Content marketing is a powerful strategy that produces serious results.
Not only is it an effective way to build trust, generate leads, and increase sales, it’s a strategy that nearly any business on any budget can apply and benefit from.
Now you may be sitting there thinking, “Been there, done that. Not for me,” or maybe you’re just exploring the idea of content marketing and not quite sure where to start.
Either way, I can tell you that it absolutely can work to grow your business and it absolutely doesn’t have to be overly complicated. You just have to know where to focus your efforts.
And by the end of this article, you’ll have 7 Proven Content Marketing Tips to transform your content into the ultimate marketing tool.
Just like most good things, to reap the rewards, you first have to invest. Content marketing is a strategy that requires effort, patience, and depending on your preference, some of your time or budget.
I know, probably not what you wanted to hear right off the bat, but stick with me, as even though it may take a little bit of work, an increasing number of businesses, both big and small, continue prioritizing content marketing above a lotta other business growth strategies.
Why? Because they’ve figured out ways to achieve massive results with minimal investment. Myself included.
And the most efficient and effective way to make content marketing work for you is to be laser focused on what produces results so you can avoid wasting time on what doesn’t.
Sounds simple but the devils in the details, so here are 7 tips to getting the most impactful results from your content marketing.
Content marketing tip #1: Begin with the end in mind
There’s only one place you need to look to map out an effective content marketing strategy, and that place is the end.
Here’s what I mean.
The best way to develop your plan by working backwards.
Before creating any type of content, get crystal clear on your marketing goals and what it is you’re trying to accomplish. This is what’s going to shape and streamline your message, giving every piece of content a strategic purpose.
For example, if you’re looking to generate leads, you’ll want to brainstorm on content that provides a quick win and entices visitors to hand over their email address in exchange.
If your goal is to increase sales and you’re working further down the funnel, then you may consider a webinar that showcases your products and services.
Creating brand awareness? Then look into guesting on podcasts or even starting your own.
Every piece of content should bring prospects one step closer to becoming loyal customers.
Content marketing tip #2: Know thy customer
Here’s the bottom line: It’s useless to create content your target market doesn’t care about.
Really, it defeats the purpose of content marketing altogether, right?
This is why every single piece of content you create should hinge on knowing and understanding your audience.
Creating an ideal customer avatar is one way to ensure you’re creating the right content for the right person. Your avatar should include information like interests, age, profession, and geographic location to get a sense for what topics and issues impact their lives the most.
You can then leverage this material to deepen your connection with your prospects with content that resonates with them. The more they feel understood, the easier it gets for them to know, like, and trust you.
You’ll want to keep that customer avatar handy for content marketing tip #3 coming up below…
Content marketing tip #3: Salt in the wound
Goals can wait.
Hopes and dreams can be saved for a rainy day.
But nothing makes someone more determined to act than pain.
Whether it’s emotional, physical, or financial, when someone hurts they’re in the market for something to make it go away.
Now obviously you’ll want to avoid using cruel or dramatic tactics here. But the key is to bring awareness to the discomfort and follow it up by offering a solution.
Check out your customer avatar. Can you identify their biggest pain points? Use contrast to paint a specific picture of what life could look like on the other side of their troubles and offer your products and services as the vehicle to get them there.
- Can you free up their time so they can finally catch dinner with their family?
- Will they gain the confidence boost they need to approach their boss about an overdue raise?
- How will their life be happier, brighter or more productive?
Content marketing tip #4: Respect the platform
Content should look like it belongs and not be out of place.
That means respecting whatever media you’re using and studying what style and form of content performs best there.
The best way to do this is to take a look at what other successful content creators are doing on the platform and then see how you can adapt, customize, and unleash your very own version of it.
Also, don’t be afraid to look outside your industry for inspiration, the last thing the world needs is another “me too” piece of content.
Content marketing tip #5: Go where they are
A lot of valuable resources go into creating and distributing your content. So when it attracts little or no response, not only does it feel like time, energy, and money wasted, it discourages you from moving forward.
So you’ll want to do everything possible to make sure your content doesn’t fall on deaf ears by choose platforms and channels your market uses.
I know… sounds like common sense.
But it’s easy to get sucked into using a million different social media channels just because they seem like the popular choice today.
Do the research and discover where your market hangs out online.
By delivering your content on platforms your target audience prefers, you’ll greatly improve your chances of reaching them and avoid hitting dead ends with your content marketing efforts.
Content marketing tip #6: Syndicate and Share
Once you have content, don’t be afraid to carve it up and share it across other channels and platforms.
As an example a video can be turned into a podcast episode, can be transcribed into a blog post, and can be carved up further into Facebook posts, tweets, or condensed Linkedin articles.
Syndicating your content across other channels is an excellent way of extending your reach to potential customers who wouldn’t have otherwise heard of you.
For example, someone who listens to podcasts may spend less time reading blogs.
Or a daily Facebook user may never have a reason to go on LinkedIn.
Using a few minor tweaks to optimize and freshen up your content for different platforms will stretch your content marketing dollar and reach.
Content marketing tip #7: Call to Action
You’ve just dosed your audience with a dangerous amount of high quality content.
Now it’s time to use the opportunity to help guide your ideal prospect in the right direction
So do them right by providing them with the next logical piece of the puzzle.
And you do that by ending every piece of content with a friendly call to action.
Just like I’m about to do here…
If you want to discover a way to quickly and easily deploy a high converting and profitable content marketing strategy in your business without the need to spend hours stuck at your desk or staring at the dreaded “blank screen of death” wondering what to write, then I highly encourage you to download your free copy of the Fast Content Formula by visiting https://www.adamerhart.com/fast
By using the simple strategies found in “The Fast Content Formula”, my clients, students, and myself, are able to create incredibly high quality pieces of content quickly and easily. This means no more wasted hours agonizing over what to create, but instead being able to create customer generating, revenue increasing, business boosting pieces of content in as little as 15 minutes a day. It’s worth a fortune, but it’s yours free just by visiting https://www.adamerhart.com/fast
And that’s all there is to it!
With all the marketing options available, content marketing delivers more, and higher quality leads and customers than just about any other strategy out there.
In fact, the Content Marketing Institute cites businesses that use content marketing get 6X more conversions than businesses that don’t. So get started today.
Focus on applying these tips to make your content marketing more effective and efficient, so you can provide top-notch value to your customers, increase your impact and watch your business grow.
