As you may already know, leads generated via blog readership and social media engagement take a little bit longer to close. That said, these leads are far more likely to do business with you since they have already developed some level of attachment to your brand.
That’s just one of the things to keep in mind as you develop your content marketing strategy. Here are 10 more quick tips to think about as you move forward with your content marketing program.
1. Analytics are great, but content is king
Analytics can tell you a lot about where your traffic is coming from and provide insight into what you can do differently. However, they should be the foundation for your content marketing strategy, not the whole ball of wax. If you focus too much on analytics at the expense of your content, you’re doing something wrong. Back away from the Google Analytics, and pick up a pen. By staying focused on content development, you’ll ensure you’re keeping your eye on the main thing your readers want from you — insightful tips and techniques that can help them improve their jobs.
2. Headlines are everything
The headline of your post is the first thing people see, so it should be eye-catching and thought provoking. Sure, it’s easy to resort to lists and how-to’s, but the truth is that those posts will get fewer clicks than something with a little bit more shock value.
Yesterday, we uploaded a post entitled “How to Screw Up a Content Marketing Campaign.” A few weeks ago, we uploaded “So You’ve Got a LinkedIn Profile. Now What?” Both headlines were intentionally designed to have a little sizzle to them and to grab our readers’ attention to increase readership.
Don’t go crazy, but try something new in your next headline. The process is largely trial and error; if you notice that headlines about “biggest mistakes of [fill in the blank]” are getting far more clicks than the rest of your posts, you may have just found your new thing.
3. Use current events as a jumping-off point
Pay attention to what’s getting buzz in your industry, and use that as a starting point for developing content. By doing so, you have an opportunity to step in and say, “Hey, remember that thing that happened last week? Well here’s what it really was and what it means for you.”
The key is to provide some insight about the news or to provide some insider perspective on the news. Just re-capping a news story that was covered by other outlets is not a way to stand out in the crowd.
4. Provide insight, not just information
Reporting on new statistics is interesting, but detailing how it affects your industry and what people should do about it is share-worthy. Think of it this way — use a statistic to grab the reader’s attention and get them to click through. But then provide some insight about the statistic to keep them on your page and to keep them coming back for more.
5. Tell the reader what to do
You’re the one with all the answers, right? At least, that’s what your readers now think after reading your insightful and thought-provoking post. So now you need to tell them what to do.
As the new authority on this topic, what should your reader do with the information? The more specific you are, the more your readers will want to share the info with their friends and followers, and when your advice works, they’ll want to come back for more.
6. Don’t forget to sell yourself
Unless your blog is your primary revenue-generator, you likely have something you want people to inquire about that is at least loosely related to your blog content. Don’t be afraid to plug your products or services on occasion. Just be sure to do it in a subtle and tasteful way so that your readers don’t feel advertised to.
Speaking of which, did we mention that the 60 Second Marketer also has a full-service marketing agency attached to it? Yup. It’s called 60 Second Communications and they work with well-known brands around the globe. Check ’em out here.
7. Engage readers through comments and social media
When people Tweet your content, thank them. When they comment, respond. If a reader comments on a blog, he or she is almost 3 times as likely to share the content if answered. Social media mentions have a similar effect. Your readers want you to engage with them, and doing so will cause them to want to read and share more of your content.
8. Share everything everywhere
Speaking of social media, while you don’t want to spam your Twitter account with 16 Tweets a day about the same blog post, sharing once a day on 16 different platforms about the same post is far more acceptable.
The more platforms you share on, the more likely you are to drum up a larger readership. Prioritize platforms based on popularity and time necessary to maintain an active presence. Then, if you have the time and deem it worthwhile, add that popular new platform or content sharing network to your repertoire.
9. Recycle great content
You’ve written some awesome posts, and they deserve to see the light of day again. Share them on social media to gain new exposure. And when readers see how awesome your post from two months ago was, they’ll be more likely to want to see your newer content as well.
The same goes for social media campaigns. If you find yourself with a particularly successful sharing schedule or even a running joke that elicits a positive response, reuse it! Your readers obviously like it. Don’t beat it to death, but utilize its popularity to better your content marketing efforts.
10. Just play the game instead of constantly trying to beat it
The truth is that there are about a billion “rules of content marketing” that you can try to follow to make your content as popular as possible, but to what end? The best thing you can do is to consistently create good content that complements your business and share it with others.
At the end of the day, content marketing is a strategy that takes time and investment. But a lead that comes in through content marketing is a lead that already trusts you and is therefore far more promising than the voice on the other end of a cold call. Content marketing isn’t the be-all-end-all, but it is worth your while.
Action Steps for You:
- Share These Tips with Co-Workers: When you share tips like these with co-workers, you’ll be more likely to be put into action because you’ll have other people holding you accountable for them.
- Share These Tips with Your Social Media Followers: The same holds true when you share something with your social media followers — the more people who know what you’re doing, the more likely you’ll be to execute the program. (Want to share this post? Just click here and we’ll do it for you.)
- Sign Up for Our E-Newsletter: If these tips have been helpful, why not sign up for our e-newsletter and get them daily? Best of all, you’ll receive our free e-book in the process.
About the Author: Samantha Gale is a social media and content marketing specialist working for 60 Second Communications, a full-service marketing agency working with brands around the globe.