Plenty of businesses out there are utilizing some form of content marketing as part of their overall marketing plan, however many are still trying to figure out the best way to actually do it to see the results they want. Today we are going to try and help with that problem as we present our Top Tips to helping improve your Content Marketing.
It doesn’t matter what business you are in as everyone from an app design company to a custom yarn maker can benefit from useful tips and ideas as to how they can improve their current content marketing plan.
Top Tips to Improve Content Marketing
- Understand what CM Does – One misconception about content marketing is that it can be used as a way to boost a specific campaign or to act as an alternative method of advertising. These are both incorrect assumptions. What content marketing truly does is help you build an audience that ideally you can keep growing. This is a useful way to generate leads and can help with certain types of campaigns as they arise, but the primary focus is developing the reach and authority of your brand.
- Make it About Them – Far too many businesses use content marketing as a way to either try to sell products directly or to toot their own horn. Instead consistently look to craft various types of content that your target audience is looking for. You want to write blogs, post videos or provide infographics to help educate, inform and be relevant to their needs first, not yours. Stop using content management to sell products and instead impart useful knowledge that customers will appreciate.
- Understand the Target – Understanding your target user or customer is critical to the process of content marketing. Where do they go to read articles, watch videos, or learn about new things? What are the preferred social media sites they use? When do they typically engage with content? What problems and issues do they have that they need help with? Every group is different and learning how to put yourself in their shoes is critical, not just to understand the type of info they are looking for, but where to put it so they see it and how often to put it out there so they get it when they want. It should not just be content for content’s sake but based on what, when and where the target wants and needs it.
- Give Away Value – Many companies are reluctant to give away useful information for free but that is something you do regularly with this type of marketing. You are trying to establish yourself as an industry leader who has value to offer which means you need to give out something of value. Those freebies will come back to pay dividends as your brand increases its reach.
- Use Customer Service to Find Topics – Take the time to analyze questions common to customer service, questions posted to you on social media and even things sales reps are asked frequently. This data is pure gold for content marketing because these are things your customers want to know more about and learn about which offers you a fantastic vehicle to educate and establish your knowledge to them.
- Review your CM Regularly – Analytics are extremely useful when used; so make sure to use them. Measure what works and what doesn’t work periodically. Then consider looking to either improve or remove the deadweight and increase the effort on what is effective because your audience is telling you that is what they like.
The bottom line is that content marketing is extremely useful in building an audience, showcasing your authority in a field and increasing the reach of your brand; when it’s done correctly. Our top tips to help improve your content marketing will ensure that you are on the path you need to be to make sure you are getting it right.
This article was originally published in 21 September 2016. It was most recently updated in November 28, 2022 by
