Modern consumers have become very smart when it comes to making their purchasing decisions. No longer are they swayed by a company saying their products are the best, and content promotion tactics that worked just a few years ago are no longer the most profitable choice to make.
There’s no denying that blogging is a good way to build awareness for a business. However, nowadays it requires much more than just launching one and publishing new articles as and when you feel like it. A content marketing strategy is what’s required if you want to stand out from the competition.
Before introducing some strategies you might want to consider, let’s first define what a content marketing strategy is. It is the planning, creating, governance and maintenance of content. The goal, whichever strategy you use, is to build an audience that in turn builds your business. So, how do you go about developing the right strategy?
Define Your Goals
The first step is to ask yourself why you are writing a blog. Clearly defining the reason why will help you overcome any setbacks and work your way through hours of writing. Asking yourself some of the following questions may help you further:
- Do you want to drive traffic to your shop or online store?
- Is your aim to increase sales or generate leads?
- Would you like to inform customers about what you do?
- Do you want to attract clients from all over the world?
- Are you aiming to keep your customers up to date?
- Is building your brand the ultimate aim?
You don’t need to consider all of them as reasons why. One or two is sufficient, or you’ll struggle to keep your blog focused.
Research Your Target Market
Think about where your target market hangs out online. Are they reading certain blogs, using social media platforms or commenting in forums or Facebook groups? What will they most enjoy reading? Google analytics can be very useful with this, as it will indicate which of your blog posts did best. Do you think your audience will have common likes and dislikes?
Decide on Topics and Keywords
If you want to rank well on search engines, keywords are going to have to form part of your strategy. It’s not that difficult, although many experts would say otherwise! The topics part of this step is also easy if you’ve clearly defined the reason for your blog and understand your target audience.
Blog Content Doesn’t Just Have to be Written
Content for your blog doesn’t have to be just words, as there are numerous other ways you can convey your message. For example, you might want to use case studies. Videos are another great way to convey a message and have been shown to be very effective at grabbing customers attention. If you’re a little nervous about all that is entailed in shooting a video, there are a number of respected companies who can provide this kind of service, such as working-beautifully.co.uk.
Create a Calendar
Doing this will serve to keep you on track, ensuring your content is the best possible and published on time. There are a huge number of resources available online, including some very good content management systems. Some of them you will have to pay for it, but Trello and Google Calendar are free tools you’ll find useful when you first begin.
Before you get too carried away publishing your first blog, bear these points in mind, and you’ll have more success.
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