Content marketing is much different than traditional marketing. With traditional marketing, the goal is to shout about a product or service.
With content marketing, there is no shouting. Further, what product or service promotion there is, is at a minimum and very tactfully done. In fact, in most cases, content marketing loses its impact and power when it becomes too promotional or too obvious.
Content marketing is about being a Thought Leader, whether an individual or an organization. This is how new customers are acquired, how the loyalty of old customers is ensured and enhanced, and what can make it much easier to “upsell” the customers purchasing new equipment or services.
However, five “best practices” should be followed when it comes to content marketing. These are the following:
No Selling
We referenced this earlier, but it is so important so let us discuss it further. As soon as an article, blog, infographic, podcast, or video becomes a sales pitch, it loses its power to create sales and marketing opportunities. People/customers are interested in their own needs and challenges. They also want to see results. They are not necessarily interested in your company or products. If you discuss a situation end-customers may be facing and offer ways to resolve it, they are now in your corner. They are open to hearing about your company and what you have to offer.
Solve Problems
Recently a gentleman had a problem with his Sony flat screen television. There was no sound. He checked the connections but could not determine why the sound was not working. Then he Googled “sound problems with Sony flat screen.” Several pages came up marketing the TV, but only one came up discussing what could be wrong and how to correct it. He followed the advice, and Walla, it worked! That repair service, a coast-to-coast repair service, is now the company he calls whenever a problem develops.
Repurpose and Repackage
Many organizations with an active content marketing program find that quality content is not time sensitive. If that’s the case, it can be rewritten, repurposed, and repackaged. Just make sure it still provides value to the web visitor.
Images and videos
A study conducted by a content marketing firm found that articles and blog posts accompanied by an image performed 91 percent better than those without them. Another study, conducted by 3M, found that 90 percent of the information that travels through the brain is visual in nature and can be processed much faster than words. This suggests that content with images and videos as part of a content marketing strategy can prove immensely powerful and have a much more significant impact than postings without images. Plus, adding images to content can improve SEO, which we will discuss next.
Promotion
Content marketing sites must be promoted. This means they must be SEO optimized, with keywords, descriptions, and credible content that grabs the attention of the search engines. Plus, they should be used in conjunction with social media platforms.
More on SEO
Place your keywords or phrases in the title and then again in the first one hundred words of the first paragraph. Also, make sure the blog is at least six hundred words, longer if possible. Google believes longer content is more valuable to the site visitor, and very often, that’s true.
We create quality content that helps Thought Leaders turn their products, services, and expertise into business opportunities.
If you are a Thought Leader, individual, or organization ready to take your brand to the next level and would like AlturaSolutions to launch a strategic national PR campaign, let’s connect!
