8 Tips and Tricks for an Effective Content Marketing Strategy

Nowadays, the Internet is something of a honey pot for a slew of information, offers and online forums, but how does an online entity gain traction when first starting out? Many assume that the posting of some generic content will be enough to build a rapport with prospective visitors. However, if your content is saying nothing new and simply lingering in the background, then it’s likely people will just move on to the competitor, that’s if they were able to find your content in the first place.

The posting of content requires more than a tap of the share button, it requires your time and focus on helping it get to where it needs to be. This can be easier said than done, especially if you’re new to the world of content marketing.

While the marketing of content is a process that is always evolving, it doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare yourself when entering the fold. As such, the following tips should help you build a robust content marketing strategy that can bring a number of positive results.

1. Focus on The Content Quality

If you’ve looked at other posts regarding content, you will have more than likely found that a lot of people dictate that content should be of the highest quality, and this is true. Google was once delivering spammy pages due to the what content was being created. As such, Google released some algorithm updates that shook the online world, and turned SEO on its head, albeit it for the better.

Now, rather than just filling some generic content with a slew of keywords, it now has to offer something to the reader, and as such, has to be of the highest quality to ensure that visitors will engage.

The new ranking algorithm, used by Google will employ a series of techniques to ascertain as to whether your content is worthwhile. If it doesn’t read smoothly, or it is simply stuffed with keywords, it’s likely your content will fall flat. In this regard, you should ensure that you are proofreading everything you plan to market, and ensuring the content is the best it can be.

A lot of SEOs would say that a regular stream of content would do the work, but that’s not necessarily true. 10 mediocre pieces will not bring as much value as 1 top-notch quality piece could.

There is a simple strategy to go about it. Use tools like BuzzSumo to find content that gets shared the most & ranks the best. Then, improve it.

For example, if you find a piece on “5 Social Plugins For WordPress” that ranks well and got shared many times, there are no obstacles to making this post even better and more informative by creating a list of 10, 20 or even 50 social plugins for WordPress.

However, creating a better post is just a half of the work. Promotion of that piece comes straight after. Ensure to outreach to people who might have an interest in your post. This strategy can maximise the chances of your post getting a lot of quality backlinks and extra exposure.

2. Get to Know Your Audience

When content is posted, it’s likely that you may receive some feedback. This could be positive, or it could be negative, but it should be taken on board for future content planning. Of course, there will be those who simply don’t like your content, and there is little you can do about that. However, if a visitor feels you may have missed some information or they simply want more of the same, this information should be used for future content marketing efforts. Creating content that’s in demand can only see your work flourish moving forward.

The way your audience interacts with you can depend on the type of online business you run. For example, if you run an e-commerce store, then you may find that the generic store is not pulling in as much interest as you would like. Understanding your audience allows you to craft content that could see an influx of sales. Sports stores could create content around a list of the most useful football aids, whereas an insurance company could detail the ramifications of not taking out gadget insurance.

Not everyone responds well to sales patter and marketing posts, so it can be handy to have some alternative methods up your sleeve when it comes to winning over your prospective audience.

3. Make a Note of Your Goals

When we start out in the online world, it can be an exciting time. However, a few learning curves can mean that if we’re not getting the results we’re looking for, we can be tempted to throw the towel in. Before marketing any content, it can be an idea to make a note of what goals you hope to a achieve with your content. For example, do you have a target demographic? If so, have you researched what it will take to reach this demographic? Making notes of what you hope to achieve not only acts as encouragement, but it also allows you to come up with a strategy as to how you will reach those numbers.

Of course, you should only give yourself achievable goals. While we would love millions of hits a day, it’s unlikely to happen overnight. It’s also worth noting that as the online world evolves, the processes used can change, so one of your goals should be to say clued up when it comes to ways of promoting your content in a white hat method. Being pro-active when marketing your content can ensure that you have all bases covered, and will even allow you to outsource work if it becomes too overwhelming.

4. SEO is Still Important

The updates released by Google have caused some confusion within the online sphere. We mentioned earlier how keywords were misused, and as a result, content offering little to no value was normally the order of the day. However, the focus was never taken away from the keywords; the process was simply changed.

In order for your content to be found, it has to contain, among other things, relevant keywords, unique and descriptive meta titles & descriptions. With the point being made before about how keywords are no longer the driving force behind Google’s algorithm updates, this can be a somewhat confusing issue. Google still loves keywords – that’s never changed. However, it doesn’t approve of content using them out of the context. The reason for this is because this would allow more unsavoury webmasters to mislead visitors within the search results.

In this regard, rather than the algorithm looking at the keywords, it also scopes the surrounding content to ensure it is relevant. Many who look to spoof the system, often find their ranking affected as a result.

Another thing that has changed in the world of SEO is the interaction itself. Google will make a series of judgments about your website based on the user experience, so you also need to ensure that you’re able to balance a seamless UX with the correct SEO strategies to give online users the streamlined experience they expect.

5. Variety Is the Spice of Life

When we’re creating content to promote, it can be tempting to take inspiration from others. While there is nothing wrong with this, it can be beneficial to think outside the box and look at ways on how you can make your content more creative. For example, rather than explaining a topic using industry jargon, why not add a little flavour by comparing different processes to superheroes or footballers. This allows your readers to understand your content, by it being compared to something they’re a little more familiar with.

If you have a more conformed thought process when it comes to writing content, then why not outsource the work. Many writers will have different styles, and you can work with some creative to give your content the flare it needs.

The content doesn’t always have to be in text format. A lot of companies like to look at the way of delivering complex information in an aesthetically-pleasing way. This is often done via the use of infographics and visuals. Not only can they relay information quickly, but are one of the most popular forms of shared content. Another avenue to consider could be a video. Just like social networks, video hosting networks such as Vimeo and YouTube allow content marketers to restructure their content in a new way for fans of online videos.

Of course, not every process will benefit your particular business, depending on your end goal, but it can be useful to know about the options available when it comes to marketing content.

6. Be Active on Social Media

If you’ve visited any social networks of late, you will have probably realised that the way content is presented is much easier on the eye. As such, many content marketers have taken on a number of relevant social networks to ensure that their content is being delivered to an active audience. However, for your content to be engaged with, you have to ensure that you have an active presence all of the time, not just when content needs sharing. Those who are only active when it suits them will normally find their subscriber lists decrease as a result.

You don’t always have to share your own content. The following point looks at how we can engage with the right kind of people, but this can also blend into being active on social media, as you can still post relevant content from others.

Of course, it’s important that you give full credit to the original author, but you will often find that you will receive some more interaction as a result, and you could even find promotion within a wider online demographic.

7. Engage with the Right Kind of People

There are many celebrities who love to promote the latest item they’ve just bought, which means the company in question will see a lot of traffic as a result. While you may not get endorsements from leading rappers and pop stars, engaging with the right kind of people will ensure that pioneers in your industry are keen to see more of what you have to offer. Creating content that strikes a chord with those at the top within your industry will earn you a lot of respect, as well as a lot of visitors.

There are a number of ways in which you can engage with those prominent on social media, depending on the tone of your content, and the product or service you’re offering. For example, those within the smartphone industry may look towards those who carry out tech reviews. Rather than asking them directly to look at your content, you can start building foundations which can then be built on. This could be anything from a follow on Twitter, to sharing their work on Facebook.

8. Track Your Content

There are going to be times when your content just doesn’t cut it, just as there will be times when your content could go viral. However, not tracking your content, in either event, means that you are not able to tailor your content moving forward, and you won’t be able to ascertain as to why your post went viral.

The way you promote your content should be more than clicking a ‘share’ button, as there can be a number of processes you need to be aware of to tailor better your content moving forwards. A lot of content marketers use integrative data to ensure that the content produced is hitting the right notes with the online community.

There is no ‘made-for-all’ solution when it comes to marketing content, but pairing your content using an analytics software will allow you to see just how successful posts in the past were. From here, content marketers can find out a lot of information that will aid them moving forward, such as what time of the day is best to post, as well as what social networks are proving to be fruitful.

There are a number of methods that can be employed when it comes to promoting your content; you just have to find out what avenues suit you best. However, it is vital that you invest some time into the content to ensure that it is both, original and intriguing. As advised, keywords are as relevant now as they ever were, you just need to assure that you are able to craft quality content when using these keywords.

Of course, it’s not all about the content. It’s also about the platforms being used to promote the content. There is no one platform that suits all marketing campaigns, and it can take a little trial and error to structure a strategy that will suit your needs. However, keeping your eye on the ball and adopting new creative ways of writing content, as well as sharing it, will ensure that your content is soon getting the traction you want online.