‘Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action’, as defined by the Content Marketing Institute.
Valuable, relevant and consistent: these characteristics truly make a difference between plain text and content with a wow-factor, that will just pop-out and increase sales. However, even though creativity is key, you still have to follow a certain narrative or process. Thus, we present you some simple steps to follow, so as to make your content stand out.
1. Start with a solid strategy
If you thought you can escape the strategy step in this branch of marketing, then you are in the wrong line of business. A well-thought plan for your content can make a big difference with your target audience. Information is key, so make sure your content has all the necessary about the product you are selling. Be accurate and concise, as well as coherent in your text. Your strategy should be based on diversity, as well as quality. In order for you to have a cohesive but varied feed, you can use any of the below types of content, as long as they are logically displayed:
- Articles on your blog
- Videos
- Quizzes
- Podcasts
- Social Media Marketing
- Newsletters
- Infographics
2. Do proper research
It is important to have a proper keyword research before actually starting writing your content. Why does this help? First and foremost, because wisely chosen keywords can place you higher up in Google searches. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is so important because it gives you an amazing opportunity to write for your intended group of people, according to their previous web searches.
3. Know your audience
In the above point, we were talking about researching keywords and terms relevant to the content you intend to write. Further along, we’re focusing on to research you should perform on your audience. It might sound like stalking, but we promise it’s not. You should ask yourself a few questions about your readers:
What is their age range?
Where do they live?
What are their hobbies & interests?
What education do they have?
Moreover, knowing their preferred times online can also have magical effects on your post reach.
4. Have a purpose and a CTA (Call To Action)
Content without a purpose is like a fish without water. Clearly stating your point will drive up sales and keep your customers coming back. Calls to action are as important as relevant and valuable content. It doesn’t matter if you want to get feedback on your work, show them to your online shop or getting engagement on posts, you should definitely spur them into doing something. If you want to find out the right CTA for your post you can get some more tips from this article.
5. Create mindblowing content
The time has come to finally write your content. After setting up your strategy, researching your keywords and your audience and having in mind your purpose and the CTA for your post, you can finally let your creativity run wild and free. Write compelling, cohesive and informative copy that will make your readers fall in love with what you have to say, with your products and services. Nonetheless, honesty is also of paramount importance in today’s media, as customers can spot sugar-coating from miles away.
Bottom line? Design a strategy, research, know your audience, have a purpose and start writing. It might sound like a drag, having to do all that planning and work beforehand. However, we assure you that a solid plan before the actual creative process and writing will do wonders for your business.
Sources of inspiration:
https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/what-is-content-marketing
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/
For more articles like this, you might want to subscribe to our Newsletter.