5 Incredible Thought-Starters to Build Your Content Marketing
Content creation as an industry is today seeing growth by the leaps and bounds. But not everyone has the right recipe to a great content piece, and more often than not most of the written word is plain simple regurgitation.
So before you jump to punch in your next content piece make sure you consider these key points in order to ensure your business a definite success –
1. Have a Content Marketing Strategy
You cannot possibly work without a strategy. And not just any content marketing strategy. It has to be one that answers basic questions like –
Does it help meet your business goal?
Are you target the right content to the right set of audience?
Is it going to boost the traffic on your website?
2. Incorporate an Editorial Calendar
Content marketing cannot be carried out in an ad-hoc manner. You need to streamline your strategy and everyday uploads. If you want your readers and followers to consume and share your content, having an Editorial Calendar in place is utterly crucial. An editorial calendar facilitates smooth coordination between you the content buyer, the marketing manager writers, editors and designers. A single dashboard helps everyone keep a tab on what has been done and what new can be incorporated for better engagement. Web Marketing Today recommends a free plugin, aptly named Editorial Calendar that works well for WordPress platforms. Use Editorial Calendar, a free WordPress plugin, to plan your content marketing efforts.
3. Develop your PR skills
If you know of a website that is open to guest posts and offers you enough leverage to get content out there in the limelight, don’t miss the opportunity. You may need to learn some public relations tactics, but it’s a skill that when acquired will be worth it. According to Business News Daily Austin Paley, corporate marketing communications manager at digital marketing agency Blue Fountain Media says, “There is a lot of great content that never sees the light of day, or simply doesn’t get any links due to poor pitches. Both SEO and PR professionals need to understand and utilize each other’s skills seamlessly so that they can identify what sources they should be pitching online and also effectively build relationships. A single piece of content [shouldn’t be] the end of a content marketing effort, but just the beginning.”
4. Make it Actionable or Useful or both
When you write, write for a purpose. If you want your content to fly, you must keep in mind how it will benefit your reader. How do you want them to react after reading your article? Will it make them want to share it with like-minded people they know or will they be able to incorporate those insights into their routines. Remember out of the zillion words out there, they chose to read yours. Ensure you make it worth their while.
5. Publish using Multiple Platforms and Formats
The world today is going visual. Don’t believe us? Google TLDR and you’ll know for yourself. The number of people who read today, at least online is depleting. That’s why to keep your audience going we advice you to tap into your versatility. Repurpose your content for blog posts, podcasts, gifs, memes and social media posts. Here’s a great app for creating social media images on the go: WordSwag, available on iTunes for $2.99. Canva is an excellent desktop alternative.