Content marketing is probably one of the most under-utilized tactics in a business’ marketing toolbox. Why? Because it requires discipline and commitment to creating great content. Like a writer who faces a blank page when starting to write, most businesses don’t know what to say or where to start. A good content marketing strategy can be the most effective, low-cost marketing investment a business can make. Here are five ways to maximize your content marketing strategy.
Use Keywords to Increase SEO Results
The Internet is an ecosystem of content that contains over five billion web pages with an average of 300 words per page. Google’s search engine indexes over 23 billion pieces of content and answers over 63,000 search queries per second.
At first glance, the size of Google’s search engine can make any business feel a bit like Nemo, lost in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Unlike Nemo, the Internet has very powerful search engines which are extremely efficient at finding content. If your content is relevant, engaging, and structured for search engines, it will be in a search result.
Search engines will notice when a website’s content is current and focuses on offering value to interested audiences. Search optimization requires consistency in content creation and format. Search crawlers reward sites that create new content on a regular basis and reference keywords that have high search volumes.
When you have a defined keyword list and a disciplined approach to creating content, even Nemo can find an engaged audience through an organic search.
Know your Audience
What is the right content marketing strategy? It all starts with storytelling. We are all programmed from birth to listen to stories. A good storyteller knows their audience and can choose stories that grab attention and engage interest. Good content marketing strategies begin with a clear understanding of the audience. When you know who’s interested great content starts with a content contract between the business and the audience.
Like any good contract, it requires a commitment to deliver value. Value can come in the form of insight, humour, education, or any other type of content that is of interest. Understanding what your audience values is the “secret sauce” to good content marketing. When you have it people will read it, share it, and endorse it. Before you start on any content marketing strategy, know your target audience and what it perceives to be valuable content.
AlignYour Values
All valuable content needs to align with your business objectives. If a content plan uses the “Seinfeld” strategy (i.e. a show about nothing) the target audience may be engaged, but business performance goes nowhere. Content marketing needs to align with business outcomes. It should enhance a brand, increase audience reach, and ultimately lead to more business or interest.
Alignment is often one of the most difficult pieces in a content marketing strategy. It requires a close look at what matters to a business versus what their audience feels offers the most value. Don’t confuse value with volume. In the case of content marketing, size doesn’t matter, it all comes down to influence. Great content targets audiences that have influence and who can create viral interest by sharing and endorsing it.
Socialize it
Getting the attention of influencers is not an easy thing to do. Influencers have their own audiences which they invest time in maintaining, and social media tends to be their tool of choice. Clearly defining your approach to social media makes it easier to reach your target audience.
Share and get shared on social media, and make sure to engage and participate. If you have created great content it will gain social context, presence, and relevance. Track your social performance and identify the influencers who are sharing and engaging. Let the influencers know you’re aware of their interest and reciprocate by sharing their content. This will ensure that you get organic social reach and will help boost content search rankings through social signals.
Measure Performance – Listen and Learn
Never create and wait. Set up a measurement framework before starting any marketing effort.. Tag content, set engagement goals, and monitor organic keyword rankings. Learn from the insights and data and use it to help make it better. Check the alignment with business objectives and fine-tune performance to maximize outcomes.
For example, if the goal is to generate new business leads, the performance target could be the number of leads generated. If you don’t know what number to use, start by looking at industry benchmarks and work back to set a monthly target.
Content marketing can be one of the most cost-effective tools in a marketing toolbox. It positions a brand, demonstrates capabilities, increases website authority, and makes a site more relevant to search engines.
Creating quality, relevant content on a regular basis is a proven tactical approach to improve search engine optimization (SEO) and is an effective business development strategy.