Content marketing has become one of the most powerful, cost-effective ways to attract new customers, generate leads, and boost conversions in the modern, online world. In fact, according to TechMagnate, the content marketing industry is projected to be worth more than $313 billion by 2019, so maybe the time is right to get started on your content strategy if you want to grab your piece of the proverbial cake.
However, firing up a blog page you’re going to update every once in a while won’t be enough to make your business dreams come true, let alone set you on the path to becoming the name in the industry. Here to help you build a winning content strategy in 2018 are the five tips you want to take to heart.
To know your audience is to know your business
While the online world is perpetually witnessing fluctuations in consumer and customer trends, and even though businesses must adapt their processes to stay relevant, the rules of the game have stayed the same – you simply need to apply them to the current market.
With that in mind, the first step towards a winning content strategy is to conduct in-depth market research, detailing the trends, habits, and predictions for the upcoming quarter. This is a three-step process entailing customer research, website performance assessment, and social media management.
You can start by researching popular trends among your demographic, the websites they visit, the SM platforms they enjoy, what type of content they love reading, and if they like experiencing secondary content types on a daily basis such as podcasts, short videos, infographics, etc.
Next, you want to assess your website’s performance. This means scrutinising everything, from loading times, page layouts, navigation, content visibility, all the way to traffic fluctuations, “stay on page” metrics, etc. You can also use Google Analytics for this task.
Lastly, in the SM-driven world, it’s important to know what type of content your audience enjoys and where they get it from. You will be sharing your content across numerous social media platforms, and you need to know where your demographic is strongest.
Different content types for diverse consumer market
Many businesses still make the inadvertent mistake of betting all their money on the blog post horse, not paying any attention to the other racers in the game, such as podcasts, videos, infographics, photos, quizzes, and even live events.
The possibilities for diversifying your content portfolio are numerous, and it’s important to grab the attention of your audience through every media type. Before you get way in over your head, you should start with creating a killer blog with great visuals, then move onto other content types your demographic enjoys.
Creating a comprehensive strategy
With all that in mind, it can be quite confusing and sometimes downright impossible to manage your content internally, optimise it for better ranking, disseminate it across social media platforms at specific times, and keep doing it on a daily basis. All of these steps, and many more, are a part of your overall content marketing strategy which needs to be spot-on if you want to gain significant traction.
This is why you need a professional team on board, so look for digital marketing agencies that specialise in SEO, content, and online promotion. You can look for reputable companies on platforms such as 2 Easy, where you’ll find a database of renowned agencies that can help you create a strong content strategy. Remember, much like your company has a separate legal department, HR, or tech support, you need to have a content creation department. This is not a one-person job.
Promote your content across the web
Where’s the point in creating amazing content if there is no one to experience it? We live in a globally interconnected world, so use this unhindered ability to reach millions of people to inspire your audience to share your content, leave positive feedback and come back for more. Promotion is equally important as content creation.
Fortunately, the possibilities are numerous, and the more you diversify your content pool, the more opportunities will arise. So think about sharing and promoting your content on social media, create an amazing weekly newsletter, and reach out to influencers and ask them if they would be willing to share your pieces with their audience.
Combine several methods of content promotion together, and you will have yourself a winning promotion strategy that will put your name on the online map. Before long, reputable names in the industry will be coming to you, asking if they can share your content on their websites.
Go mobile or throw in the towel
The world is becoming more nomadic with each passing day, with mobile technology being at the forefront of the new global movement. People don’t want to spend their time scrunched up at a computer desk, and instead, they are consuming content on the go. Not only do you need to optimise your content for mobile, but you also need to optimise your entire online presence.
Audiences are increasingly visiting websites on their smartphones, and mobile shopping is slowly taking over, so you need to be prepared. Optimised mobile content will inspire your audience to follow the sales process, and become long-term customers. Don’t miss this opportunity.
In the modern world, content truly is king. Staying on top of popular trends and monitoring market fluctuations will allow you to create a strong content strategy that will put your company on the map and help you pave the road to long-term success as the leader in the industry.
About the Author:
Emma is a digital marketer and blogger from Sydney. After getting a marketing degree she started working with Australian startups on business and marketing development. Emma writes for many relevant, industry related online publications and does a job of an Executive Editor at Bizzmark blog and a guest lecturer at Melbourne University. Interested in marketing, startups and latest business trends.
