Content Marketing is the key to any successful inbound marketing campaign, and will deliver more cost effective results that traditional outbound marketing. https://goo.gl/rjGjnV Click To Tweet
Did you know, for example that;
- Content marketing generates over three times as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less.
- Small businesses with blogs get 126% more lead growth than small businesses without.
- Content marketing rakes in conversion rates six times higher than other methods.
*Source: Content Marketing Institute
If you’re a business owner, looking to grow your business online then a Content Marketing Strategy is an absolute must, but over 60% of marketers either don’t have a strategy or if they do it isn’t documented.
That’s crazy – imagine building a house without foundations. Or playing professional football without a game plan? It just wouldn’t happen so why when it comes to growing your business aren’t you creating and recording your Content Marketing Strategy?
I get it – I hear all the time that planning content, coming up with ideas and consistently sharing that content is HARD! It eats into the time that you could be spending doing what you’re best at i.e working on your business.
So over a series of blog posts I’ll be delving deep into planning your content marketing strategy and sharing insider tips and tricks for inspiring new ideas, creating multiple pieces of content from one blog post and showing you how to measure your return on investment.
First of all, let’s cover 6 Key Elements you need to show you how to grow from good to great with your content marketing. https://goo.gl/rjGjnV Click To Tweet
- Relevancy
Whatever you’re creating – from a blog post to a video series, consider how relevant it is to your audience, and how likely they are to stop scrolling and pay attention to what you’re saying. Ask yourself how does my audience consume content? Is it through video, written posts, podcasts? If you don’t know, ask them. Or test and measure your content to see which form gets the most views, reads or listens. You probably find that it’s a mixture of all but one will outweigh the others, and that’s where you need to put energy.Also, ask your audience what it is that they want. Work out what their wants, needs, motivations and behaviours are through social listening campaigns, questionnaires and surveys plus your online data from analytics to your site. - Maximise Every Piece of Content
if you write a blog post that gets a lot of attention, how can you make the most of it? Can you rework it into a video? Create a Facebook or Instagram story? I am a BIG fan of this. Recently over in the Digital Marketing Made Easy group I interviewed the wonderful Kate Toon SEO Expert. It was so packed full of value I knew that I just had to share it, so I created;
- 2 Blog posts
- Youtube video
- Insta / Facebook stories
- IGTV
- Facebook post
To date this content alone has had over 50k views, and counting! It’s grown my Instagram account, increased members in my Facebook group and is the most viewed video on YouTube plus, as a result I’ve also grown my email list (which has been the core focus of my content strategy in 2018).
There are tons of tools out there, most of them free or a free trial so you can try before you buy. Here’s a list of all the tools I use to create multiple posts and videos.
3. Document Your Strategy
60% of marketers either don’t have a strategy, or they have one and it’s not documented. I can see how this can happen. As sales and marketing manager for a live music venue in an earlier life, finding the time to sit and write down a massive strategy was just too big of an ask – I was sooo busy with everything else that faffing about with spreadsheets was the last thing on my mind – plus everything seemed to be going really well, the gigs were a sell out, the venue was packed to the rafters. I realise now that it was more luck than judgement, and I wish I’d have taken the time to create a really simple spreadsheet that I could have completed and my assistant could have kept up to date on a daily / weekly basis.
In other words, I wish I had this >> Content Planner Download
It’s a really simple Google Sheet (you’ll need to click the link then save a copy for yourself) that I created out of practical necessity rather than some fancy schmancy overly complicated formulaic spreadsheet.
Go ahead and download your copy, it will make your life so much easier.
4. Involve your customers in the planning and creation
Never underestimate the value of a case study or customer testimonial. And don’t just leave it in one place. Create a beautiful image and share it on social media (social proof). You can share ratings and reviews, blog posts and ask for video testimonials too. It’s the best form of social proof. Identify brand enthusiasts and ask them to share your content, or write guests posts for your blog. Bringing customers into your content strategy creates natural audience engagement that’s not all push and sell marketing. It can take time, but the trust is far greater than purely branded content.
5. Think series or multiples
Have you ever sat down intending to watch just one episode of the latest Netflix or Amazon Prime Boxset, only to find yourself 10 hours later having watched the full thing? I know have (procrastination at it’s finest!). You can do exactly the same with ‘Content Shows’. Whether it’s a binge-worthy YouTube series that solves a pain point for your audience or a series of blog posts that keeps people coming back for more (or even better signing up to your updates) it’s well worth the time and effort.
6. Create a Content Experience
I like to compare this to a Shopping Mall (hang on, I’m going somewhere with this!). Gone are the days where people would just quickly pop to one shop, grab what they need and run. Instead, shopping malls have created an all day experience. Arrive in time for breakfast or coffee, have a browse around the shops, maybe take in a movie, make some purchases, have a bite to eat then head home.
It’s exactly the same with your content. If you’re educating your audience, write a blog post explaining the why, create a how-to video in YouTube and link to it in the blog post, use the audio to make a podcast, short snippets for Insta and Facebook – you get the idea.Your content becomes more shareable, easily consumed and meets your audience wherever they are.
In our next post I’ll be taking a look at How and Why You Need To Set Goals For Your Content.
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