Content Marketing in 5 Steps

Did you know? Content marketing helps build valuable relationships that can generate sales.

There’s a lot of talk about content marketing – creating and providing valuable information to current and prospective customers or internal audiences. Chances are, you’re already doing some kind of content marketing. If you’re not – and even if you are – we encourage you to be mindful about how you move forward with maximum impact. Learn more in this first installment in a new series on content marketing.

What can content marketing do for you?

Let’s start with the basics. Content marketing is designed to help your audience learn and connect. Content marketing is centered on relationship building and increasing your social currency in the busy digital community. When you create familiarity and build trust, customers will come to you when they need some of what you’re selling. Interest your audience enough to share your content – or ask you or someone else about it – and you’re on your way.

Get started in 5 steps

1. Determine measures of success. Any effective project starts with your goals and metrics – and starting a content marketing program is no different. Your KPIs will be different depending on your goal. Here are just a few examples.
   1. Building your brand – media mentions, new visitors
   2. Generate leads – gated downloads, lead source
   3. Increase conversions – new customers, revenue won
   4. Strengthen customer loyalty – retention, web engagement
2. Understand your audience. Customers, prospects, connectors or employees – your content must be geared towards what they want or need to hear. And where they’re feeling the most “pain” in their work lives.
3. Develop your messages. Consider what your audience currently feels about your product or service – and how you want them to feel. Create a short list of key messages that capture the essence of what you want to communicate.
4. Pick your format. The possibilities are many, including blog posts, videos, interactive tools and presentations, emails, banner ads or infographics. Remember to start with great content and choose the media mix from there.
5. Choose the right channels. Are you reaching out to internal audiences? Consider intranet posts, videos from thought leaders, or employee community conversations. For external audiences, try Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn or SlideShare.

What makes “great content” anyway?

We’ll leave you with this thought: great content is well-written, concise, creative and relevant. It engages your reader with its imagination, conveys the quality of your product and most importantly, provides information that’s helpful to the reader in an easily digestible form. Great content is the critical ingredient for any content marketing you undertake.