1. Know Your
Audience – If you’re going to create compelling content, you first need to appreciate
who you’re create it for. Who is the aim demographic, where can they be found
online, and perhaps most highly what do they need? Understanding this need is basic
to content marketing.
2. Be Useful – The
most successful commercial content addresses the needs of the prospective
customer and provides solutions to their problems. Businesses need to
demonstrate the value of their brand, so that their audience returns when they
enter the buying phase. Plus, useful content is more likely to be shared
amongst web users. But content can be useful in a number of different ways.
3. Educate,
Editorialise or Entertain – By education your audience a lesson, content maker
create a bond of trust between brand and customer. The lesson could help the
customer get more from a product or service, or could light up why the customer
needs those products or services, without becoming overtly sales-y. Editorial
content allows a corporation to present their opinion or perspective on a hot
topic within their industry. This allows the business to enforce their
expertise, making the argument in favour of their products more compelling. But
content can also simply be funny, and while this might seem less useful, it is
proven to maximise the sharing potential of the product and encourage the
audience to come back for more.
4. Immerse yourself
– It isn’t enough to simply produce great content, you have to get it out into
the world and the internet is the most powerful tool we’ve ever had for doing
so. But the internet has also shifted the balance of power in the selling
argument, and it is now a two way conversation. So, once you know your
audience, you have to become one of their peers. Identify the most popular
industry blogs and online communities, join groups and familiarise yourselves
with the thought leaders and most trusted voices in your niche.
5. Share Your
Content – Once you know your online community, you can create content which is
tailored to their needs, but this is no good unless they can see that content,
so share it with them. Don’t keep the content for your company blog or website,
when many potential customers won’t see it. Instead expand its visibility by
distributing the content through multiple channels and encourage your audience
to share it with their peers on social media. The relationships you build with
thought leaders and popular journalists will pay off here, because they can
help your content reach its target demographic. Ask this populace what content
they are looking for, plus then provide it to them, and benefit from the added
exposure this will provide.
The Hit Search Content Marketing Handbook is now available
from the company site, where businesses can also enjoy a free Search Engine Optimization
appraisal of their website. All they have to do is provide their domain name
and target keywords and Hit Search will provide an psychoanalysis of their
website and a detailed competitor study.
0 comments:
Post a Comment