By Nate M. Vickery
Content marketing is a really popular subject and strategy these days but it is not just something that can be mindlessly used and expected to generate more traffic and success. In order for content marketing to really work, people need to devote time, knowledge, logic and creativity in its creation. No pain no gain, some would say and this saying is pretty much accurate when it comes to content marketing. Still, when done properly, the gain is more than great and definitely worth the ‘pain’.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
The success of your content marketing will not be guaranteed by the number of posts that you publish but by their quality and usefulness to the target audience. Therefore, do not try to cheat your way through this marketing strategy by picking niches that seem easy to write about but are not something you know a lot about or care to learn more. Constantly repeating yourself in numerous posts will only have negative effect. Instead, pick a topic or two that you enjoy learning more about and that are part of your own passions. That way, your posts will be more inspirational and informative, and even if rarer, your audience will find them more helpful and will appreciate the new knowledge more, the same as you when it comes to the particular subject.
Who is Your Target Audience?
When choosing your niche and your target audience, it is important to start from yourself. Think about what you would want to get when searching for a certain information and solution and do not let the quality of content marketing drop below that. As you can see, the content and target audience are tightly connected. When you clearly decide who your target audience is going to be, there will be more point to your content marketing strategy, which will consequently generate more traffic. Do not try to please everyone because that is an impossible task and it will only deprive your posts from depth and meaning.
Use the Wonders of SEO
There is not much to publishing posts if Google or other search engines cannot pick them up. To avoid the problem of ‘invisibility’, hire someone who is expert in SEO. That way, you will ensure your position in the list of searched solutions and people will find you more easily. Even if it sounds unfair, it is true – without great keywords and professional SEO, not even your best posts will be able to move to the first few pages of the search results, let alone the top. Doing some amateur SEO yourself without prior experience and using overly specific or general keywords is one of the biggest mistakes that undermine the effectiveness of content marketing to a great degree.
Combine Your Content and SEO with Social Media
The same way content marketing is one of the hottest marketing strategies today, social media sites are the most popular place for promoting that content. People from Online Marketing Gurus also advised that ”once the specific piece of content is completed, it needs to be distributed and promoted.” According to The Social Media Marketing Industry report, 92% of companies use social media content, including paid social media with using ads to attract new audience to your content, earned social media which means the shares, feedbacks, reviews and mentions that your content gets by your audience on social media and owned social media which includes using YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and the like to attract new visitors. All three ways are necessary to get the maximum out of your content marketing so do not forget to engage with your users and value their opinions because this approach is often overlooked even though its importance for success is immense.
Stay on the Creative Track
If you feel that your content is starting to look a bit monotonous, spice it up! Remember, you do not have to use writing exclusively to stay professional and informative. Sometimes, pictures, videos, gifs and even apps can boost your business just right and help you achieve your desired goal. The list does not end there. Basically, go back to yourself and think what is that something that you would find attractive when wishing to gain more information on certain subject, be it a chart, audio content or live event! Of course, never leave your business plan without a goal. Once one is completed, set a new one and start working towards it with all that you have.
If you used to spend your time wondering what the secrets to effective and successful content marketing are it is time to stop wondering because there are no secrets at all. Do your research, do not skip any important steps, place your full potential in your work and the results will show.
Nate M. Vickery is a business consultant from Sydney, Australia. He has a degree in marketing and almost a decade of experience in company management through latest technology trends. Nate is Editor-in-Chief at Bizzmarkblog.com. You can reach him on Twitter at @NateMVickery
