There's no doubt that content marketing is an exceptional way for businesses to increase traffic to their website, garner higher positions in search results and nurture their existing customers. However, as more businesses realize that content marketing is a requirement and not an option, the digital space is - to put it mildly - overflowing with content.
So there's content flying everywhere - what should you do about it? Be better. That's the best advice there is regarding content. If you consistently go that extra mile to create more valuable and insightful content, your stuff will inevitably rise to the top.
For our latest DM Video Series entry, we decided to outline five things you can do to stand out from the crowd and attract new customers with content marketing. Check it out:
1. Start With Your USP
Every business should have a rock solid unique selling proposition (USP) that helps set them apart from their competition. A great place to start your content marketing is by identifying how your USP blends in with the story your brand is trying to tell. When brands portray a uniform USP across their products, culture and content, it goes a long way to increasing audience buy-in and customer advocacy.
2. Know Your Audience
How can you ever be sure that you're creating the right kind of content for your audience if you don't know who they are? Your business isn't about you, it's about your customers, so make getting to know them a priority. Create buyer personas and figure out who your customers are, what kind of information they're looking for and where they hang out online. Then you can create the kind of content your customers are searching for.
3. Map Your Content To The Buying Cycle
By putting yourself in your customers' shoes, you'll get a better idea of what kind of content will be most helpful to them at the various stages of the buying cycle. This will help you determine optimal content topics and formats that actually help move your customers along the buying cycle more efficiently. And in the end, the easier a product or service is to buy, the more it's going to sell.
4. Brainstorm Ideas
By now, hopefully you've realized that content for the sake of content isn't going to work. Thin, boring content doesn't provide value or insight to anybody. To get your creative juices flowing, map out your ideas for topics and content format; sometimes, the way you deliver content is just as important as what you say. Mix, match and repurpose content in as many different formats as you can - just make sure to keep it high quality! The more ways you can highlight your expertise, the better.
5. Build A Content Calendar
The man with the plan usually comes out ahead, and content marketing is no different. Stay organized by creating a content calendar complete with dates, responsibilities and other items that will help the content marketing train keep on chugging. A monthly snapshot of your content marketing efforts will also keep you motivated and energized about all of the great content you're putting out.
