If you’re wondering why your current marketing plan isn’t delivering the kind of results you want, it could be because you aren’t utilizing content marketing. Content marketing is one of the single most important marketing investments an organization can make. It’s not enough to pump out product and/or service-pushing media. Instead, a solid content marketing strategy can position you as an accessible industry expert and provide clients and prospects with information that can help them solve their problems.
Different platforms are best suited for varying types of educational materials. The fact of the matter is, an interconnected, multi-platform marketing approach leads to greater success. The best content marketing strategy uses a combination of blogging, social media, email marketing and more. It focuses on the right social networks to reach your audience, which helps to increase brand awareness and ultimately pull visitors to your site where they will find the resources and information they need. Content marketing gives you more bang for your buck, maximizing your marketing investment by spreading pieces of content across various channels to generate additional traffic, interest and leads.
Not sure where to start? Here are three platforms to consider:
Blogging. Blogs can house articles, videos, infographics, tips, and other engaging and relevant content, and help boost SEO when utilized regularly. Blogs are one of the most effective ways to move a prospective client through the sales funnel, creating an opportunity to share easily accessible educational material with your audience on a regular basis. They can supplement bigger works, such as white papers and case studies, in a more cost-effective way.
Social Media. If you’ve invested in a case study or a white paper, you owe it to yourself to properly market your material. Social media doesn’t live in isolation, so using it to boost blogs, case studies, and white papers allows your investment to go further. 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands they follow on social media, and consumers actually have more trust in a brand that practices transparency by sharing informative content. Social media connects followers to your website, too. In fact, 64% of all visits from social media to corporate websites come from LinkedIn. LinkedIn traffic is huge in the B2B world, and its power shouldn’t be underestimated.
Email Marketing. Email marketing isn’t separate from content marketing. Well-timed email newsletters, blasts, and general communication present another opportunity to share educational material and events, such as podcasts, seminars and webinars. Furthermore, utilizing follow-up emails can foster a sense of familiarity and build greater trust. The business world still operates via email, so meeting them where they are with engaging content that includes links to blogs, case studies and downloadables can generate more attention from an audience that might be unmet by utilizing blogs and social media alone.
In 2017, 66% of the most effective content marketers had a documented content strategy to guide them. These plans should include a combination of the types of content that are best suited to your business. We can help you create the content and execute a winning content marketing strategy. Contact us to learn more.
