Mapping out a content strategy is an activity that is best done as part of a longer term plan, like a marketing plan. One way to create a content strategy is to take stock of various events expected throughout the year and marking the relevant dates on the calendar, so that content can be built around these. Create an editorial calendar for the business’ blog and post unique content that will keep the reader engaged.
It is also important to keep track of trending topics in the industry and write about these, with your own expert comments to establish the business as an industry leader. Links to the content must be rendered shareable on the business’ social media profiles to amplify the message.
The great thing about content marketing is it feeds social media, keeping your target audience engaged throughout the buying process, while supporting search optimisation.
There are various ways to focus content marketing with a view to achieving business goals. Here are effective ways to distribute quality content:
- Website – As the business’ online presence, this offers product and service information to visitors. This is a good way to offer visitors an online address as it will support sales that result from other content. Depending on the business, a mobile version of the website might be appropriate. Some businesses also build a microsite with specific content around a particular product to increase sales.
- Blog – This promotes interaction with customers, visitors and prospects and can feature a variety of content while supporting SEO and sales. Blog posts can be featured in newsletters. The business can also guest blog in its niche for a wider reach.
- Social media profiles – This allows the audience to interact with the content, comment on it, link to it, use videos, images and audio. Best of all, this is where the potential market spends time and can be engaged in conversation. Social media is an excellent way to cross promote various business events and run contests. Social media supports video, which can encourage action through visuals. Videos are powerful as they allow interviews, demonstrations and entertainment and can also be embedded in blog posts and shared on social media sites. Photos-sharing sites like Flickr are also effective as they can be incorporated on blogs and social media as well as print media. Podcasts are popular and easy to distribute.
- Newsletters, white papers and eBooks – These can be used effectively to distribute news and information regularly, keeping the reader updated. An online version makes these easier to re-share. Many businesses offer white papers and eBooks as a free download when visitors sign up on their websites. This creates a prospect list for the business to converse with.
- A business’ catalog, emails and other online events are also ways to promote content. Infographics and mobile apps are very popular as lead generation methods when shared on social media.
To maximise content marketing, it must synchronize with business goals and be conducive to social sharing. Do you have a content marketing strategy? How do you use content marketing for your business?