Content Marketing – Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

You may perhaps be new to Content marketing and want to be guided to developing a successful strategy. The objective should be to reach your targeted audience to boost conversions. The fact is your audience members, leads and customers expect your business to provide them with valuable content. It should be organic and natural and not disruptive.

What is Content marketing?

It is considered to be a process that involves planning, creation, distribution, sharing as well as publishing content over different channels. It includes blogs, social media, podcasts, websites, press releases, apps, print publications, etc. Using it properly can help improve brand awareness, customer loyalty, engagement, sales, and revenue.

Its significance

1. Boost conversions.

2. Educate prospects and leads on offered products and services.

3. Develop relationships between businesses and consumers to improve brand loyalty.

4. Develop a sense of community around the brand.

5. Show the audience how services/products can solve consumer-faced challenges.

Types

1. Infographic:

It helps display data, information, and content in a graphic, easy-to-understand format. It mixes simple wording, clear images, and short statements. It can communicate effectively with the content. It works amazingly if the plan is to distill a complex or educational topic, enabling all audience members to understand it.

2. Social Media:

There are 3.6+ billion active social media users spread across the globe. Hence, businesses are adopting social media marketing. Several platforms are present like Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Created content like live videos, photos, stories, and pre-recorded videos can be shared in them. It helps in increasing brand awareness and loyalty.

3. Podcast:

Surveys revealed that among 12-32-year-olds comprising about 49% listen to the podcast. The average listening duration is around 6 hours a week. Hence, most media outlets and businesses have been developing and sharing their own podcasts. Before doing so, it will be necessary to carry out SWOT Analysis and what end result is desired. Podcasts allow any topic of choice.

4. Blogs:

They are also powerful inbound content, providing plenty of creativity concerning topics and purpose. It allows doing things like boosting other external/internal blog articles and content. It is achieved through links, incorporating product information, and adding social share buttons. They do help with Lead Generation.

5. Paid Ad:

They help reach the board audience base, thus providing you with a better position to be viewed clearly. They can be beneficial if paired with inbound marketing. Paid ads can be used at several places like landing pages, social media, sponsored content, and banners. Before investing precious money in them, it will be essential to perform SWOT Analysis to find out where to put in paid ads.

6. Videos:

69% of consumers prefer videos to learn about any new brand service or products. Video marketing helps encourage conversions, develops relationships, and improves ROI. They can also be shared on different social media platforms, co-marketers sites, and landing pages.

Strategies to adopt

If increasing brand awareness is the objective, then there are several strategies that can be adopted.

1. Establish SMART Goals:

It should be the very first thing to develop effective Lead Generation. It needs to be specific and complement well with your company’s goals and broader marketing.

2. Determine KPIs:

Establish Key Performance Indicators for the above-set goals. These are referred to as quantifiable data points to measure actual performance.

3. Determine content-type:

Select the content type to create. Consider buyer personas and target audience. Choose the right content types to suit your target audience.

4. Content Channels:

Where to share the created content? Where it is to be shared from and where it will live?

5. Budget:

Set a realistic budget to market your content on the determined channels.

6. Develop, distribute content:

It should be clearly understood by potential consumers who can be converted.

Therefore, following the above Content marketing strategy, it becomes possible to enhance your company prospects and reach a new consumer base.