In the digital marketing industry, you will hear it over and over again – “Content Is King.” What does that mean? And if it is true, are you doing enough with your content strategy to increase awareness and sales?
If you are unsure about what makes content so important in the industry, keep reading to find out how a well-planned and continual content strategy can help your company thrive in the long run.
The Benefits of High-Quality Content
Did you know that over 60% of consumers are interested in buying a product after reading it? When you have a strategy in place to capture a consumer’s attention, you are already more than halfway to landing a sale.
Read about some of the benefits of publishing unique and engaging content about your company:
- A blog or article published about your company embedded with links to your product can reach a consumer years later and still result in sales.
- Content uses keywords and SEO strategy to appear in search engines, organically driving traffic to your website.
- The more users find your website from articles that pop up in the search engine, the more you will see sales conversions.
- Content marketing drives brand awareness and your company’s authority in the industry. Other companies will reference your articles, driving consumers to your site.
- Brand awareness also supports and boosts sponsored ads, influencer advertising, and more.
What Is Content Strategy?
Before you can create a content strategy, you need to know what you are working toward. A content strategy is a plan to publish written, audio, graphic, and video content about your brand. This can include social media, paid ads, email marketing, website content, and more.
A successful content strategy attracts your key audience and keeps them engaged in your content even after they have made a purchase. Your audience gets to know your company through your content and develops brand loyalty that keeps them wanting to return and buy more.
14 Steps to Creating a Content Marketing Plan that Works
New business owners may think they will implement a content strategy later when things are more steady. But the truth is that you will create a relationship of trust with your target audience if you start with a content strategy from the get-go.
Of course, you can get started on content marketing at any stage of your business. Your company will always benefit from a content strategy. Follow these steps to get started:
Define Your Target Audience
Before publishing content, figure out your target audience. What demographic of people would benefit the most from your product or service? For example, if you are marketing a sugar scrub in the skin care industry, you would want to appeal to women ages 18-49.
Or perhaps your product is computer software for business owners. Then you would target business professionals in decision-making positions. What is your target audience? Once you know that answer, you can better speak to them.
Identify a Problem That Your Product or Service Solves
Think about something someone would search online when looking for your product. If you sell a volumizing shampoo, the problem may be “thin hair shampoo.” Or, if you sell a closet organizational system, a consumer may search “decluttering for the closet.”
Of course, your product or service can be more complex than a few words on an internet search. But once you have defined the problem, you can market and capitalize on the solution that your company provides.
Be Ready to Share Your Story with Vulnerability and Relatability
The reason why content is so valuable is that it offers connection. When you write your story, share your fears and setbacks along the way. Give your audience a chance to relate to your process and invest in your success.
Real human stories are integral in connecting consumers with companies. The great thing about content is that you can connect with people from all over the globe through your company and your passion for your product.
Define Which Platforms to Use to Share Your Content
Before you start writing, identify the platforms that make the most sense for your company. For example, TikTok has a young demographic, while LinkedIn is filled with more professionals. Always create content for your website. And then use social media outlets to promote the content.
Always Include Written Word That Is Searchable
All formats of content will boost engagement and interest in your company. But written content is searchable and creates a tool for implementing SEO keywords, backlinks, pictures, and infographics within the content.
Blogs, articles, location pages, services pages, and more will boost your website with rich content that includes keywords that help your website reach higher in the search results. It takes time to build SEO credibility, and the written content on your website is always the place to start.
Add Variety with Video, Audio, and Infographics
As you create your content marketing plan, be sure to include a variety of content. If you are a guest on a podcast, promote the episode on your website and social media. Post longer videos on a YouTube channel to connect with your audience. There is no limit to what you can do with your content marketing plan.
Define Content Creator Roles and Hiring Needs
Once you know what you want to create, bulk up your staff to prepare for your content marketing implementation. You need a creative, precise, and intriguing team of strategists. Once you have hired the right people, you can start creating content.
Find Out What Competitors Are Doing with Content
You probably already know a few companies in your industry that impress you regarding content strategy. What are they doing that you like? What can you add that is specific to your company? Use other companies to model the industry baseline and then make your content strategy your own.
Conduct Keyword Research
The first big step to writing content for your website is to conduct keyword research. What is the most common keyword used to describe your product? Expand from there and define long-tail keywords specific to your service or company.
Start with a baseline of primary keywords. Then you can narrow in on more specific keywords that will spark ideas for new content along the way. Always tie your articles back to the main keyword as well.
Evaluate Existing Content
Once you have defined your keywords, look at your site’s existing content. Is the writing concise, grammatically correct, and engaging? Can you rewrite the content to include the keywords that you identified? If any content is outdated, rewrite the page to make it current.
Create a Publishing Calendar
Make a plan for the first month of your content marketing plan. It may include one blog post and four social media posts. Choose infographics, videos to post on your stories, and poll questions. Give your audience a chance to engage and add their ideas to your content.
Your publishing calendar should be versatile so that your social media grid is not boring and repetitive. People get on social media to be entertained as well as educated, so keep that in mind.
Publish and Promote Your Content
It’s time to hit publish. You may feel vulnerable sharing content for the first time. And it may not feel like many people read or engage with your posts. But keep in mind that consistency is key. Your account will appear more in your audience’s feed as you continually publish. Then you can watch engagement grow as you gain followers.
Promote your articles by using a hook in the captions that invites them to read more by following the link to your site. The more people you get to your website, the more likely you are to generate conversions.
Track the Success of the Strategy
The best part about digital marketing is the variety of ways you can track the success of your campaign. You have the power to see how many consumers come to your site, how long they stay on each page, how far they scroll down the page, and more.
Once you implement your content marketing plan, give it three months before you track increased success. Keep a variety of statistics to evaluate along the way that will reflect the campaign’s success.
Regularly Refine the Process
A content marketing plan will not always be successful from the start. Content marketing is a long game. But the good news is that you can use tracking statistics to refine the process. Watch and see how many people unsubscribe from email or text message marketing. Find the sweet spot for your business in communicating with your target audience. You can even ask them how often they want to hear from you!
The best content marketing plans will always be fluid in changing with the digital marketing trends and the habits of your consumers. Learn to use the statistics to your advantage as you work to find the content marketing plan that works best for your business.
An organized, researched, and consistent content strategy will reap the most reward. Your target audience will never get to know your brand if they only hear from you twice per year. Seek routine engagement from your consumers to connect with them and build a community through sharing content.
Why You Need a Content Marketing Plan
Every business has the chance to grow and thrive by using content marketing. The digital marketing industry is ever-changing. If you have a chance to find organic growth through publishing content, then build your strategy and run with it. Any leg up in the industry will help your business stay on top.
Get started on creating a content marketing plan that works for your company. The small investment toward content creation will build brand awareness and loyalty and increase sales in the long run. Now is a better time than ever to build up your business with a consistent and high-quality content marketing plan.
Ready to take your content marketing to the next level? Contact us today for expert guidance and support in crafting a tailored content strategy that elevates your brand and drives meaningful results.
