Content marketing – it’s one of the biggest buzz words in the marketing world today. But it’s not exactly a new phenomenon – companies have been using content to engage customers for decades. But the practice has come a long way. It’s evolved into an indispensable pillar of any successful marketing strategy.
Modern content marketing strategies have adapted to changes in search engine optimization trends and how audiences consume content. Today’s companies need to reach consumers in a world where countless brands are vying for their attention simultaneously. You’d think since people are constantly connected to the digital world through tablets and mobile devices, marketing should be easy. But now, consumers themselves have gotten better at filtering out marketing material. They can just focus on just the content they want to see.
Create the most successful, compelling content to boost audience engagement and raise your company’s profile with these best practices.
Focus On Great Content & Your Audience
Today, creating content just for content’s sake won’t cut it. There’s no magic formula to successful content marketing, but they key is to create engaging, educational and actionable content. Think about what your consumers would be willingly to signup for or even pay for. Commonly successful materials include blogs, how to guides, infographics, slideshows and more. The topics and types of content will vary widely depending on what industry you’re in and who makes up your target audience. Regardless, content that captures consumers’ attention will help you establish trust with your audience and reach new customers.
Great Content = Great Search Engine Ranking
Everyone knows that purchasing backlinks for SEO is a huge no no. There are plenty examples of companies paying for external links to try to beat the system. Those results are never pretty. It may have fooled Google a few years ago, but new updates to algorithms are constantly released and to penalize companies for shady link building practices.
A much better strategy to help improve your search engine rankings is to create rich, compelling content from day one. Google ranks websites based on content that’s written for humans, not just search algorithms. When your audience finds your content appealing and useful, that will naturally drive social shares and organic links to help move up in search results.
Create Content That Solves Problems and Answers Questions
Gone are the days of writing articles heavily-laden with SEO terms that exclusively promote your brand and products. Consumers are seeking solutions to their problems and answers to their questions, so serve up content that directly relates to their needs. Of course, your products and services may ultimately provide those solutions and answers, but purely promotional content risks pushing your audience away. People want to feel like they’ve been helped, not sold to.
For example, Google has compiled a range of resources about the key activities online consumers do before making a purchase online. The research collection, known as “Zero Moment of Truth,” is now quoted in countless presentations about online decision making.
You’re probably thinking, “Ok, so content is king…I already knew that. But how do I really get there?” The online marketing landscape is definitely challenging, but with the right resources and mindset – marketers have a lot of opportunities for success.
Things to keep in mind when developing and deploying a content marketing strategy:
Balance Quantity and Quality
This is the perennial challenge for marketers. How much content is too much? What’s good enough to keep your consumers’ attention? The trick is to find a way to keep your audience coming back with consistently useful, relevant and engaging content. Publish this content to keep people coming back regularly, but be careful not to flood their inboxes or social feeds and risk unfollows or unsubscribes. The best way to achieve this is to have a laser focus on your target audience and exactly what they’re looking for.
Socialize Content for Success
Today, a strong presence on social media isn’t just desirable – it’s a business imperative to keep up with consumers and competitors alike. Create content that’s naturally easy to share and prompts audiences to proliferate it through their own social channels. Include visually stimulating graphics and imagery to draw people in. Write conversationally and incorporate storytelling into your content to make it relatable. And don’t forget to take ownership of what you’re posting. It’s important to establish a personal connection with your readers – it builds trust and keeps them coming back.
Practice Good Media Management
Once you create all this rich, beautiful and engaging content, you need a strong media management platform to help your content strategy soar. The best media management platforms securely house all your digital assets and enable marketing and creative teams to make the most of their content through reliable access anytime, anywhere. They also have strong image management capabilities to keep teams aligned with the most up-to-date files, strengthening your company’s brand in the market.
Personalize, Personalize, Personalize.
We live in an age defined by personalization. Everywhere you turn (or click), advertisements for products and services are delivered for you, and only you. This is the direction content marketing is going in, as well. Get to know your audience. The better you really understand them, the better you can tailor your content to meet their needs.
To see how Bynder can increase your content marketing ROI book a demo today
