Content is king, said bill gates, but is there a necessity for content? That's the question. In this 21st century, we are not facing the problem of information lacking but information overload.
Your audience is looking for quality content with the proper context to solve their problems. Are you solving this? That is where content marketing slowly gets its place.
Your duty as a business is to develop the best content for your audience that gets more engagement and shares, supporting your audience and creating value.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is an approach of marketing where you create, publish, share, and distribute your content across different channels like social media, websites, podcasts, blogs, and other content platforms.
Why does content matters the most?
If you believe content is everything, you are making a false step; we need context with content. After going through the Ultimate List of Blogging Statistics, we were shocked as 70 million posts are being published each month by WordPress users. Over 5 million blog posts are published every day.
Content marketing is a powerful and most effective tool for getting leads, creating better brand engagement, and increasing sales. Your content can become a factor in differentiating yourself from competitors and standing out from others. Over 77% of internet users read blogs.
Here is a list of things that explain why you need to develop content and why it matters in this era of content creation.
Helps to create Brand Awareness
Improves customer conversions
Create your own tribe/community around your brand
Solve your customer's problems through your content
Educate your prospects on how your products & services help them.
Types of Content Marketing
Content is not a cupcake; instead, it's a complete meal, i.e., you have no limits in creating content. You can create unlimited content with different variations. Here we have distinguished four different varieties.
1. Written Content
2. Visual Content
3. Audio Content
4. Interactive Content
1. Written Content
Written content is one of the most popular forms we have ever had, and people still love reading written content. Written content includes blog posts, FAQs, ebooks, checklists, white papers, and case studies.
Written content is used mainly by companies to stand on top of the search to drive more traffic to their websites and improve SEO. On the other hand, case studies, industry insights, and ebooks have become lead generation tools or lead magnets.
2. Visual Content
Visual content is a highly consumed content format globally as it engages the audience. It even helps to explain some complex information quickly to your users. Share graphical images, slides, memes, and videos. Even Instagram reels are the most fantastic way to tell your brand stories. As reels and youtube shorts are gaining more popularity, try once.
3. Audio Content
Audio content is the most ignored piece of content type. Audio content includes Podcasts, Audiobooks, or just running a clubhouse channel.
Podcasting allows you to share your brand's voice and ideas; you can create micro-content or interviews with industry experts to get more audiences. An average person spends 7-8 hours a week listening to podcasts.
On the other hand, platforms like clubhouse is a great way to connect with more audience and generate leads and brand awareness. The clubhouse has an active user base of 2 million + audiences who make use of it.
4. Interactive Content
Interactive content aims to create a unique experience by engaging them. It includes content types like polls, games, contests, and webinars. Mcdonald's social media posts are a great example of incorporating gamification in content marketing.
How to create a content marketing strategy that works
Now, you know what a content marketing strategy is and how to help brands to gain more visibility, traffic, and sales. It's time to create a practical and bulletproof content marketing strategy for your brand.
Here is a 5 step process you need to create a bulletproof content marketing strategy :
1. Set clear goals
Before designing your strategy, ensure you have a keen understanding of your goals. According to Hubspot, they call SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, attainable, and Time-bound). To say, know what you need to achieve by doing this. For example, if your goal is
By setting your goals, you also need an understanding of the Key Performance Indicators of your content marketing strategy. For example, let's say Your goal is Brand Awareness, then your KPI is Getting traffic to your website.
2. Create a strong brand story
Every brand has a story that touches the heart of your customers and the values you stand for. Create solid and compelling brand values with a story. Stick to them in every aspect and showcase them in your content marketing.
3. Know your content type
Before publishing, ensure you know your content type and act upon it. Ask more questions when you are planning your content type. Ask some brand-related queries like "How do my products & services help my audience?.," "Where does my audience spend my time?."
4. Pick your content distribution channels
Every piece of content doesn't work the same. If you are working with a B2B audience, posting a reel on Linkedin might not be your best choice. So be clear when picking your channels.
5. Analyze and improve
Finally, you have published your content across your favorite platforms. Now it's time to measure its performance. Make sure you use analytical tools that help you improve your strategy and iterate your process at every stage.
Let's finish this content marketing session. Writing just a blog or the latest news doesn't make a healthy content marketing strategy. All you need is a bulletproof content marketing strategy with clear goals and content that supports your brand ideals. So, let's work on them.
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