Many content marketers take a Field of Dreams “If you build it, they will come” approach when it comes to content creation: Build as much content as you can, and readers will flock to you to find it. Unfortunately, it’s just not that simple.
It’s called content marketing for a reason – don’t forget the marketing part. Effective content marketing requires more than rapid-fire content generation. A quality-over-quantity mindset and strategic distribution approach are the keys to success.
Here are 3 things to keep in mind when executing a content marketing strategy:
1. Think Before You Create
Before you dive into layouts, images, font colors, and graphics, take a step back and define a clear strategy. What do you want this one piece of content to convey to your audience? What is the purpose? What is the desired goal? Which format will be most effective? How does this piece fit into your overall marketing, branding, or lead generation strategy?
Next, do your research. Make sure your content contains the best, most compelling information that will appeal to your target audience. Write, edit, and re-write until your piece is the best it can be.
Finally, you can now think about design. Whether designing a white paper layout or getting creative with infographics, design elements play an important role in grabbing the viewers’ attention and guiding them through the story.
Get another set of eyes – or better yet, many sets of eyes – on your content before finalizing it. Content shouldn’t be created in a one-man vacuum. Take input and criticisms seriously to improve the quality of your work.
2. Distribute with a Purpose
If you don’t already know where your target audience is hanging out online, do some research. Perhaps your audience spends most of their time on Twitter, or maybe you have a large audience on Google+. Once you determine the best online communities for your content, tailor your message to each channel. What works well on Facebook doesn’t necessarily work so well on LinkedIn. Keep your platform in mind when determining the length and context of your message, image size, hashtags, etc.
Distributing your content outside of social media channels can help with SEO too. Try sharing your white papers on Scribd, infographics on visual.ly, and presentations on SlideShare. You could boost your SEO and may even find a niche audience on these sites.
Great content should always live on your website. Use these other channels to drive traffic back to your site where users can find more excellent content, learn more about your company, and easily access your contact information.
3. Reuse and Repurpose
You’ve spent many hours brainstorming, creating, and designing your content. So why distribute it just once? Businesses miss out on potential social media reach because they only post an update or share a piece of content one time. Your target audience uses social media at different times of the day and days of the week, so chances are the majority of them aren’t going to see your first post. Experiment with posting at different dates and times to get the best social engagement.
Not enough time in the day to create all the content to meet your needs? Take advantage of the quality work you’ve already done by repurposing content. Turn some of the best stats from your white paper into a captivating infographic. Turn an infographic into a SlideShare presentation. Or aggregate several smaller pieces of content into a larger white paper or e-book. The possibilities for repurposing content are endless.
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