Content marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on creating and distributing consistent content that is considered to be valuable and relevant. Companies use content marketing to attract and retain their desired audience and drive customer actions by changing or enhancing customer behavior.
Content marketing is becoming more and more popular as consumers strive to live in an ad-free world. The public now has several options to watch television, listen to the radio, and even browse the internets while avoiding, filtering, and blocking ads that companies used to rely on. Consumers now demand that a company provide more than just a catchy jingle during commercial breaks of their favorite television show. They want quality content that they can relate to and apply to their everyday lives.
The problem now with content marketing is that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. This can make it difficult to stand out amongst the crowd. Here at Portside Marketing we understand the need to set you and your company apart from others and want to help you accomplish this. We’ve compiled a list of tips and strategies to help you with your content marketing.
Guiding Customer Behavior with Content Marketing
When using content marketing, be aware that it’s a process, not a short cut to more sales and higher revenue. Your content should guide your customers to you in a gentle way. You don’t want to force your products and services on them, but rather show that your company can add value to their lives. The content shouldn’t feel like marketing. Focus each piece on an idea and build up that idea. The idea should be something that will benefit your desired audience in some way. Express the idea as if you are having a conversation with a friend. This makes the content more relatable for your audience and they are more likely to engage.
Many companies make a vital mistake with content marketing. They create short posts to get the job done and the content out there in hopes that it will produce the end result that they’re striving for. However, if the content is poorly written or has no value for your audience then it’s almost certain that you will be disappointed. Put the effort into writing long-form, high quality content for your readers. Using SEO techniques can also improve your search rank and increase traffic. If you are producing high quality content but not getting the results you crave, try altering controllable conditions. Post content at different times of the day, use different influences, or reach out to a marketing company for additional help to teach you how to use content marketing for your advantage.
The best thing you can do with content marketing is actually focusing on creating content that is beneficial to your readers. Your focus should be on your audience and how you can help and improve their lives. If you aren’t sure who you’re trying to attract then it’s a good idea to create a buyer persona prior to diving in to content marketing. This will help you understand who would be reading your content, what kind of information they’re looking for, and how you can contribute to them. By using a buyer persona you can narrow the field of your targeted audience and focus on their wants and needs. This will lead to a much higher conversion rate than you would get if you were trying to target and relate to everyone. Content marketing isn’t about reaching everyone; it’s about reaching those who will ultimately produce the action that you desire from them.
Content Marketing and Social Media
It’s important with content marketing that the content you create is able to be shared on social media. This allows you to reach more people very easily. You can share your content on your company’s social media pages. You can also create social media ads to extend the reach of your material. People will share information that they find valuable or important. With excellent content marketing, your information will quickly go viral thanks to the influencers who enjoy your content. This can help you increase your audience greatly.
Social media is full of click-bait, websites that churn out information with an enticing headline with the goal to get you to visit the website so they are able to generate ad revenue. Click-bait typically has an extreme amount of ads and can be extremely annoying for people trying to get the information that they desire. The last thing that you want to do is come across as one of these annoying ad riddled web sites. To avoid looking like click-bait, be sure that you use simple headlines that are to the point.
Your content marketing can also improve simply if you start paying attention to the analytics on your website and the statistics on your social media pages. This will help you get a better idea of what people are responding to. This can help steer you to content that will continue to be beneficial for both your audience and your company and is content marketing at its finest. Find out what’s working and use it while avoiding topics that get little or no response. You can even work high performing content into a series that will keep your audience coming back for more. You can even repurpose old content to provide more value to those who may not have previously seen it.
Content marketing can be extremely valuable if done properly. As your audience realizes that they can depend on you to enrich their lives on a regular basis they will gain loyalty to you and your company. They’ll also share the content with their friends and family because they believe that the content has something to offer.