires extensive planning to be successful.
What is content marketing, and why it’s important to your business?
I think it’s important because it demonstrates a genuine interest in what the customer cares about while being creative enough to spark curiosity that compels the consumer to investigate further. It’s also a great way to develop trust because it shows you understand what the customer wants and need, not just what the business thinks they want or need.
The problem is that content marketing can be quite difficult for some businesses to implement due to budget constraints, lack of resources, or even fear of “trying to be too fancy.”
Why you should invest in a content marketing strategy
I believe that every business, whether big or small, can benefit from content marketing by creating one or two articles or videos per month. And I’m not talking about getting super high-quality articles posted on your blog only to garner a few views. All businesses have something valuable to share.
The question is, how valuable is the information you want to provide? The value of your content should be closely tied to why potential customers should care about what you have to say. If you only write articles with click-bait titles and without much quality/value, it will not get shared or viewed very often.
Before you begin content marketing, it’s best to understand who your audience is. If you can’t describe who your customer is, then how are you going to engage them? Defining the target demographic for this strategy will help layout a better path for creating valuable content that interests customers and gets shared.
Once you have an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish with your content, my best advice is not to over-think it. It doesn’t have to be complicated or overly detailed. Your blog post does not have to be the next “War and Peace.” You need to create something that shows you are an industry expert.
Your articles should contain some intrigue that makes the reader ask questions. This will encourage visitors to take a closer look at your blog or website and return for future content, generating more opportunities for them to get engaged with your business.
That’s where you want your readers to end up – either on your website or social media page so you can continue engaging with them while building rapport. This is also a great opportunity to let them know about your products or services that can help solve their problems.
Just remember…it’s all about the customer. They need content that interests them and adds value to their lives for it to be shared.
Who can benefit from this?
Any business with something they want the world to know. This includes bricks and mortar stores or online retailers. Automotive businesses, consultants, event planners, interior designers…really any business that can create content regularly can get involved with this strategy.
How to create a successful content marketing campaign
If you’re thinking about beginning a content marketing campaign but aren’t sure where to start, these tips should help you out.
1. Identify your target audience
For your content to be relevant and valuable, it has to be the kind of information the customer wants and needs. So if you already have a website or blog page but want to improve your content marketing campaign, check out your analytics to learn more about their internet behaviour.
Start by identifying how long they stay on the page and what pages get the most views/clicks. This will give you insight into what kinds of things they are interested in reading.
For instance, let’s say you have a website for an automotive business. Your analytics show that visitors spend a lot of time on your services page and check out the FAQs about service packages. This is good information to know as you begin creating content because it will be relevant to most of your users.
2. Create quality content that adds value
One way to start sharing quality content is to create a blog page that focuses on the same topic for each post. This makes it easy for your audience members to navigate and find what they are looking for quickly.
If you want to write about topics other than what your website or company blog page is already about, do some research and see if there’s interest in the community surrounding your brand.
For instance, if you own an auto repair shop and want to write about the latest trends in transportation, make sure there is enough interest out there before taking on such a large project.
3. Don’t over-think it
Even big-name brands like Disney and Coca Cola started somewhere; they incorporated quality content into their overall marketing strategies. You don’t have to be a computer wizard or possess a degree in the industry to get started with blogging and social media content that’s engaging and intriguing.
4. Identify your audience
Remember, it doesn’t matter what you know; it matters what you share with your customers. If you’re unsure how to begin, start simple; identify what interests you and then expand on those topics.
5. Share content that’s relevant and valuable
Don’t share anything you wouldn’t want your customers reading about themselves. Stay away from gossip and unsavoury details of the business world – it will only reflect poorly on your brand. And we all know word travels quickly in the digital age, so think before you tweet.
6. Let your personality shine through
Don’t be afraid to have a voice and share things that are going on in your personal life. Audiences appreciate an approachable brand that can empathize with challenging situations or relate a funny experience to something that happened at the office.
7. Spend 20 minutes each day sharing quality content
When you’re just starting out, it can be tough to find the time to create your own original content every day, so spend 20 minutes browsing through social media feeds and online publications that are relevant to your brand or industry.
This is a great way to get ideas for future posts and content that will interest your audience.
8. Do it repeatedly
After you spend 20 minutes each day, commit to doing it for a month straight. At the end of the 30 days, check in on how much traffic your blog page is getting. And how many comments and shares your posts are receiving. This information will help determine if it’s worth continuing to include quality content in your overall marketing strategy.
This approach will build a solid online presence and increase your company website ranking on search engines like Google.