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If you’re anything like me, the term “content marketing” has been invading your inbox, your Twitter feed, and even your dreams lately. But what exactly is content marketing?
In a nutshell, content marketing is the strategic process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about why content marketing is more important than ever before.
The landscape of marketing has changed dramatically in recent years. The rise of social media and the 24-hour news cycle has given consumers more control over the messages they see and when they see them. As a result, traditional marketing tactics like buying ad space or interruptive pop-ups are falling flat.
In order to reach today’s consumers where they are — on their terms — marketers need to create content that is not only interruption-free but also valuable and relevant to their audience. That’s where content marketing comes in.
Content marketing has been around for centuries (think: cave paintings) but it’s only recently that businesses have started to cotton on to its potential as a powerful marketing tool. And there’s good reason for this renewed interest: Content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing but costs 62% less. What’s not to love?
So how can you get started with content marketing? Here are five tips:
1. Define your audience
Before you can start creating content, you need to identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your content? What are their needs and wants? What pain points are you trying to address? Once you have a clear understanding of who you’re talking to, you’ll be able to create content that resonates with them.
2. Find your voice
Now that you know who you’re talking to, it’s time to find your voice. What tone will you use in your content? How formal or informal should it be? Your voice should be consistent across all of your channels (think: social media, website, blog) so that your audience can easily recognize it. Keep in mind that your voice should align with your brand identity. If you’re a serious B2B company, for example, using emojis in your tweets probably isn’t going to work well for you. On the other hand, if you’re targeting millennials with yourcontent then a more casual tone might be just what you need. 3. Choose the right format Once you’ve defined your audience and found your voice, it’s time to start thinking about format. What type of content will best suit your needs? There are endless possibilities here but some popular formats include blog posts, infographics, ebooks, webinars, and podcasts. 4.. Plan ahead No matter how great your ideas are, if you don’t have a plan for how to execute them then they’re not goingto go anywhere. That’s why planning is such an important part of the content creation process.. Beforeyou start churning out pieces left and right,, sit down and map out acontent calendar . This will help ensure that all ofyourcontent is aligned with business objectivesand that it fits together cohesivelyto form a cohesive strategy.. 5.. Promote! Last but not least,. Just becauseyou’ve created some amazingcontent doesn’t mean people will automatically findit.. You needto actively promoteyourcontent through channels like social media,, email newsletters,, paid advertising,, etc.. otherwiseit’s goingtodrown in thenoise.. And thereyou haveit!. Five tipsfor gettingstartedwithcontentmarketing!. Ifyou followthese steps thenyou’ll berelevantlyreachingyour targetaudiencein no timeand drivingmeaningfulbusiness results..
