The content marketing concept is simple: publish useful and relevant content on your business website and other platforms to attract more people to your business. This can include blog posts, pages, videos, ebooks, and more. It’s a departure from the old “outbound” marketing strategies of the past that relied on interrupting audience members with ads and other messages to generate awareness and conversions. Instead, today’s effective content marketing is geared toward earning the attention and trust of potential customers by reaching out to them in a natural way (hence the name inbound).
The type of content you create depends on what stage of the sales funnel your audience is at. If they are in the awareness stage, your content should be educational in nature and provide valuable information about their needs or problems. This can take the form of how-to articles, case studies, infographics, or videos.
Once you’ve gained the attention of your audience, you’ll want to move them to the consideration stage. This is where your content should be a mix of education and marketing, with an emphasis on the features and benefits of your products or services. This could take the form of blog posts, case studies, white papers, or checklists.
If you can get your audience to this point, they will be ready to make a purchase. This is where you can offer a discount or free trial to encourage them to become a customer. You can also use this opportunity to ask them for a referral.
When you’re working with text-based content, it’s important that your writing is clear and concise to keep readers engaged. This is especially true if you are using a blog post to build links and share on social media. If your writing is too wordy or confusing, it will be difficult to read and skim, making it less likely to be shared.
The best writing practices are based on common sense and sound grammar principles. In addition, there are several writing and editing tools available that can help you improve your content. A popular one is Hemingway Editor, which can identify overused words, detect passive voice, and warn about complicated sentences. Another great resource is HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator, which can generate a list of potential ideas for your next blog post.
The right content can be an amazing marketing tool that serves your audience, helps solve their problems, and builds relationships. With the right approach, you can see a significant increase in website traffic and new customers. But, it’s important to know what works and how to execute a plan that delivers results. For more tips, check out Guy Kawasaki’s guide to content marketing. He asks questions that will make you think, and provides a birds-eye view of the industry, types of content marketing, and how to get started. This is an excellent resource for any business owner or marketer.