The business industry is changing every year. To stay relevant, you need to explore digital marketing as a whole, but more so the key area of content marketing. In fact, the vast majority of multinational companies, such as Microsoft and P&G, are already doing this. Content marketing when done right can have many great benefits and can take your business to that next level.
To do it right, you first need to know what content marketing actually is. Content marketing is the process of creating relevant and valuable content for your audience to attract their attention and engage with them.
Before digital marketing, there was no need for content marketing. However, customers are now more receptive if the company interacts with them by either offering relevant content or simply having a conversation with them. Well-written and valuable content will raise the profile of your business in your industry and build your brand. In addition to that, content marketing is also relatively less expensive and has the ability to reach a wider audience.
The challenge with content marketing is how to make the right content to engage your audience, when to publish it to maximize exposure, and who to target. Here are some tips on how to get the right content, at the right time, for the right audience.
When conducting content marketing, you can’t write about anything. You need to strategize your content so it aligns with your brand and market. Here are some points to guide you on creating the right content.
When thinking about the right content, one rule comes to mind - relevance. Your content always needs to be relevant to your customers. It needs to be about topics your target audience wants to hear about. Moreover, it can also be about your product and how it compares with others. You can also talk about current events that affect your product.
For instance, if you’re in the business of make-up and beauty, you can post content regarding how to apply make-up. On the other hand, if you’re in the business of creating sportswear, you can start posting content on workouts and diets. You have to strike a balance between content relevance and product placement.
By being relevant, you’ll be able to show up in results when people search for related items or services. Doing this will also attract more people to partner with you for other opportunities like product reviews, guest posts and link building. This is because the higher in search results you are, the more power and visibility you have in your industry. When accepting guest posts or if you plan on dabbling yourself, make sure you utilize the best white hat link building practices to lower the risk of Google penalties. Following good practices can really help keep you on top of your competition.
When informing your target audience about facts or announcements, it’s important to keep it simple. Lengthy and wordy content can deter people from reading what you’re trying to say. Instead, try making it look more organized and aesthetically pleasing by utilizing infographics.
Infographics refer to the use of charts or graphs to illustrate information in just one page.
It’s an effective way to post information on social media and it gives your consumers the information they need without reading through several paragraphs.
If you’re not well-versed in infographics, you can easily hire an expert. A good one will cost you around $1000 for the design. Once done, you can simply post it on your social media channels.
Content comes in many forms and one your audience may appreciate is a podcast. Podcasts are generally audio recordings that discuss anything from products to music. They sound similar to radio shows for the average listener.
Utilizing a podcast as a content marketing tool will provide you exposure to a different world through a different channel. More and more people are now listening to podcasts online than ever before. If you want more exposure for your products, you need to feature them in podcasts.
For instance, you may be the writer of a book. Being able to talk about your publication or even initiate a series on it through a podcast can lead to more sales for your book. You can also indulge in some cross-selling to encourage listeners to sign up for online courses with you. In addition, you can also get invited as a guest speaker for engagements if your listeners like the content you put up in your podcast.
Aside from having audio recordings, you can also use videos as a form of content marketing. Videos often possess untapped potential, as far as content marketing is concerned, because people think they’re too costly or challenging to execute. However, they’re worth it because videos can do so much for your brand. Videos can now be posted on your website, or platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and even on Instagram as IG TV.
Create videos that have relevance to your business and be creative with them. You can start by talking about your product or giving tips. You can also make how-to videos and post them online so your audience can learn from you as well.
Books are often thought of as traditional marketing. Fortunately, eBooks are available now and everyone can purchase them online. Modern marketers don’t simply sell books anymore; they sell books specifically as a marketing tool.
For instance, you can promote a book that teaches people how to be good entrepreneurs. On top of that, you can also write about your coaching and speaking services so people can benefit from your expertise. It’s a two-pronged marketing tool instead of just an eBook that generates revenues for you from sales. At the moment, it’s easier to create eBooks rather than looking for a publisher to print your books.
Timing is crucial when posting content for the purpose of marketing.
To stay relevant and retain the interest of readers, you need to release content at the right time. Here are some ways on how to go about it:
Find out what’s trending. To do this, you can read a number of articles and see what everyone is talking about at present. On the other hand, you can also conduct a focus group study or survey and find out what people would be interested in hearing about.
There’s also a tool called Google trends to see what people are searching for the most in relation to a particular keyword. This will give you some insight on what to write about to get the most visibility or exposure. You can even find out the related topics that people are searching for with regards to a topic or keyword. This gives you more flexibility when deciding the placement and timing for your own content marketing.
Timing has a lot to do with staying informed about current events. Align your content marketing with the things happening in your country or community. For instance, with the coronavirus pandemic, you can come up with a content marketing strategy that is empathetic and appropriate for the given situation. Coming up with sales or product launches that are insensitive would only tarnish your brand’s reputation and lead people away from your business.
The next aspect you have to make sure of when you do content marketing is reaching the right people. Here are some ways you can do this:
All businesses have an audience, but not all businesses know that audience. So, it’s important your content is targeted at the right group of people. To narrow down your audience, you can conduct surveys on people who do use your product.
On the other hand, you can also use Analytics tools such as Facebook’s Audience Insights to see the demographics of those visiting your page. It’s even possible to acquire a breakdown of their gender, country, interests, and job niches. With the right kind of information at your disposal, you can achieve a lot.
To grab the right attention, you also need to understand the behavior of your target audience better. Behavior can vary according to different demographics. You need to know the whole consumer journey your customer takes. This will help you know where you can come in and introduce the sort of content they need.
For instance, your audience may consist of younger people who shop at Macy’s. Knowing that, you might want to post more content about shopping at Macy’s than about shopping in a supermarket. This would allow you to connect with consumers as per their preferences.
Content marketing is truly important for your business in order to build awareness and entice your customers to buy more products from you. Given the right content, timing, and eyeballs, you’ll reach a lot of people with your marketing techniques. In this age of digital marketing, you can utilize the latest technology to your advantage and derive maximum benefit from your content marketing strategy.
