Have you ever heard the expression, “Content is King”? In the marketing world, it’s equally important for mass media as it is for digital marketing. Whatever the medium or industry, content provides for the ideal way to connect with people by adding value, expertise or entertainment. In an online environment that is flooded with information, it’s easy to get lost in the noise, even if you are a top tier company who does amazing work in your industry. The key to content marketing is to make your website, blog, podcast or YouTube channel a resource for your targeted clients and customers. So how can you produce content that brings your customers to you?
Here are six tips to help you create a great content marketing strategy
1) Create Value: The first step is to create value for your target audience. One way to do this is by answering questions that you know your customers want answers to. Finding solutions to pain-points for businesses/individuals is a great way to bring value to them. One simple example that you’ve probably found yourself doing at some point is looking up a how-to video on YouTube. By creating a simple how-to video, some YouTubers have generated millions of views, simply because they are offering a quick solution to their audience’s question. Another way value can be created is through blogging. Most travel bloggers share their experiences with their audience through photos, videos and writing on their blog. Avid travelers are naturally drawn to this hub of content and interested in learning about new places the travelers have been. Although these are simple examples, the concept of creating value for a target audience is consistent in both situations.
2) Use Social Media: Once you’ve found a way to create value for your target audience, how should your share it with the world? The quickest way to do so is through social media. By sharing brief pieces of your content, whether its video, a great photo, or an announcement of a new blog post, you will be able to link those posts back to your page where the real value is. Social media is a great way to generate awareness of your brand and to increase your reach so you can connect with more and more people as you grow.
3) Put Your Expertise On Display: It’s obvious that in order to create value, you need to be great at what you do. Whether it’s Digital Marketing, Finance, Real Estate, Education, Law or whatever your business is, you need to showcase your expertise and provide value. Just make sure you’re an expert in the subject matter you’re writing about and if you’re not, get help from a content professional.
4) Use Video: This can’t be stressed enough. New studies show that in 2019, 80% of online traffic will be through video. So why is video so much more effective than everything else? For starters, it’s more entertaining, it provides for more detail, more information and it helps customers put a face to your brand. Understanding who you’re going to be working with or who you’re taking advice from is a huge part of building a relationship for your audience. By creating personalized videos and talking to your audience, you are developing trust and taking ownership of the content you are putting out there. If you haven’t used video in the past, give it a shot. You can do a video series, testimonials from clients, or post a clip from an industry event you attended. A short video can go a long way.
5) Create High Quality Content: Not only does your content have to be valuable, professional and engaging, but it also has to be done right. This doesn’t mean investing in an expensive camera or photographer. It means that each piece of content you produce has to meet your standard of work. In other words you need to practice what you preach. If you’re an amazing graphic designer, the graphics in your content better be outstanding; or if you’re a professional copywriter, the content you write better be extremely engaging; or in our case, if you’re a digital marketing company, make sure to create content on a regular basis regarding top trends in our industry. (Hint, Hint, content marketing is a top trend that’s growing!) So whatever high quality content translates to in your industry, make it the standard to hold yourself to with any content you put out there.
6) Be Consistent: It’s easy to say you are going to do all of these things, but what it comes down to is doing them consistently and being patient. Are you willing to invest your time to produce great blog posts? Are you ready to step in front of a camera and create a video series? Will you put in the effort to create a social media calendar and stick to it on a consistent basis? We get it, not everyone has the time to do this when they are focusing on their business. However, investing in a content marketing strategy can be extremely beneficial if done correctly.
By following these six tips consistently, you will see how much content marketing can help your business. Whether you’re trying to establish yourself as an industry leader or growing your business through a new source of leads, the results are waiting. If you have any questions about content marketing, or would like to learn about other effective digital marketing tactics, please sign up for our monthly newsletter or schedule a call with one of our experts for a free consultation.