The essence of marketing is spreading the word. You want the right people (potential customers) to know about your business, and show interest in your service or product.
And there are many ways to go about that.
You can try direct sales pitch, contacting customers, sending out links – or just straight up paid advertising.
Or, you could follow a “more subtle” approach that isn’t too pushy, but still gets the job done; this is what content marketing is. Let’s dig deeper into that concept, in addition to exploring the types of content marketing that you can start utilizing.
Content Marketing: Selling Without Being Explicit.
No one likes spam, and customers don’t like being messaged constantly to check out a new product, discount, coupon, or purchase offer.
That might repel them from your business, and it would probably hurt your brand image.
Instead, you need to serve and educate them as you market your business, and one of the best ways to do that is by creating amazing and up to date content.
Such as:
There are many content marketing types and strategies, which include…
- Video
- Blog post creation.
- Social media content.
- Writing e-books.
- Webinars.
In order to master the previous content types, there are a couple of things that you need to keep a close eye on,like:
After designing the previous content, you proceed to add a hyperlink (called a backlink). That link directs back to your website.
It can redirect to any page, whether it be a specific product, your static pages, etc.
Those links are what you want customers to click on. And you need to place them in a manner that entices that.
That aside, let’s discuss the different types of content, and how you can use each!
Videos and blog posts
Videos and blog posts go on your blog, other people’s blogs, YouTube – or article directories/new websites.
You can also add press releases under this category.
This type of content takes a while to create, and it has to be delivered consistently, and with a few rules to keep in-mind.
You also need to be aware of some basic video editing tools and methods to make high quality videos, and at the same time learn about search engine optimization (SEO) to write informative articles that will rank in search engines.
Social media content
Here, you use social media accounts (or those of others) to post interesting content. From there, you redirect your audience to your website.
In order to create captivating social media content, there are three types of content that you should think about:
- Informative
- Entertaining
- Inspirational
To get effective results, you need to test out the previous principles.
You can be informative, providing lots of information to benefit a customer. Or, you can make them laugh or amused with what you post.
Alternatively, you can provide stories that keep them inspired and interested.
Dish out content of that caliber consistently, and you’ll develop a dedicated following!
This is considered the easiest type of content to create and distribute. And for a few reasons…
Focus more on design and provide short post copies
On social media, your posts and videos are short, and so should your post copies be.
All you need is creativity, and a good supply of juicy content. From there, add a subtle backlink, and the rest will work out.
Writing e-books and conducting webinars.
Both are considered as forms of content, but they’re not ones you create often.
E-books require expertise, and you’re the one writing them (but you might get editors to perfect the scripts).
Also, since you don’t make them often, they’re only for special occasions.
E-books can be used as a free gift to collect emails. They can be used to popularize your name in online books stores (like Amazon or Rakuten).
Sample applies with webinars. They’re like Q&A sessions, thus acting as an e-book with client engagement involved.
They’re useful, and they’re a way to showcase your expertise in your industry!
How should I start with content marketing?
That’s a lot to digest, right?
We recommend finding a digital marketer to analyze your business. From there, they’ll help you design a content strategy that suits your budget and means!