Brands these days have to do more than reach out to their market segments. They also have to produce competitive content. That probably shouldn’t be surprising, as according to a poll conducted by Smart Insights, 29.6% of the selected 40% voted content marketing as the hottest trend in digital marketing this 2015.
Still, there’s more than meets the eye when boosting your blueprint on content marketing production. Your online content is crucial not just for building your brand identity but for encouraging customer trust as well. When you produce valuable content, clients see you as a leader in the industry and feel that you care enough for them to share your knowledge with them.
To get you going, here are 11 of the best tips for successful content:
#1 – Keep your eyes on the prize
Don’t dive into content marketing without a clue in the world! Good content marketing strategy is goal-oriented. Choose among your multiple channels of distribution according to which are best suited to your brand’s goals.
To determine these, study your stats and analytics. Afterwards, plan a vision of what achievements you want for each of your channels. It will then be easier for you to divide your larger vision to weekly and daily tasks that correspond to monthly and yearly goals.
#2 – Key in your KPIs
Your KPIs or Key Performance Indicators embody the wise old wizard who will aid you in your quest for great online content. KPIs are all about being specific after identifying larger goals. If your goal, for instance, is to improve conversion rates, then data about the number of Shares or Likes generated by your content won’t matter as much as the response rate to your CTAs, which should be your specific KPI for this goal.
#3 – Strip your content of the invisibility cloak
Don’t let your content play hide-and-seek with potential clients. Photo by PubicDomainPictures on Pixabay.
Web users shouldn’t have to go the extra mile to find what they need. Otherwise, they’ll simply say au revoir! For competitive content, remember that most visitors will scan websites from the topmost left then diagonally to the bottom right. Content that converts requires fewer clicks from visitors.
Also, enrich your content by citing relevant sources which will prove useful to your readers. Use relevant landing pages, which are essential for better internal link structure and cohesive referencing.
#4 – Apply research when using keywords
Keywords and phrases give wins your content valuable points. Photo by Betsssssy on Flickr, Creative Commons.
For some real content marketing magic, use keywords and phrases. This gives your brand avenues for search engines which, in turn, will index and rank your brand’s content on SERP based on your keyword research.
Aside from Google AdWords, you can also try Keyword Discovery and WordTracker to mine your research. However, make sure that you use the phrases which are specific to your target segment. For instance, “content marketing” may be too broad, while “content marketing best practices” might be more efficient.
#5 – The gap is your new best friend
Let’s say you know exactly who your target market is. You have a vision of what you want your brand direction to be. Wouldn’t it be great if you could execute a more personal approach and push the creative envelope?
To do that, audit your content for an in-depth evaluation of past content performance. In the long run, auditing will organize your content. By looking at the current content you have and the previous performance of past content, you’ll spot future opportunities in content marketing.
#6 – Evoke their emotions
You simply can’t afford to be cold-blooded in content marketing. Instead, you need to tap into the right emotions for competitive content. If your brand reads like R2D2 talks, all your call-to-actions will go unheeded. Worse, potential clients won’t be enticed to do business with you. To effectively tap into readers’ emotions, try researching about power words and phrases and incorporate these into your article content structure.
#7 – User actions speak louder than words
Winning content marketing means urging your visitors to action. Photo by Haeruman on Pixabay.
There’s no better way for your content marketing to generate results than to use call-to-action elements. Encourage visitors to read more, click on the purchase button, or subscribe to your newsletter. Additionally, always use CTAs are organic to your content.
There’s no better way for your content marketing to generate results than to use call-to-action elements. Encourage visitors to read more, click on the purchase button, or subscribe to your newsletter. Additionally, always use CTAs are organic to your content.
#8 – Promote your channels of distribution
To take advantage of your brand’s potential, content marketing production needs coordination. Give content creators the 411 on where their output will be posted, distributed, and shared. This will help them craft the appropriate content article direction depending on your target channels.
#9 – Your blog is your best friend
Your blog is a key player in content marketing. Photo by Kaboompics_com on Piaxabay.
According to Hubspot’s State of Inbound in 2013 and 2014, in contrast to the 9% of outbound marketers, 84% of inbound marketers pointed to the rise of blogging as an important organic source. Also, daily blog updates still rule, as 82% of marketers who blog every day gain one customer more than the 57% who only blog monthly.
#10 – Your multimedia matters
Think you’ve got awesome articles? Cool case studies? None of it will matter if you can’t please your audiences visually. Whether it’s an image or a video that appears alongside your content, make sure the size and quality will impress.
#11 – It’s all about your audience
Know what they want to give them only the best. Photo by Unsplash on Pixabay.
Let’s face it: your online content needs an audience the way boy bands need screaming fan girls. Before going all out on your content marketing production, map out your buyer personas and target market. Brief your content team on all your campaigns so that they’ve got all the details down—everything from its duration, objectives, as well as the suitable content marketing strategy and tactics to ensure smooth operations.