Quick: what’s the last ad you remember seeing? With promotions covering every square inch and pixel in your viewing area, you probably don’t remember. So in a world of literal clutter, how can you catch (and hold) the attention of potential clients and key audiences? Content marketing offers a viable solution for organizations to show their smarts and demonstrate value.
Don’t worry, content marketing is not another new platform you need to learn. Content marketing enables you to “attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating content in order to change or enhance a consumer behavior.”(1) So intentional or not, you’re probably already implementing content marketing strategies! You want to build and interact with your audience so that they will answer your calls to action.
Let’s take a closer look at a few ways you can leverage simple content marketing techniques to reach and engage the right people.
1. Get smart about who you’re trying to reach. A little obsession isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to your audience. Learn who they are, what they care about and how they want to receive information. If you’re not sure, ask them! Don’t be afraid to test out different content types and channels when you’re getting started.
2. Target and tailor your topics. Naturally, your organization wants to be seen as a thought leader in the industry. To do so, select the types of content based on the great work you’ve done for your customers and how new trends will affect them. When you become more comfortable developing content, you can begin to push the envelope to new topics.
3. Pick some brains. Specifically, the brains of your colleagues. Just because someone is not a content creator or marketing guru, they still have valuable insight to contribute. Bring in colleagues from across the organization to talk about what they are working on and interested in―both in and outside the office. Pick the most compelling ideas as starting points for new content.
4. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Once you have all this great content, how can you decide what to do with it? Develop an editorial calendar to spell out which content is going where and when. Don’t be afraid to revamp and reorganize content pieces for a variety of mediums: a white paper can become a blog post can become a LinkedIn post can become a Tweet…and back again.
5. Freshen up. The crazy pace of your organization will dictate how frequently your team can develop content. Err on the side of evergreen content that can be used at any time of the year, with a few timelier pieces thrown in. Whenever you’re re-purposing content, be sure to update it to reflect any news, industry changes, or insights since it was first written.
While launching a content marketing initiative can be a bit bumpy in the beginning, keep at it. Continually sharing your unique perspective shows your target audience that you are in the know and they will trust your opinion. And when they need your specific type of expertise, they will be more likely to come to you over a competitor.
Have you implemented a content marketing strategy at your organization? What works best to keep the content rolling? Leave a comment with your ideas!
(1) Six Useful Content Marketing Definitions by Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute. Published June 6, 2012.
Great post Jennifer.
I would add that it is important to think about delivery platforms. For instance, not everything works on Twitter and sometimes a simple tweet is more powerful than a white paper.
Also, be sure to use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to drive folks to your online content.
Thanks, Lisa! I definitely agree. It’s important to evaluate which channel will serve your audience best and how much time you have to create the content.
Good points. Especially #5.