Things You Need to Know About Content Marketing in 2022
Content marketing is interpreted in many different ways, as companies all have their own set strategy regarding the way that they approach it. Fundamentally, it is the creation of content that is to be consumed by an online audience, which adds value to their experience with your brand and generates interest in your products without explicitly selling them.
With so many brands competing in the same space, content marketing is used to stand out and be recognized as a voice in a specific industry that commands attention and attracts consumers to interact with your brand. It’s easy to get drowned out by all the “noise” in the social space – but below you will find some useful tips to help you gain your own dedicated following who believes in your brand.
Establish a content marketing plan
Before you do anything, you need a plan! This plan should be as detailed as possible and outline upcoming content for at least 3 months in advance. It shouldn’t only cover your blog, but encompass social, digital and all other multimedia you intend to use over the course of your set period.
With this outline in place, you are better able to see what your key objectives are and what content you know you should be leveraging at different points in time. It makes shooting, recording, writing much easier and more streamlined as well.
Aim to become a thought leader
Your content needs to speak to your niche on a personal level, and it needs to be relevant and informative. There’s no use in writing content that no one is going to be interested in reading – so aim to write content that places you at the forefront of your industry. You should aim to become a thought leader in your area of expertise.
People are searching online for content that fulfills their needs – and if you can provide them with insight that they can use to make a difference in their own and other people’s lives, then you will ensure that you get traffic and visitors continuously coming back for more. And more clicks and shares mean expansion for your own brand.
Create content for your marketing personas
#Content structuring is becoming important & may affect your site’s visibility in search & further interaction with it (through voice or a mobile device) @seosmarty explains how (and why!) to create an effective content structure for better ranking https://t.co/KaWQT1TdmM pic.twitter.com/v2ZbuskOnT
— SEMrush (@semrush) March 26, 2019
When outlining your content plan, you should also think about who you are targeting. If you are a SEO company who wants to offer your services to SMEs, for example, then you will also need to create personas based on your audience.
- Who is going to require your services?
- Why should they choose you?
- What are their pain points?
You may have a few different personas based on what your brand is – and once you flesh these out it will inform the content that you create because you will be creating it for them, the lifeblood of your business.
Write with SEO, social and your users in mind
There has been a lot of talk about optimizing your blog and the rest of your content for SEO – and while you should certainly have all the basics all in place, you should also remember that SEO is only one part of the picture.
A lot of the time, your content is going to gain the most traction through social media – so you should ensure that while your content is optimized for search engines, it also needs to be shareable and user-friendly. Another good way to get users interacting is to use micro-influencers that they trust to power your brand forward.
Diversify your content offering
Technology online has grown to the point where people are always expecting more, so differentiating your brand from the masses requires you to diversify your content in such a way that it can be consumed in various ways and on multiple channels.
When creating content, always consider if you can include live video, webinars, blogs, podcasts, infographics, and anything else to set yourself apart and make your brand unique and forward-thinking. This is the same for social content as well. People love to be able to interact with content – and so it is a good idea to allow them to actively participate through surveys, quizzes, or live question and answer sessions.
Take a deep dive into your analytics
What you think works for your brand might not actually be the reality – and that’s okay! It’s now easier than ever to use real data to inform your content strategy thanks to a plethora of free tools. You’re now able to analyze what forms of content your visitors respond to best, which content they’re most likely to share on social media, what geographical regions you’re attracting traffic from, and more.
Artificial intelligence has also come to the fore, especially in terms of your analytics, keyword research, and being able to offer your users a more personalized experience. In the end, content marketing is not an exact science – but by using these tips and informing your strategy with analytics and data that can show you what works, you can make better decisions about who you target and what you create for them to boost the growth of your brand.
