Following on from the previous two articles in our Content Marketing Strategy series, Important to Learn Content Marketing in Your Business and How to create your Content Strategy I hope this has given you chance to think about how you could start to use content more effectively in your marketing activities.
When we talk about content, this can come in a number of forms… maybe to start out by having a blog? Or maybe writing a white paper? Or even a video series. There are a number of formats in which you can gather information and share to your prospects and audience.
Make a commitment
The thought of creating content can be quite daunting, and even thinking where to start! (It’s quite a mind set shift from old school marketing of updating your adverts bi-annually). Although there seems a lot to do, it will be very worthwhile in the long term.
So start by thinking about how much time you plan to dedicate to this. Do you plan to do this on your own or do you have a team of resources you can use as support. I would highly recommend not trying to do it all yourself, especially if it’s not something you’re used to doing – the slightest distraction will always sway you back to your day job. Having someone to help and support you will always be advantageous.
Keep it Consistent
[Tweet “Whatever format you choose, consistency is the key. “]
This is particularly important for Blogs, Newsletters and Podcasts.
When your audience are engaging with these, they like to know the format. They like to know that when they come back they know what to expect. You’ll find by keeping the format consistent will more likely grow your audience.
Topics – What shall I create content on?
Ahh, this is a familiar question. And when I give you than answer you’ll realise how straight forward it is. And don’t be put off by not publishing anything that isn’t exactly perfect otherwise nothing will ever happen. Look for the middle ground as this will always give you room for improvement.
So in terms of What Content? This goes back to your processes and advice you give and share with your customers. How often have you found yourself repeating the answers to the same questions. Look to create content around frequently asked questions, as well as what you believe your audience want to know about.
Think about too what type of content your audience “crave”. What will make them react? What will surprise them into action, and more than anything, how can this be told in a story type format. After all, we all love a story.
Evaluate and Measure
When you started publishing your content, it must continually be evaluated to make sure you know you’re on the right lines and reaching the right people. It might be that you start creating a blog supported every so often with a video. By checking your analytics you will be able to see what effect each are having in terms of readership.
Set up Google Anayltics on your website to better understand what posts and pages are the most popular.
- Look to see which pages/posts are getting the most traffic
- Which topics are getting higher than average views
- How long are people spending on your pages
- Which posts are converting people to make an enquiry?
By measuring the results you can easily see what’s popular and what’s not. Then focus on creating more of what people want. Nothing can substitute for talking to people too to get their feedback, and making changes based on this. And talking of comments, I’d love your feedback too.
Do leave a comment and let me know if you’ve found this helpful.
Next time in this series I shall be talking about How to Build Social Media into your Content.
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