Meditating on content marketing plan
Genuine people stop dating around when they find the right one. The same principle applies to your prospects, they stop looking around when they find competent, valuable and reliable Business partners.
How can you prove your worth in the online business world?
By gaining passionate brand advocates. Yes! It is a hard business. But this is the guaranteed way to build loyal customers.
Think of Apple. Nike. These brands have passionate customers who are their brand ambassador.
These brands have not hired customers for promotions. But they have tied their products to their customer’s lifestyle.
Hire Content Strategist. The package comprises of…
1. Persuasive web content writer
2. Inspiring blog writer
3. Engaging social media writer
4. Click Worthy email content writer
What distinguishes them? How did they do it?
This kind of love is not only about products. These brands have very well addressed the prevailing problems in their respective market. They have successfully distinguished themselves from their competitors. And have uniquely positioned their product in market shelves.
They broke the monotony. Status quo. And were not afraid of being different.
Yes! Agreed that they have deep pockets. And used intrusive methods to gain attention. But interrupting your audience to promote your business can have an adverse impact on your brand these days.
The more promising and cost effective way to build your authority and brand is through valuable content.
Content that is engaging, valuable and helpful to your target audience
Content that is easily found on search engines
Content that gets attention through likes, shares and tweets
How do you create captivating online business content?
1. Focus on helping your target audience rather selling
2. Use social media or email to promote new content and engage your audience.
There are many how-to guides on content marketing. Understanding content marketing is one thing; applying it and seeing results is another.
Let's make a plan to get tangible results from content marketing. Nothing major or long-term, just something to give you direction and measurable results.
The content marketing strategy
1. For those who have their websites. These days everyone has it.
2. For those who want traffic and, thereby, more business from their website, Who doesn't want it?!
Follow these 10 tips. Build a loyal audience. Evaluate your results within 6 months
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Understand with whom you want to talk. What are their interests? What problems are they facing? And, how can your product be the solution to their pressing pains?
Decode your audience's secret language by exploring forums, social media groups, and comment sections like you're on a treasure hunt. Dig up insights that make your audience say, "They get me!"
2. Set Up Your S.M.A.R.T Content Goals
Setup your S.M.A.R.T Content goals. This is the most important step. Because unless you know where you are heading and for what, your path will be riddled with distraction.
Let's talk about SMART goals…
a. Be Specific
Don't be vague. Clearly define what you want to achieve with all your efforts.
b. Be Measurable
Ensure you can track your progress. Metrics matter; you can't improve what you can't measure.
c. Be Achievable
Break your goals into manageable steps. You can't jump to the last step of a 20-step staircase while on the first step.
g. Be Relevant:
Focus on the bigger picture. All your actions should drive you closer to your goals.
h. Be Time-bound:
Picture your goals with an expiration date. It adds that extra thrill, like a countdown to a rocket launch.
3. Pillar and Cluster Framework
Create an effective keyword strategy using the pillar and cluster framework. Tailor your content topics around cluster keywords.
For example, in case of ecommerce store selling sports shoes…
a. Pillar Keyword: Sports Shoes
b. Cluster Keyword: Running shoes, Basketball shoes, Soccer cleats, Athletic footwear, Cross-training sneakers, Trail running shoes, Walking shoes, Casual sports shoes, Performance sports shoes, Outdoor sports shoes, etc.
4. Allocate Your Content Ideas Into 3 Buckets
Come up with the content ideas that fits in at each stage of the buyer's journey.
Divide your content into 3 buckets. Those are…
a. Conversion content: Convert leads into customers. For example, product descriptions that persuade.
b. Retention content: Engage and keep existing customers. Use blog posts to explain your loyalty programs and how to earn points
c. Acquisition content: Attract leads. For example, SEO optimized blog posts fitting in 3 stages of the marketing funnel.
5. Provide Visual Relief
Use conversational tone. Make it resonate with your readers. Format it for smooth readability.
Here are the pointers…
1. Craft punchy headlines.
2. Make it scannable with subheadings.
3. Use images that complement copy.
6. Strategic Keyword Placement
You don’t have to write for search engines. Your content must be optimized for search engines. Place your keywords strategically throughout your content.
Use these pointers to make your content SEO friendly…
1. Place your main keyword in the first 100 words of your blog content. Use it in the title. Sub-head.
2. Use the main keyword in your meta title.
3. Get inbound links from quality websites that are relatable to your business.
7. Prioritize Visual Appeal and Design
Every element on a website should complement each other. Every element has a role to play.
To encourage prospects to stay longer on the website and take action.
To make that happen, visual relief plays a crucial role. Design matters.
Follow these pointers for a well-designed page…
1. Use eye-catching visuals, snappy headlines, and a layout that is easy on the eyes.
2. Write in short paragraphs. Break the flow with scannable subheadings. Use white space for visual relief.
3. Help your prospects to swiftly navigate on your website
Don’t shy away from promoting yourself. If you don’t talk about your business who will? Set time aside for optimally utilizing social media for your work.
Here are some of the strategies to Stand Out…
a. Niche specific Hashtags:
1. Use trending hashtags to amplify your reach and start conversations.
2. Create a branded hashtag to encourage community engagement.
b. Conversational Captions:
1. Craft captions that resonate with your audience emotionally.
2. Ask questions to involve readers and spark discussions.
9. Explore Various Distribution Channels
Looking to expand your reach? Try sending emails, starting a podcast, or writing guest posts. These strategies will help you connect with a wider audience and see your content grow.
10. Repurpose Content for Maximum Impact
Focus 20% of your efforts on creating content. And 80% on its distribution.
Follow these pointers…
1. Transform your blogs into infographics.
2. Take sub-heading from your blogs and make slide decks/videos out of it.
3. Turn your well done webinars into well informed blog posts.
4. Convert your well performing blog posts into step by step guides, stories, podcasts, mashup articles, ebooks, FAQs, videos and quizzes.
In this way you can scatter your content in different formats to create lasting impressions.
11. Measure Your Content Performance and ROI
Measuring how well your content performs and its return on investment (ROI) is important for understanding its impact. And whether it is a worthwhile investment or not.
Here are pointers to help you gauge your content's success...
a. Set Clear Goals for Your Content:
Define what success means for your content upfront. Whether it is about…
1. Boosting website traffic
2. Generating leads, or
3. Driving sales,
b. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
Identify KPIs to track your progress.
For instance, if increasing website traffic is your goal then track metrics like
1. Page views
2. Unique visitors and
3. Bounce rate
c. Utilize Tracking Tools for KPIs:
Leverage tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to monitor and analyze your chosen KPIs. These tools provide valuable insights into your content's performance.
12. Test and Optimize
A/B testing and user feedback are the power tools of content optimization.
Imagine this: you have two versions of your content, A and B. A/B testing helps you figure out which one works better. We are talking about real-time experimentation here. Now, meet your best pals in this journey – Google Optimize, Hotjar, and Crazy Egg.
Implement these steps to enhance your content strategy and achieve desired results within six months. Genuine content, like genuine connections, builds lasting relationships with loyal online customers.
Hire Content Strategist. The package comprises of…
1. Persuasive web content writer
2. Inspiring blog writer
3. Engaging social media writer
4. Click Worthy email content writer