According to the Content Marketing Institute, 91% of B2B organizations use Content Marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. If you want to grow your online presence, whether you have a small or large marketing team, you need to implement these content marketing strategies:
1. Define your mission
Think about why you want to get your content out there. What purpose does it serve? You need to position yourself as credible player in your field.
2. Reach Your Audience
If you have a great handle on who you want to serve, you’ll be able to hone in on what they want or need. Eliminate the sales pitch and focus on finding a need or solving a problem that your target audience has. Focus less on you, and more on them. If you fail to provide relevance or value, in the crowded online space, you’ll be ignored.
3. Be Specific
You want to ensure your marketing material is influencing people who are actually going to invest in your product or service. Consider the individual or team you want to reach. Think of their ages, type of employment, work environments, level of professionalism and other demographics. Your tone and content might be very different if you are speaking to a group of retired accountants versus millennial I.T. guys from a software start-up.
4. Include a Call to Action
A great post remains only that, if it doesn’t bring customers through your sales funnel. Depending what stage they are at, you want to move them to the next one. If they are visiting your site for the first time, a great call to action would be, “Have a look at the services we offer”. If they already have an idea of what you serve, invite them to “Call for a demo”. When they understand the product, and are ready to purchase, you can ask them to “Call our sales team today”.
5. Deliver Content Consistently
Bring something new to the table. Keep up on current events in your field. You’ll need depth in your content to engage your audience and build relationships. Regular communication keeps you front-of-mind and approachable. Tell your story and let your values shine through without getting salesy.
6. Consider Best Way to Deliver
Choose your platforms carefully. You may be overwhelmed by the options; email, social media, blogs, podcasts, live online events, etc. Don’t feel obligated to do them all. You don’t want to waste your time on the wrong one or spread yourself too thin, especially if you are the lone wolf on your marketing team. Choose an amount you can handle and deliver regularly. If you need help delivering content on major media networks, contact a PR agency for more professional assistance and available outlets.
7. Use automatic workflows
Keep your audience engaged. If they subscribe to a newsletter to gain access to an ebook, set up your system to automatically add them to the next steps of your marketing campaign. Create a content and social media calendar. Schedule updates in advance. Keep things working even when you’re not.
8. Create Goals
Be clear about what you are aiming for. Decide on SMART goals and follow through.
9. Track Progress
Find out how often your content marketing increases interactions with clients, and coverts leads into sales. Make changes if you are not accomplishing your goals.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource
From a single blog post, to your entire marketing strategy, there are experts who are ready and willing to help, and can do it more quickly and efficiently.
Successful businesses understand the value of consistent, relevant material that attracts their target audience and brings customers back again and again.