So What Exactly Is Content Marketing Anyway?

Content marketing is a buzz word thrown around often by marketing gurus and in business how-to articles. It's touted as a must have in any effective overall marketing strategy...but do you know what it really is? Here are 5 quick insights to help you understand it and do something with it!

What It Is
The creation, publishing and sharing of materials online that do not explicitly promote a brand but are intended to stimulate interest and engagement in its products or services. Videos, blogs, articles, social media posts, eNewsletters – the list is pretty extensive of what is included so don’t think it’s just about social media.

It Doesn’t Have To Be Costly, But It Does Require A Plan
Sure, social media is free but content marketing is so much more than posts on Facebook and fun pictures on Instagram. From eNewsletters to articles, photos, videos and website content, you need to be strategic in creating quality items that are interesting and/or informative…then delivering that content to your target markets where they are. That takes time and effort. And if not your time, hiring a professional to strategize and execute might be the way to go. Set a budget (maybe as much as 25% of your total marketing budget) and implement the plan.

It’s A Long-Term Game With Measurable ROI
Brand growth is usually slow and gradual with content marketing. So along with a plan and tangible goals, your strategy has to include patience. The first weeks or even months might not provide big returns. However, over the longer term, your efforts should start producing results that reflect your goals. As you focus on building relationships with customers, sending traffic to your website and informing potential customers about your brand, the metrics you track will help you determine effectiveness.

ANY Business Can Benefit
There is not a single niche or business that can’t see gains with a strategic, well played plan for content marketing. It’s true. But note, success hinges on strategy, goals, execution, measurement, adjustment…repeat.

Your Strategy Must Fit Your Niche
While there are some proven efforts that work really well in content marketing, there are others that may work exceptionally well for your target market. Or those that just don’t resonate with your customers (or potential customers.) So don’t just plan to copy another company’s content marketing strategy. You have to take the time to create your very own strategy that works for your company. Sure, you’ll have things in common with competitors or other businesses, but keep your specific target market in mind and tailor your efforts and goals directly to them.

Now is the time to dive deep and learn how effective content marketing can be for your business. With the overall ease of publishing and sharing content, it’s a powerful tool in a marketing toolbox that can provide long term benefits for any business.

3 Content Marketing Tips for 2015

Many small businesses are under the false assumption about a web site, "if you build it, they will come." We are at a time when more web sites exist than ever before and that number grows significantly every single day. So how do you go about getting your site - your content - noticed by the users that matter most to your business? It takes some careful thought, ingenuity and marketing. Here are three tips to help you market your content more effectively in 2015:

1. Focus on your audience
   Your content is for people...not Google, Bing, bots and crawlers. Every item of content you create for your site should be uniquely targeted to your audience. Clearly define and get to know your potential customers. Create content that speaks to their interests, needs, preferences and provides information that is relevant to them.
   
   And the result? Your site will develop positive search engine optimization scores. Google's search algorithm has evolved enough to now take into consideration user experience factors along with programming protocols. So site content that is optimized for users will organically begin to perform better in search engine results. Not to mention the fact that your chances to convert site visitors to paying customers is much greater as well.


2. Promote - Promote - Promote
   Half the battle of content marketing for small business is just getting it published. If it's a blog post, a product video on YouTube, a new page on your web site or a new product picture on Instagram, making the time to do it is the challenge. But once you make that happen, it's time to promote and share that content through every means you have - email, newsletter, social media, guest blog post, maybe even a press release. And a key element is to direct people who see your content to your main information hub - your web site. It's fair to say that you should strive to put as much effort into promoting your content as you do creating it.


3. Align your message
   For every place you publish content - whether it's blogs, web sites, social media accounts, emails - make sure your message is consistent for your target audience. That doesn't have to stifle creativity but it does require some alignment in the way you present your information. As users follow your content and visit your web site they get a cohesive message. And as those users transition into customers, they value the content you provide and will be keenly aware of the fact that you meet their needs.

So make 2015 a year for content ingenuity, not just creation. Your small business has a value-added message for others and it's time to share it!