What is Content Marketing?
For starters, content marketing is not exclusive to the web, it can be any marketing platform. It’s includes the creation and sharing of media or publishing content whose purpose is to acquire more customers or conversions. There are many different ways you can display content, including text, photos, videos, e-books, case studies, white papers, infographics and more. While this is the general definition, something you also need to consider is the character your content carries. With Google’s algorithms changing constantly content has evolved greatly. People are searching more, asking more questions, what you need to ask yourself is, “Am I answering their questions?” Companies in every industry and size have various content strategies. From Fortune 500 companies to startups the proof is in the content, not the pudding. While there are many different ways to market, you'll definitely be able to find a way to use it to your advantage and boost your online presence.
Starting off as a copywriter and working my way up to Head of Content I understand just how important a good content marketing strategy really is for your overall business. With websites carrying such an expensive price tag (for a good, quality one at least...) you want to make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck. The last thing you want is to pay thousands of dollars for a site that is just filled with generic content lacking any sustenance or personality. Whether you are about to dive into a new web development project or you are just looking for new ways to improve your site’s traffic and conversions, rethinking your current content marketing strategy can help greatly. Here you’ll find tips on what to look out for, how to position your content and what to make sure you include in your site.
Why is it so important?
Let me put it this way, your content will definitely be one of the major determining factors in whether or not they convert, return, or even recommend your site to others. Keeping your target audience and visitors happy and engaged is your ultimate goal. Supplying them with the answers to their gnawing questions will be how you win them over.
What is it's purpose?
Though the main purpose is to gain new customers and conversions, you are also providing your customers with a direct connection. The best way to do this while you increase conversions, traffic and boost your reputation is to fulfill a need. Your website needs more than just an overwhelming amount of focus keywords crammed in each section. Become your community’s go to resource, answer their questions and keep them engaged, all with a strong strategy..
How has it changed in few years?
In the last few years as Google updated their algorithms, content creation has changed greatly. Rather than it just being the vehicle to cram SEO keywords and pitching your products you now have the opportunity to establish a connection with your consumers. Instead of just taking up space on the web, use it wisely and surprise yourself with how much your traffic and conversions improve.
Are you utilizing your content the right way?
How does your content look right now? Are all of your pages extremely dense with keywords and no real material? Even if you have a good pagerank now, that won’t last long. Google’s geniuses know all about the loopholes that slipped past the last algorithm, so what may have worked for you months ago may not continue to work. So what’s the solution? Understanding the importance of your content marketing strategies and putting some serious thought into it!
What are the benefits of content marketing?
By using content marketing the correct way and taking the right amount of time to strategically position your pages, services and it’s continuity you can benefit more than just gaining more conversions. Your content can help you narrow down your audience, show what strategies are working, what areas need improvement and more. With the right content marketing strategy you can become a credible resource in your industry while staying ahead of the curve instead of constantly playing catch up with every new update.
What can your content tell you?
There’s a reason I keep saying its so important. With the right positioning and strategies you can identify various important components of your online presence and business. With the right analytics programs your content marketing can find your target audiences and narrow it down to specific areas. Working with your analytics program, you will also be able to see what pages are driving the traffic and which ones have the highest bounce rates. You can then pivot your content marketing strategy to address these weak points by finding what made your strong pages so visible. Was it the information available? The formating? The images? It could have even been for a long-tail keyword you were unaware of. All of these questions can be answered with the collaboration between your analytics and your content.
