Did you know more than 2 million blog posts are published every day? It’s true, according to Worldometers. That’s a lot of content for people to process when looking for information.
Planning your content with a well-researched digital content marketing strategy is critical to successfully cutting through the clickbait and irrelevant articles. This means thinking about what you ultimately want to achieve with the messages you’re publishing.
Whatever your end goal is, clearly defining it is the first step in developing a strong, successful digital content marketing strategy.
First, let’s begin with the basics. These are efforts you’re probably already aware of, but it’s worth outlining to give you a solid foundation for your strategy.
The information your company produces should be crafted with an end goal in mind and as part of an overarching marketing strategy. Lay out your company’s goals for the year. The obvious goal for all companies is to increase revenue, but are you looking to expand into a new market, release a new product or reach a new audience? Once you know what it is you’ll be working to achieve, you can think further about how content will be part of that.
Let’s say this year your company plans to release a new product. Who are the users of this product? Are they different from current users? If so, what sets them apart from your current customers? Conduct research to understand these buyers and what will resonate with them. Find out where they go online and what types of content they best identify with. Do they prefer to watch a video or read about a topic? What types of social media channels do they use? Knowing this will give you a better idea of where to promote your content so the right people see it.
Once you know where to promote, you can plan the types of content your marketing team will deploy throughout the year that reaffirms the message of your goal. You’ll want to include information such as:
Once you have the basics defined, here are some secrets to help your digital content marketing strategy really take off.
Wondering if your engineering audience or hospital patients would be intrigued by a social media story? Don’t be afraid to try something new! Brands are becoming increasingly creative with Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat stories, incorporating this strategy into their marketing efforts. While the concept of Stories has really taken off with the B2C crowd, B2B companies achieve their goals by showcasing their team members and new product information or promoting blog posts, case studies or company podcasts.
General Electric’s Instagram page consistently showcases its breakthroughs and examples of innovation. This can create a connection with audiences at the individual buyer level, as well as other businesses looking to partner with such a powerful brand.
Everyone loves the cash back or perks they receive on purchases made with their credit or loyalty cards. The incentive to receive something free after making repeat purchases makes it feel worth it and keeps your customers coming back. You can do this on some level in almost any industry, even B2B.
Promoting deals on blanket orders or establishing a referral program can help you retain customers in the B2B space, where sales cycles tend to be lengthy. Customer retention is especially important because the value of each sale is typically much higher in the B2B world. Google for Work is one company that offers a referral incentive that rewards users who recommend the G Suite.
Influencer marketing is another newer addition to a successful content marketing strategy. The idea is to use someone to promote your brand who has a positive influence on the audience you’re trying to reach.
Different from celebrity endorsements, influencers tend to be gurus in their niche area and are selective about who they associate their own personal brand with, making a partnership more authentic. Using influencers to promote your products and services can add a level of engagement that is more powerful for hitting reach and impression goals than simply publishing content.
Native advertising isn’t new to the content marketing game, but it is really picking up traction. In fact, experts are predicting 2019 will be the year advertisers wholly embrace the discipline of native advertising in marketing.
The key is to be strategic about partnerships and collaboration, according to the Native Advertising Institute. Solidifying an authentic native experience requires brands and publishers to develop long-term working relationships to ensure the content is meaningful and relevant, as 2019 is also predicted to bring about a shift into different formats and channels. Navigating this shift will be much easier with authentic content at the forefront.
Understanding who your emails are best suited for is key. While you don’t have to go crazy with segmenting, there are some simple ways to determine who should or shouldn’t receive your emails. You want your audience to find your emails helpful and informative. Some ways you can use simplified segmenting include:
What it comes down to is being considerate of who you’re sending to and what actions they’ve already taken. For some, not making these considerations could turn them off and lead them to unsubscribe.
Marketers continually strive to provide a more relevant customer experience using a combination of technology and creativity. When creating content, it’s important to embrace and test newer methods to determine what’s right for your audience. You won’t know whether it generates positive results unless you try it. Decide what trends are right for your audience based on research, but don’t be afraid to test something to gather your own data. Marketing is a continual process of developing new strategies for your audience.
