Taking the First Steps to a Successful Content Marketing Strategy
If you're a business owner or a marketing director in the hospitality, commercial real estate, or SaaS businesses, you know that content is king. But with so many options available, it can be challenging and take time to know where to start.
Here is a simple guide to help you take the first steps toward creating a successful content marketing strategy.
Regular Blog Posts
If you have a website for your business, you might also benefit from having a company blog. While the pages on your website are static, regular weekly blog posts add fresh content that helps to drive traffic to your website. A blog is a great way to provide helpful information for your customers and share company/product information.
Guest Blog Posts
You may wonder why you would want to publish content on someone else’s blog. Posting your content on a blog in a related industry gives you access to its audience and expands your online presence.
Think of it this way: A retail store selling fabrics and trims could write a guest post about using pom-pom fringe for a quilting, crafters, or home decor DIY blog. This audience would be interested in that topic, but you might not reach it on your blog.
Email Newsletters
Show the value of your product or service through tangible facts. Case studies are the perfect way to demonstrate what you offer. Show your clients how you've helped others as an example of how you can help them. Sending a regular email newsletter can help you in the following ways:
Building brand awareness: By consistently publishing a newsletter, you can keep your brand in front of your customers, clients, and prospects, and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. This will help you build credibility and trust with your audience.
Keeping your customers informed: An email newsletter is an effective way to keep your customers up-to-date on the latest news, trends, and developments in your industry. By providing interesting and valuable information, you can position your business as a go-to resource for your audience.
Nurturing leads: An email newsletter can help you nurture leads and move them further down your sales funnel. By providing helpful content and showcasing your expertise, you can build trust with your audience and encourage them to take the next step in their customer journey.
Driving traffic to your website: Including links to your website in your newsletter can drive traffic deeper into your site and increase engagement with your content. This can help you generate leads, increase sales, and improve your search engine rankings.
Measure your success: An email newsletter can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. By tracking open rates, click-through rates, and other metrics, you can identify what's working and make adjustments to improve your results.
Social Media Content
Are you using social media as part of your content marketing plan? If not, you are missing the boat. Social media is much more than cat videos and telling people what you had for lunch. Social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and others can help you to build a community around your business.
Here are a few examples of what you can do:
Personal LinkedIn profile to build authority in your industry
LinkedIn Business Page for branding and company news
Twitter for branding and audience engagement
Email Newsletter for gathering leads and staying in touch with potential customers
Restaurants, retail stores, and other product-oriented businesses may want a Pinterest account. The visually rich nature of Pinterest is perfect for promoting your products.
Instagram is another good option for sharing photos and short videos.
You Don’t Have to Do It All
But don’t worry. It is not necessary to spend the time and money to process content on every online outlet. You don’t have to be everywhere…just where your customers are. For a well-rounded online presence, start with the basics and add more as needed.
To learn more about content marketing, editorial calendars, and creating the kind of content that means business, sign up for the Clara Mathews Writes Newsletter.
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