We hear a lot about content marketing these days. Why is it so important? Content marketing builds customer trust, engagement, and loyalty — which are the foundations of long-term revenues and growth.
As you are starting or continuing to build your content, here are three things to pay attention to.
1. Be Consistent.
Content marketing is aimed at building customer trust, engagement and loyalty. However, it's difficult to build trust, engagement and loyalty to something that doesn't properly reflect the brand. Have a consistent schedule or revolve around the same topics.
Branding
All of your content should reflect consistent branding. Place someone in charge of managing your content strategy and set up guidelines for elements such as logos, brand colors, images, and fonts, styles, and sizes of text. Remember that all of your brand elements must work across multiple channels, including print, email, and mobile.
Scheduling
It's important to get into a rhythm. You will be rewarded for posting consistently not only by customers but by search engines (Content Marketing Institute). Whether it's every week, every other week, or once a month. Consistency in your schedule will build that engagement and trust.
Topics
Be sure that the topics that are written about on your blog are consistent. What's the point of having a blog about dieting if you offer financial services? Maybe that's a bit dramatic of an example, but stop and think about your products and services and market. Then ask yourself, "What would my customers would be interested in?" Then go from there. Don't stray too far, even if your customers would be interested. It's important to be viewed as the master of one or a few topics, then to be the jack of all trades. You will be rewarded for your expertise.
2. Target Your Audience (Including Stages of Sales Funnel).
Who would benefit from your product and services? Who would be buying it? Have a detailed knowledge of who your audience is and where they spend their time. Target channels they frequent, and use strategies and language that connect with them on that level.
Not only can your customers be segmented into different target groups, but they are also at different stages along their buying journeys. For example, someone who needs your product but isn’t yet aware of your brand isn’t ready to skip right to product selection and pricing. Know where customers are along the journey and craft the right message to hit them at the right time.
3. Measure the Results.
How you incorporate content marketing into an overall marketing strategy will depend on what you want to achieve. Use metrics to further specific marketing goals, including:
- Sales volume
- Market share
- Number of leads
- Cost per lead
- Length of sales cycle
Put numbers to these goals and time frames to achieve them.
Sound complicated? It doesn’t have to be, and you don’t need to go it alone. Contact us!
