Practical methods to build a content marketing strategy that drives engagement.
Viraj Talekar
Practical methods to build a content marketing strategy that drives engagement.
Due to the high amount of digital “noise” today, overall content volume has drastically increased, while overall content effectiveness seems to have drastically decreased. Many brands are stuck in the “MORE” cycle, creating blog posts and social updates that disappear into the digital void with no evidence that they even existed. The hard reality is that volume of content does not provide a business with a competitive advantage; rather it is clarity of message that does. Therefore, an effective content marketing strategy is not about how much content you produce but rather how effective your content is at reaching a clear purpose.
In order to cut through the digital noise, businesses need to transition from being content creators to becoming strategic publishers. This article will provide five actionable examples of how businesses can create their own content strategy for their business that will help them achieve visibility, earn trust, and enable sustainable business growth for the long run.
If you’re new to Digital Marketing, the most common mistake people make is letting an “awesome idea” for a video or article dictate their content, rather than first figuring out how their content helps them achieve their business goals. If you don’t have clear business goals, then your content will simply be an expensive clutter in your Marketing Department’s dumpster. The key to creating successful content marketing strategies is thinking of it as a method of achieving a larger goal, not an end in itself.
In Digital Marketing, it is necessary to match every piece of content to one stage of the customer journey:
By having a business goal as the lead (lead generation, establishing brand authority, and customer retention), your content will become a high-value asset rather than a creative experiment.
Simply focusing on demographics such as age and geographical area isn’t sufficient to succeed in a saturated market. To be successful with your content marketing efforts, you must possess a strong understanding of potential customers’ psychological trigger points (i.e., pain points) and intent. You must be aware of what keeps them up at night and the particular obstacles that are preventing them from solving their problems.
When developing your content strategy, remember three key areas to focus on:
1) Pain Points – What is causing them the most frustration currently?
2) Decision Triggers – What milestone or trigger occurs to help them understand that they need to take action/solve the issue they are experiencing?
3) Utility – What type of information does the potential buyer want or need to know to make an informed purchase decision?
By changing how you view your audience, from “who they are” to “where they want to be,” the way people perceive your content will change from a promotional piece to a piece that is critical to them reaching their desired goals.
The misconception that posting regularly is essential for a successful digital footprint is widespread; however, it is important to recognize that posting frequently without substance can actually lead to brand fatigue. When it comes to an effective content marketing strategy, editorial discipline for the purpose of delivering the best possible content, rather than sheer volume, is necessary. One high-value piece such as a well-researched article or in-depth independent whitepaper, is worth more than ten mediocre “Listicles” or quick hits.
Although producing high-quality content consistently is always non-negotiable, the difference between posting regularly and posting consistently is also reflected in how well you establish yourself as a thought leader. Your audience will develop an expectation of high-quality insights from you when you meet their expectations and deliver an expectation of excellence every time they see your brand. The “Quality-first” approach to every interaction with your target audience elevates your brand to the status of a leading authority and qualifies you positively as a premium player in the industry.
Producing great content is only part of the equation making sure your audience sees it is the other part. A lot of companies fall into the trap of “spraying and praying,” distributing the same post across all social media platforms without caring about whether that content is appropriate for that platform. A successful content marketing strategy involves a clever combination of distributing your content through multiple channels:
Owned channels: Your website, and/or your newsletter, and/or your blog, where you have complete control over your message.
Earned channels: Guest appearances, PR, and mentions that help create social proof for your business.
Shared channels: Social media platforms where you share content created specifically for that community and that has its own unique language.
The key to being effective in your efforts is to repurpose your existing content in intelligent ways. For example, take a single report that serves as a core piece of your content marketing plan. You can deconstruct this report into five posts on LinkedIn, three segments for your newsletter, and a video script. This will allow you to create content that connects with multiple audiences without having to create something new each time.
You can’t improve what can’t be measured; yet, there is a world of measurement that is nothing more than “vanity metrics”. Examples of “vanity metrics” are the number of likes, shares, or impressions that don’t produce revenue for your company. To develop your business’s content strategy effectively, you need to evaluate metrics surrounding engagement, conversion rates, and retention.
A content strategy is fluid; it is not a static plan. It is an ongoing cycle of execution & iteration. Analyze what topics deliver the highest level of visitor intent, and what type of format makes visitors stay on the page the longest. From this data, you should create more of what works and eliminate everything else. Eventually, through continued refinement with data, your library will be a compounding asset working 24/7 for your business.
An effective content marketing strategy is inherently strategic, not reactive. It requires the courage to produce less but better, the discipline to stay consistent, and the intelligence to distribute where it truly counts. In a world of fleeting digital noise, clarity and quality are the only things that truly endure. When you stop chasing the algorithm and start serving your audience with intent, your content marketing transforms from a cost center into a powerful engine for growth.
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