There are really two discussions with content marketing. Should you do it, and how?
The answer to the first is a simple “Yes”. We’ll expand on that in a different blog - itself a form of content marketing, as is this, so we’re already getting meta.
But before we disappear into that wormhole, the short answer is that if you have a business where either your marketing and/or your product is based online, then that is the medium in which your customers are to be found. Which means that you’ll benefit from a content marketing strategy.
Such an approach will allow you to demonstrate your expertise in your industry and your understanding of its key topics.
You can decide to show thought leadership in your space or be instructional to your customers - but above all, your content should be useful in some way. And if it is delivered in a way which attracts searches, encourages shares on social media and which, above all, gets read, then that will build reputation, drive search optimisation, raise your brand profile and show the expertise and skill of your team.
What’s more, that will be a long-term benefit. Not the turn-on/turn-off tap of pay-per-click advertising, but long term visibility for your brand and products.
So that’s the short version of the ‘should you’ debate, how do you go about delivering content marketing?
The simple answer is to find someone to help you. And you know where we are. That outside view from a digital marketing agency can tell you how other people perceive what you are doing and give a sense of whether you know your strengths, whether you articulate them well, and whether you are using the right keywords.
It will also help you on the journey you need to undertake for successful content marketing. As a starter, these are steps you ought to take, whether you’re trying to deliver internally or with support.
Know your audience
This is true of all digital endeavours. The idea that your audience is ‘everyone’ is not helpful. Your clients or customers will be more specific than you fondly imagine. You don’t have to go all the way as to creating personas if that feels like overkill, but a clear idea of who buys from you is vital.
And what they are looking for
We may have mentioned SEO before, but it’s a core part of content marketing. If you are writing around the topic, then make sure you are using the search terms used by that target audience. Use the terminology that they use. Keep those words high on the page. And don’t overdo it to the point of making it unreadable. If it helps, we can guide you on your keyword strategy.
And know your corporate goals
Your communications goals should always match your corporate goals. If you want to expand into a certain market, then write about that more and write less about the things you want to do less of. It sounds obvious, but many companies just write about the things they find it easier to write about, rather than match it to wider ambitions. Worse still, some just write about their dog.
Publish consistently
Part of the fun of Google as a search engine is that it encourages regular publishing. Google’s job is to organise the web’s content - and having more and more content for it to organise and surface is why it’s such a rich and powerful organisation. So the algorithms reward sites with lots of relevant content, published regularly. And that content will, obviously, reward your readers too. So create an [editorial plan]https://www.disquietdog.com/blog/how-we-can-help-you-with-your-content-design-process-for-your-website) and an editorial calendar. A list of topics you want to be known for, with a list of authors attached to it (or a partner to create them for you) and a list of deadlines.
And stick to those deadlines. One or two articles a week is enough for most companies, but that also depends on the variety of topics you want to be known for and the breadth of services you offer.
Promote the content
Creating a wealth of content has the benefit of giving your social media strategy a jolt in the arm. It also helps fuel your newsletter products (and you probably need both). Search, social or email - however you do it, go big. Make sure you amplify your content as much as you can. Get people to read it, share it and link to it. It all builds your audience and potential client base. Good content strategies will deliver audiences and begin conversations that can build your business. And a good content marketing operation will do that for significant periods of time. Content written in month one will still have value in month twelve, especially if you’ve been adding quality to the pile in the meantime. It’s your call whether you take it all on yourself (although we have views), but being interesting, showing expertise and making sure it’s widely read will reveal the opportunities that come with editorial activity.
