Content marketing is publishing information that the target audience will find valuable and that will draw them to the business offering. As part of an online marketing strategy, the content can be in the form of blog posts, articles on LinkedIn, other social media applications, podcasts, YouTube, Newsletters, and more.
With so much business and marketing being done online, it makes sense for businesses to use content marketing as a way for their target audience to get to know them before even purchasing. This is especially true for businesses in which it’s important for clients to trust the provider. For example, life coaches, lawyers, health care professionals, etc. can all benefit from publishing and marketing routine content to their target market.
Here are 5 steps to take when getting started with a content marketing strategy:
1. Pick a few platforms to start – (but not all of them)
Content marketing can be time-consuming. Spend time researching where your target audience is most likely to be hanging out online. Start with those platforms as you start putting content to market your business out into the world.
2. Be consistent in your messaging.
This is important especially if you have multiple team members contributing to the content. Be sure that what is published doesn’t contradict itself and that you have a plan of what you will be focusing on.
3. Come up with a plan and publish routinely.
Content marketing and any online marketing strategy will be most effective if new content is published on a regular basis. In the online world, new content is available every second. It is a good idea to try to keep a schedule and “nurture” the relationship with potential customers who enjoy your content. If you post once and then disappear for months, the content won’t reach many people.
4. Give value without giving away all of your expertise.
The goal of your online marketing strategy should be to share value with your audience, without sharing all of your unique skills/knowledge. It’s ok to keep some of the value for the paying customers.
5. Recirculate your content to different platforms.
No need to reinvent the wheel for each different platform. A lot of content can be tweaked and reposted or cross-posted to multiple platforms. Just take care to make sure that the content you’re posting is appropriate and relevant to the platform and audience that will be consuming the content.
Gray Digital Group works with small businesses to develop online marketing strategies and plans, including content marketing. Let us know if you’d like to learn more on how we can help!
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