In an age when a majority of the population owns a smart phone, tablet or computer, you must adjust the way in which you market your business. Many brands use content marketing as an easy way to engage their target audiences through a variety of platforms.
How can you use content marketing effectively for your business in the ever-changing digital world? The following are five essential tips:
1) Brainstorm content ideas in advance: Planning and writing your content ahead of time will help you avoid getting stuck writing a blog post when you have other items to check off your to-do list. Check out your website analytics to see what types of content is viewed more often and interests your readers, and try to write on those topics. Write several weeks worth of content at once so that you have some to think of new and fresh topics for future content.
2) Give readers content that interests them: Typically, readers spend one minute on one page of content, and that minute is spent skimming the page. If you have text-heavy content, avoid using long paragraphs. Split the text into sections and use bullet points if appropriate.
- Content that interests readers typically includes:
Videos and photos of your previous work and/or behind-the-scenes of your business, along with infographics - E-books on topics that your reader would enjoy, such as how-to or Q&A-type articles
- First-hand accounts or case studies from previous customers and current staff
3) Use keywords: Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to help readers find your content. Use Google’s Keyword Tool to find which words and phrases in your industry get the most traffic and use them throughout your content. Moderation is key, however, and you should avoid keyword stuffing.
4) Share your content elsewhere: Although it’s important to have valuable and well-written content, it means nothing if you can’t share it. Find relevant articles or blog posts elsewhere and respond to them, posting a link to your content when you do. Make sure your response is valuable so that readers don’t view it as spam. In addition, create Google and Yelp for Business Owners accounts and share them on your profiles.
5) Engage your readers on social media: Social media is meant to be social, so you can use it to interact with your readers. For example, instead of just posting an article, pose a question to your readers. Be active and post articles or blogs in LinkedIn groups that target your audience. When the group administrator sends an email to update the group members, a link to your blog post will be shared.
If you could use help creating and managing content, consider working with a professional copywriter to develop the consistent blog posts, articles, social media content and other types of copy you need for your marketing efforts.