Let’s talk about content marketing that works for your business. You want to sell your services online and the best way to do that today is with online marketing through content creation. And this takes strategy and planning. As a thought leader, you want your content to reach the target.
Before you start to create graphics, or writing or other content, you need to have in place a strategy for your business. Think how your content will align with your business or blog goals. As an owner you need to research how to go about creating and distributing content so that it is most effective in getting you the results you want.
To do this, you need to analyze the following:
- Identify your target audience
- Build a story around your brand
- Decide which channels to target
- Create a content calendar
- Create a process
- Figure out how to start conversations with your target audience
- Tracking and measurement to see if you are indeed growing and focusing on the right audience
This is a complex strategy and may sound complicated, but its not impossible! Because as they say well-planned is half begun; if your planning is in place, the execution will be a cakewalk – comparatively of course.
USE THESE THREE QUESTIONS TO GET THE BALL ROLLING:
- What content will you create?
- How will you create it?
- How will you market it?
The best way to get your content marketing jump-started is with the four-step process:
Plan. Create. Distribute. Track.
PLANNING
Decide what you want to write about which will depend on the platform you are targeting. For example, if you target Search Engines, you need to do keyword research. Planning should keep in mind the content itself and the audience for whom you intend it.
And how do you decide what to say? Well, understand your audience and what will add value to them. You want to know their priorities when it comes to your brand, and what they expect you to do for them.
TOOLS FOR CREATING CONTENT
These three key points are to be kept in mind: first, unique or better
- Be first – provide something no one else can
- Create content with a unique point of view – find something different or new insights into that topic. What USP does your brand message have? Be different.
- Be Better. Can you create more in-depth content than what is out there?
Remember – the right format for the right platform
- Long form text content goes on a blog
- Short updated with graphics goes on SM
- Short video clips go on Instagram
- Every platform has the right content
PUBLISHING AND DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR CONTENT
There are two types of content marketing campaigns: Continuous content and Campaign-wise content.
Continuous content is your regular content that goes on a blog, which is evergreen and can be re-purposed at any time.
Content meant for seasons like Diwali are considered campaign-wise content. They are seasonal and work well to attract visitors to your blog.
HOW WILL YOU MARKET THE CONTENT YOU CREATE?
We have so many ways to jump start marketing your content: through blogs, social media, forums, search engines, etc. If you planned right you know which content will go where.
Here is a hint for if you don’t know where to start: research your competitors, go where they are. Concentrate on their ads, content and do use their strategy. If you can not afford to do so yourself, you can use the marketing plan of the competitors to start with and to gain a foothold.
TRACKING
The most important part of your content marketing is tracking as it shows whether your content strategy is working or not.
If it is not working you need to switch or tweak your strategy.
Decisions have to be quick in digital marketing because of the huge volume of content coming in from all sides. Whatever platform you target has its own metrics. Look at the metrics and decide whether you are going in the right direction.
Tracking can make or break your content strategy. Without a goal, your marketing can become useless. That is, are you trying to build a brand or sell a service or both? Tie your marketing with goals and performance to get results that you desire.
Consistency is key to jump start your content marketing. Keep adding content and gradually build up credibility with your audience. Remember that being a thought leader is a continuous process and you need to keep updating your topics and writing style in order to retain and grow your audience. On the journey of blogger to thought leadership through #LeaderChatter all April. Come back for more!
