The Basics of Good Content Marketing

What is Content Marketing?

How do I do it Well?

Your quick and easy startup guide to content marketing.

Marketing is moving faster than ever. Today’s marketing teams are tasked with doing more and delivering better results in less time. Fortunately, they have marketing technology on their side. Unfortunately, there are some things you just can’t automate. Content creation is one of them. But content marketing is one of the best ways to engage deeply with your desired audience, converting prospects and gaining wider appeal.

So where do you start? If you’re feeling daunted, you’re not alone. In Zazzle Media’s recent survey on the state of content marketing, they found that nearly two out of three companies report having a hard time producing engaging content.

Getting started with content marketing.

The key to meaningful content marketing is knowing what you want. You have metrics in place to measure everything else your company does, so why would you leave your content marketing up in the air? Don’t just post willy nilly. To decide if content is worth publishing on any of your marketing channels, ask these questions.

Is it easy to read?

This is an extremely simple metric – but it matters a lot. No one wants to wade through verbose verbiage. And, the truth is, they won’t. If you can’t reach your audience with easy-to-grasp, fun-to-read content, you risk losing them to a competitor. Today’s audience wants catchy headlines, short paragraphs, and lots of skimmable bullets. It’s up to you to deliver. Plus, readable content has been shown to rank higher on Google.

Does it have a consistent voice?

Your brand should have a tone, whether it’s educated and professional or light and conversational. Establish that – and then make sure all of your content marketing falls in line. Prospects who read your content online are trying to get to know your brand they same way they’d get to know a person. Give them some personality to latch onto and you’re more likely to land them.

Is it helpful?

Why would people – who have limited time in the day and about a billion sources of information available to them – read your content? If you don’t have a strong answer to that, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Take time to figure out what your audience wants to know (email surveys are a great place to start) and create content that gives them answers. If information delivery isn’t in line with your brand, make your content funny or find another way to engage. Ask yourself if you were out on the world, would you stop to read this? Then make sure the answer is always a resounding yes.

Does it fit with my marketing strategy?

Nothing makes a company look scattered quite like having one or two blogs strewn across the last few years. Similarly, nothing is going to confuse your email list more than getting a single email from you once in a blue moon. Good content marketing demands regularity. Don’t get stressed! A quarterly email or a blog once a month could be totally sufficient. It’s all about finding a cadence that makes sense to your audience and is sustainable for your business.

Taking action.

Do you want to know the best way to start with content marketing? Start. No, really. Finding your voice, dialing in your audience, settling into your niche – it all takes time. As with most things, practice makes perfect. Now, I’m not saying you should start blasting your email list daily. But get one out there. Check your clicks and opens. See how your audience responds. You can refine and reiterate from there.

If you’re looking at a blank screen on your computer, feeling your biggest case of writer’s block since college, I can help. I’m a versatile content marketer who can deliver quality, engaging content your company can use in a variety of ways. If you want to learn more. get in touch!