Content marketing should be a very familiar term for those engaged in online maketing. It basically refers to building your internet brand around content. In this case, I am not implying the kind of the obscenely promotional content like those employed in some online “reviews” and sales copies, but custom content that actually adds value to your target audience and helps in building very long term relationships. Content marketing is increasingly being employed by many businesses but it requires strategy. It must be focused and at the end of the day, has to be congruent with the general objectives of your business. Your content marketing must always make business sense. It must link to your business aims.
So you must not carry out your content marketing in isolation, but it must be a building block towards something bigger-brand building and the bottom line-and the content which you create must be very well thought out. While it doesn’t have to be promotional, you must make it persuasive in a subtle manner. The content marketing must also be very holistic. You must employ multiple digital formats as part of your content strategy such as blogs, podcasts, videos, eBooks, microblogging platforms and many others. There are very effective ways which you can use to make your content marketing count. Here are five sure-fire strategies to put your content marketing on an autopilot and generate value for your business:
The content must be compelling
Have a very well thought out content strategy and apply yourself in developing highly relevant and useful content which your audience will love reading. The content can be entertaining, motivational or educational but it must add value and must be related to your line of business in one way or another. Planning and excellent research skills are very key components when building your content strategy. Try to differentiate yourself by offering something unique which is not available on the web. Passion is always an important factor. When you invest your passion into generating genuine value, then it usually comes out fine.
Share the content
Content just does not get picked up because you have published it on your blog. You really have to push it to people. Start by sharing your content to your immediate networks and you can subsequently leverage this to reach a wider audience. It is a common mistake which many content marketers usually make but it is at the very core of your content marketing success.
Build a distribution network
Content needs a distribution network to reach the largest possible audiences. Before you craft out the message, build a list of sites and partner blogs where you will share you content. These can also include forums and blogs in your niche. You can search these blogs and sites on the internet and collect the contact details of the authors whom you can email personally to place linking and guest posting requests.
Crafting your message
Ensure the message stands out. There are multiple communities in every niche and to get noticed in this crowded planet, try to be a fresh voice and offer something really unique and compelling.
Maintain the relationships
Crafting new relationships with the right kind of people is a core skill when building your content marketing strategy but you must also be able to maintain these relationships over the long term. Opportunities do develop over time so it is always important to have a ready list of contacts which you can leverage in the future to build your brand and exploit these opportunities.
