Most professionals and marketing employees are aware of the importance of content marketing. Unfortunately, many do not know what all it entails or how to use it to grow a business.
Below are ten ways you can up your content marketing game to see growth in your business.
#Determine Where You Are Now and Set Goals for Where You Want to Go
Every content marketing strategy needs a roadmap to follow. Start your journey by determining your beginning destination and decide where you hope to go. Just as you would plan food stops and pit stops for a long road trip, mark any events and milestones on your content marketing journey. These details will help you move forward in creating a marketing strategy.
#Know Your Audience and Make Sure Your Strategy Revolves around Them
Knowing your audience is a major factor in content marketing. If you do not target them, you will likely not reach your business and sales goals. Become a student of your audience. Learn their likes and dislikes, their pain points, their favorite, ice cream, everything you possibly can. All this information will help you mold your content to fit them.
#Choose the Type of Content You Want to Create
There are many types of content you can create and as many combinations of these as you can imagine. You can choose blog posts, eBooks, video, infographics, and checklists just to name a few. Decide which combination of types will best suit the information you wish to share and your audience.
#Choose the Platforms You Want to Use
With so many platforms out there, it is not possible to use them all effectively unless you have a very large team at your disposal. For everyone else, it is more effective to choose just a few platforms. Blogs are a very popular type that can be versatile. There are many social media sites to choose from. Find out where your target audience hangs out and plan to use those platforms. Start your content marketing plan with just a couple or three to focus on. You can always add more later.
Create an Editorial Calendar
When you have decided on content type and platform, create an editorial calendar. Simply take your content topics and plug them into a calendar for when you will post them. This gives you are working timeline to follow and can help you stay on track.
1. Complete Keyword Research
When creating your content, be sure that you are using effective keywords. There are tools available to assist with this such as the Google Keyword Planner. Using the right keywords can make a world of difference in the number of viewers you have.
2. Optimize Your Headlines and Landing Pages
Headlines that hit pain points tend to have really great results. Optimizing your headlines can earn you much more attention. Also, landing pages should be optimized as well. Linking your content to a lifeless landing page without clear instructions on what you want the reader to do next can cause you to lose your audience quickly.
3. Use Schedulers for Consistency
Staying on top of posting schedules can be a difficult thing to do, especially if that is not your only job. Using schedulers such as Post Planner, Hootsuite and Buffer can help you stay on track with your editorial calendar.
4. Periodically Assess your Results and Tweak Your Plan as Needed
Though checking results every day is a bit much, you should consistently check results to see if you are heading in the right direction. If you are not receiving the results you are working for, it is time to rethink your strategy.
Hire Experts to Do the Hard Work for You
With all the many hats that employees and business owners wear, sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is hand the content marketing reigns over to the experts. Companies like Bython.com specialize in content marketing and are standing by to help you reach your goals. They are effective in multiple types of content including social, paid, and more.
Content marketing is an extremely important part of a business strategy and should be given the attention it deserves. If you are not reaching your goals, look at your current marketing strategy. Use the content marketing techniques above to update or change it. If you feel you may need more expertise, reach out to Bython.com today and see what they can do for you.
