How to develop a killer content marketing strategy
We have all stumbled upon a myriad of marketing and social media latest phases and without hesitation either jumped in and had a go, or stood back and watched what our competitors have achieved before investing valuable cash and resources to the latest, hottest marketing platform.
There has been one consistent marketing platform that has been more central to a marketing strategy in the past couple of years, than any other marketing activity bar social media.
"We have a client that is 100 per cent focused on using content to drive leads in the next 12 months and this trend is catching on with many other small businesses," said Julie Schoneveld, CEO, Marketing Eye.
"It's not difficult to out-perform your larger competitors through mileage out of content marketing that is useful, targeted and information rich."
There has been one consistent marketing platform that has been more central to a marketing strategy in the past couple of years, than any other marketing activity bar social media.
Content Marketing
If you have been hearing this buzz word for some time, and haven't done anything about it, then you are in a minority. Unlike the phases of social media platforms and apps popping up into our strategies then quickly falling to the way-side, content marketing underpins all online marketing strategies, whether we like it or not."We have a client that is 100 per cent focused on using content to drive leads in the next 12 months and this trend is catching on with many other small businesses," said Julie Schoneveld, CEO, Marketing Eye.
"It's not difficult to out-perform your larger competitors through mileage out of content marketing that is useful, targeted and information rich."
Content Marketing Strategy Must Underpin The Overall Marketing Plan Of A Small Business
Fire your marketing manager that has not made content marketing part of your overall marketing strategy. They are not worth their salaries or consulting fees if they do not understand the importance of content marketing underpinning online strategies and driving sales and leads to an organization.Your content marketing strategy should:
1. Have your target audience in mind through every word written. To do this, the writer must understand your target audience and not just be a writer for writing sake. Think outside the square and past the normal demographics and profiling of your target audience. Think psychographics: what are their hopes, dreams, motivation and anxieties? What is going to make your client or prospect want to do business with you. What are your content 'touch points'?2. Make your content useful. With a b2b business environment, clients and prospects want more than some fluff or a good joke. They want something they can relate to and learn from. Content that is useful to them and their business that has action items attached.
3. Work out how content marketing fits your sales cycle and don't just place content marketing at the front of the cycle. Make sure it is at the end too.
4. Develop an editorial calendar and know when and where you will use content marketing throughout the year. Take into account holidays, key events, small business week, trade shows etc.
5. No content marketing strategy is complete or effective without a keyword strategy in place. Do the analysis online on what keywords work for business and ensure that they are used through all content repeatedly.
Content has become more important to the marketing strategy than ever before. Keeping content at the forefront of your marketing strategy will give your company a big advantage because many small businesses still are not investing enough of their marketing spend in this area and there lies the opportunities. If your competitors are not doing it - make sure you are. Large corporations have taken content marketing on-board and are investing in having departments that just focus on content marketing. It is the way of the future and a great way for small businesses to market their products and services.
Think blogs, video, e-newsletters, articles, facebook, twitter, myspace, linkedin, slideshare, instagram, youtube, websites, white papers, microsites and more.
Now it's up to you!
Watch out for Part 2 on how it works in your small business tomorrow.
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comments ( 5 )
Owen
06 Feb 2013I think that content marketing can be more effective than a standard sales pitch.
ReplyFrom speaking to friends and from my own experiences, I have realised that people do not really want to be 'sold' the product. I do not want someone coming up to me and pestering me trying to sell me a product I may not like. I am more likely to buy the product if I am given the information, then left to decide on my own whether I am interested or not.
I recently bought a car and the whole process took a long time, thanks mainly to my mistrust of sales people. I didn't want to spend too much so was looking at pretty old cars which would just get me around. I spent a good 2 weeks going around and being told by every car salesman that "This is the best car you will get for this price". Do they not realise everyone is saying this?
In the end I bought a car from a salesman who simply told me about the car. He did not say, "this is great and will never let you down". He just told me how the car had been in the past and what was good and bad.
When people are making a substantial investment, they need a reason to trust it is worth it. Letting potential investors know about risks can provide a better sales pitch than simply telling them why they should invest.
Lukas
18 Nov 2012Hello! I understand this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask.
ReplyDoes operating a well-established website such as yours
take a massive amount work? I am completely new to operating a
blog but I do write in my journal everyday.
I'd like to start a blog so I can easily share my own experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!
Adrian Abrate
02 Nov 2012As everyone should know by now 'Content is King'. With millions of websites competing for your customers attention having content which provides real value to a visitor is essential if you want a website that gives you a positive ROI.
ReplyIt's easier than you think to do. My favorite content strategy is to conduct a 'featured company' phone interview with another business owner, get this transcribed and then published. All up it takes 45 minutes and the content is incredible.
Kelly
01 Nov 2012I think that content marketing is especially useful for B2B marketing because it enables potential clients to compare what your company offers to your competitors, which will increase the likelihood of them purchasing. It also appears more professional and knowledgeable which is important for the B2B strategy to be successful.
ReplyWe recently did a campaign for a company through our university, and they had no content available even though they were trying to get their product into schools, and this highlighted the importance of making content available for me, especially because we couldn't find information about their product anywhere.
Marjolein
15 Oct 2012I think that every small business should be using content marketing, it's a key resource towards your clients.
ReplyIf you find out how your clients think you can show how you feel about that and how your business can relate to that!
Mentioning the keywords is a good thing, many people forget that you should do good research on that because it will lead new clients to you!