With the ever-increasing use of the internet, companies are constantly trying to stay informed of up-to-date practices while simultaneously reaching out to new customers and pleasing existing customers. Article after article on the internet refers to content marketing, but what the heck is content marketing? In short, content marketing is the art of creating high-quality written, visual, and video content to reach your desired audience. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, not really.
Content marketing should include blog posts.
Blog posts are designed to provide information to potential clients that could likely be of value to them. Consider blog posts to be a method of educating the public while providing enough quality information. You want readers want to continue to learn and ultimately have faith in what you are offering. This can be accomplished with written blogs, videos of interest, and infographics.
Quality posts involve a wide range of topics that are geared to the industry and related industries rather than to your specific business. They should also contain optimized content using keywords, links, and best practices to improve the response from search engines (SEO). The goal is to increase lead generation wherein the potential clients reach out to you.
Content marketing should include email.
Generation of well-maintained email lists is an excellent way of controlling who receives the quality content you have produced. It increases the traffic on your website and links you to further contact and conversation with your clients.
Email is broad reaching and is statistically the leader in generating the highest return on investment for marketing. However, for email marketing to be effective, it must include the high-quality content you have generated through blog development. And building an effective list is everything.
Content marketing should include social media.
Like it or not, social media is here to stay. It is imperative to identify which social media channels are most effective for your industry and to develop a presence within the niche. Social media allows you to engage with your customer target base and to interact at the level your prospects desire. Growing your presence through these outlets exponentially grows your visibility to potential clients.
Content marketing should include a call to action (CTA).
If you have produced quality content, marketed it through email, and marketed it through social media, it was a futile writing exercise if you have not provided your client base with an opportunity to further engage.
Ask your readers to share you on social media, fill out a form for further information, or download additional information. Invite them in. Make sure the CTA is simple and easy to identify and be sure you respond as soon as is reasonably possible.
Hopefully, you now understand the basics. In the ever-changing world of the internet, keeping informed of best practices can be challenging. Should you need further support in addressing your business needs, Evans Alliance is available to assist you.
