10 tips to make the most of your content marketing strategy

“Content marketing is way of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire and clearly defined audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action”Content Marketing Institute. 

Last year saw a significant increase in marketeers adopting a content marketing strategy. A growing awareness that great content helps to drive traffic to your website has confirmed that content really is king – with 93% of B2B marketers now using content marketing as part of their strategies (CMI). 

No matter what kind of marketing tactics you choose, it’s clear to see that content marketing should be part of that process. Whether you have chosen to adopt a content marketing strategy or not, having a grasp on the key areas to focus your energy will, at very least, help you shape and develop your own successful content strategy. 

Here are our top 10 tips to making the most out of your content

1. Plan it: Get organised and plan ahead
The more content you begin to produce, the more you will need to plan and schedule ahead. Create a content plan spread sheet; include a working title, keywords for Meta data and search rankings of similar content, content type and research sources. This will help you to remain focussed and on topic. 

2. Style it: A picture tells a thousand words 
We’ve all heard the phrase before but when used properly images and diagrams really can transform your content, grab attention and convey your message all on their own. With an abundance of images at the click of a mouse or swipe of a phone, sourcing a photo couldn’t be easier. Just make sure they are relevant, creative and reflect your subject appropriately. The use of Inforgraphics is also expected to rise in the next year - these visually captivating mediums are easy to digest and beg to be shared. 

3. Video it: Grow a deeper connection and build trust
As part of an effective content marketing strategy, video is a great way to connect with your customers and build trust and authority. Small businesses need to offer easy to digest content and a video is a great solution to this.  Video is naturally engaging and has in-built shareability. Be creative and engage with your viewers and they will share it. Youtube receives one billion unique visitors a month so just think how far your video could fly! With so many DIY tools out there too (wideo, vine, vimeo) even small businesses can create and share great videos regardless of size or budget. See Drew Hendricks’ handy article for 6 tools on improving video content.

4. Exhibit it: Publish Case studies of your work
This is a nice and easy form of content to publish on your site.  No matter how long you’ve been in business, showcasing your products and projects gives your visitors / prospective clients a practical example of the amazing work you can produce. Case studies along with testimonials build confidence and demonstrate that you can deliver the quality service you say you do.

5. Value it: *TOP TIP* Create valuable & quality content
Quality content is key. With more and more businesses adopting this approach, the need to produce informative & valuable content has become essential. You need to be creating long tail and highly relevant content to avoid being penalised by Google for creating thin and duplicate content. 

6. Share it: Use social networks to share yours & other’s content  
It is no good just creating content and posting it on your website or blog hoping someone will read it. You need to get it out there and in front of all the right people and your potential customers. There are many scheduling platforms that can help you manage your social channels; Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Socialflow to name just a few. These tools will help you plan ahead and help you manage your content themes ahead of time. 

7. Mix it: Mix up your content & topics
Find a balance of sharing other relevant content alongside your own and mix up your headlines and content as you go. Get to grips with your social media channels, build your followers, likes and circles and share your mix of content on these platforms. Just be careful not to over promote your own content and ensure you interact with others; share related content, join groups and comment on posts.

Influencer research and engagement should also be a central part of your content marketing strategy and will help you to quickly recognise what valuable and quality content actually is. Embrace and connect with influencers in your industry to help you grow your community and network. Influencers have the ability to cause action by their audience, you just need to make sure you target individuals that are a contextual fit with your own brand and offer a far enough reach. 

8. Reuse it: Think of ways to reshape that old content
One piece of good quality, long tail content can be re worked and managed in a number of ways. Turn that white paper into a list-based blog; make your blog post into an infographic and that photo essay into a step-by-step video guide. 

9. Measure it: Start using content marketing management tools
Although creating the content is paramount to your strategy you need to make sure that your time and efforts are working for you and if not, look at ways to fine-tune your content. From Google analytics, social media analytics and management systems, there are a vast array of tools you can use to track your content marketing and SEO efforts. Have a look through this “Ultimate marketing tools list” produced by the content marketing forum, curata.com. 

10. Maintain it – Be prepared to receive what you put in.
Content marketing is not a quick marketing win. It takes time and commitment and you need to maintain, evolve and grow with it. 
With relevant, quality copywriting and content, you will keep your visitors reading and convert them into action in the end - just don’t expect it to happen over night.

A big thank you to Robyn Dawson, Digital Marketing Developer at Nexus Design & Print for sharing her expert knowledge.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk