The proper content marketing strategy can make or break an online business. But how do you know which strategy is best for yours?
For the past few years, there’s been heavy emphasis on the quality of online content. And for good reason too, as the effectiveness of your content contributes to the success of your SEO, social media, and conversion strategies. In short, the better the content, the better the results.
Sounds like a no brainer, right? The concept is certainly easy to grasp, but for many businesses, organizing all the different aspects of content marketing into a manageable plan can be a challenge, since results depend on the success of many different facets of your strategy, each of which requires a specific skill set.
Each of these skill sets, whether SEO, social media, conversion, or otherwise, all come under the umbrella of a solid and coordinated content marketing strategy.
Establishing your Brand Voice
Remember that old saying, “You are what you eat?” You can apply this concept to your brand as well, as in, “Your brand is your content.” This is why it’s important to reflect your brand voice into every piece of content you publish.
But should business owners worry about this content right from launch, or build their brand voice as they go along?
“Content is arguably one of the most important things you can do to establish your brand,” says Hollie Hoadley, Founder of Creative Solutions. “It’s how you build relationships, sharpen your image, and solidify yourself in your niche or market. ”
Although you can develop and refine your brand voice over time, your overall brand messaging should be established prior to customers having the ability to interact with you.
“Your brand content is the first impression people will get of you or your company,” Hollie says. “This is why it’s important to really know your voice and brand values, and have a defined strategy for every aspect of your content. From the words on your website, to your social media, to your email signature, none of it should be an afterthought.”
What Do You Want to Talk About?
Although it’s great to have a wealth of content on your website, it’s important to know what your particular business goals are in regard to the content you publish. In other words, what do you want your content to do for you?
Just as importantly, you need to determine what your customers want from what you publish.
“Decide on your goal and the goals of your audience,” Hollie says. “You can then decide what sort of content will get you there and develop your content marketing strategy based on your findings.
“For example, what are you trying to do? Increase engagement? Sell a new product? Acquire new clients? Increase your brand presence on social media? And from your client’s standpoint, are they trying to solve a problem? Look for advice? With this information, you can create a content marketing strategy that brings results.”
Creating your Online Content
Now that you’ve established your voice, know what you want from your messaging, and have a plan in place, it’s time to create the actual content.
Easier said than done? Perhaps. Many businesses struggle with this because, although they may be able to write about their business, they may not be able to necessarily write in a way that will resonate with their customers. This touches on the above point about knowing what your customers want, and tailoring your content accordingly.
In theory, it works. In practice, however, too many businesses fall flat because creating marketing content from a 3rd-party perspective can be challenging. This is when you have to make the decision of whether to create it yourself or seek outside help.
“If you have the in-house talent to do it, go for it,” Hollie says. “However, it’s always good to get a second opinion from the experts who know their stuff. They’re experts for a reason! Ask for a second pair of eyes, because something that looks good to you may not look good to an unbiased audience who has an eye for sharp lines and fonts, or a keen eye for video editing.”
Hiring outside help to handle aspects of your content will also free up your time to build your business through networking, public speaking, and attending events. Wouldn’t you rather be doing that than sitting up at night trying to figure out graphics software or creating copy for web pages?
“With regard to copy,” Hollie says. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to hire a professional writer. A lot of professionals try to write their own blogs, even if they don’t consider themselves writers, and most of their customers can tell the difference. Don’t waste your efforts – hire someone who knows what they’re doing. It’s a smart investment.”
Mix Your Content Marketing Strategy Up
Have you thought about which type of content would be best for your business? Words, pictures, and graphics are a given, but what about audio and video? Or some sort of interactive features, such as quizzes, games, or calculators?
The rule of thumb is to integrate content elements that will delight your customers, and avoid creating a certain content type simply for the sake of doing so. As long as the content is relevant, it’s a good idea to include it.
“Depending on the brand, “Hollie says. “A good content marketing strategy has the right mix of all different kinds of content. For some brands, video is really key whereas with others, video doesn’t quite fit in. However, every brand should consider a strategy that hits all the marks – video, social, blogs, and images.”
Hollie also says that because different people consume content in individual ways, hitting the right marks is especially important.
“At the very least,” she says. “I would recommend that every brand have a blog, newsletter, strong copywriting, and call to action on their website, as well as an engaging social media presence. Lots of images and engaging, relevant content will go a long way to meeting your business goals.”
In addition, from an SEO standpoint, Google smiles upon websites with a good content mix, especially video. Using video increases online session times, contributing to higher rankings.
But always remember: relevancy is key!
Once You’ve Created, Keep Creating
Your customers are dynamic, always looking for something new. Google is dynamic as well, favouring fresh, current content over old that has been posted for a while. Keeping this mind, it’s important to keep your own content regularly updated with fresh information.
“In order to build any sort of following or top any search engine ranking,” Hollie says. “Content has to be relevant, timely, and regularly updated. There’s nothing worse than going to a blog or a Facebook or Twitter page and seeing a post that’s a few months old. Your customers may never come back. You don’t want to lose eyes on your page because you couldn’t keep up with your content strategy.”
There are many reasons why businesses fall behind on their content strategy. They may have become too busy, can’t think of anything new to post, or simply let it lag due to lack of interest. This again speaks to hiring outside freelance help, as their input and interest will keep you excited and interested too. Also, you can continue to concentrate on other aspects of your business, knowing that your content strategy is in good hands.
Content Content Content!
Recently, a marketing friend of mine said that she was so sick of the word “content” that she was refusing to use it for the rest of the year. I’m not sure if she made it then, or could make it now, because the benefits and demands of a content marketing strategy continue to be an integral part of online business success.
There’s just no getting around it.