Content marketing is a new(er) buzz word that is now heard in marketing circles and it is a must-have for most brands. It is the art of creating and publishing content on a variety of platforms that will help your defined target audience make an informed decision and take an action…one that is ideally profitable for you. The goal is to help them better understand what you do and who you are by positioning yourself as a resource or an expert in your established field.
According to the Content Marketing Institute (and, yes, they apparently have an institution for this now): “…Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.”
Search engines thrive off new content on the internet, so it’s important to continuously pour new ideas and information out there to stay ahead of the game and consistently be in the minds of your consumers.
Here is a great infograph that takes a look at the evolution of content marketing. Source: Content Crossroads
You may be overwhelmed by the thought of always having to come up with content for your website, blog, white papers, videos, webinars and social media sites (just to name a few). Here are a few simple tips to manage content marketing for your brand:
- Create a plan or strategy. I highly recommend this for all of your marketing efforts…without a plan you will ineffectively waste time, dollars and energy on your marketing. Schedule your social media posts, create a calendar, blog weekly, send out your newsletter. Every business will be different, but do what works best for your goals and objectives. Don’t let it overwhelm you, make time for it or hire a virtual assistant or contractor to help.
- Create a content calendar. All of your marketing should be cohesive in messaging, design, offers, promotions, etc. Make sure that your direct mail offer falls in line with your social media promotion, your latest blog and your e-newsletter. A calendar will help you identify dates, holidays, company milestones, and objectives that will keep you on track.
- Identify topics that are evergreen. Your content can be repurposed from time to time as long as you update it and distribute it strategically.
- Beg, borrow and steal. Just kidding…please don’t. But, you can use topics that are relevant to your business or brand that other people have written (as long as you give them credit!). You can post topical articles on social media platforms from another blog that might be interesting to your reader. That’s OK…just give them credit. Did I say, give them credit?
What are your biggest challenges with content marketing? We’d love to know!
