Content marketing is a powerful way to grow your business and become a trusted leader in your industry. One of the reasons content marketing is so valuable is because it’s a vehicle for providing answers to your customers’ problems.
When a potential customer lands on your website or reads your blog, it’s because they were searching for it. They had a need, and you delivered. Bravo.
That’s not to say content marketing is a passive way of finding new leads. On the contrary! When done well, it is a very intentional way of guiding interested parties farther and farther down the sales funnel - and ultimately converting them to customers.
What to Consider When Developing a Content Marketing Strategy
Simply producing content for the sake of having more content might be all well and good, but it’s a very inefficient way of achieving your goals. No one has time (or money) for inefficiencies.
You need a plan, and you can’t make a plan without first thinking about why you want to get started with content marketing in the first place.
Before you put pen to paper (or fingers to keys), start by asking yourself these three questions:
Who is your audience? And be specific. Identifying your ideal customer persona helps you more effectively target your content and make sure you’re addressing their unique needs. For example, if you offer dog walking services, it’s important to zero in on the specific type of people you want to reach and forget about all the other types of pet owners out there.
What problems are you solving? By speaking directly to your customer’s pain points, you’ll be in the best position to ease their burdens and solve their problems. When a reader engages with your content, they’ve decided to trust you enough to listen to what you have to say. Do your part by offering them solutions to their problems. In turn, they are more likely to call you up when they’re ready to pay for whatever products or services you’re offering.
Why do you want to implement a content strategy? At the end of the day, everything you do should be in support of your business goals. The same is true for your content marketing strategy. Think about your goals, refine them regularly, and track how well you’re meeting your benchmarks. If your content isn’t moving the needle, don't be afraid to try something new.
After you’ve asked yourself these questions and identified who are targeting and why, you can begin developing a content calendar that delivers on those goals.
As you map out your content plan, consider things like where you’ll be posting your content (e.g., on social media, in a blog, via a webinar or whitepaper) and how frequently you’ll be doing so. Consistency is key to both engaging your readers as well as staying in good favor with search engines.
If you have questions about content marketing or need help implementing your strategy, get in touch with me for help.