Posted on: January 11, 2016
By Megan Crowder, Marshall Communications Account Coordinator
In the world of new media and integrated marketing strategy, content marketing should be on the top of your list. When consumers are looking for answers or looking to try something new, they turn to the Internet first. Creating valuable content will drive profitable action toward your brand, engage followers and create those relationships that build customer loyalty.
Know your Target
Get to know your reader; know them well. What do they like, what makes them tick and what do they want to know? Think in questions, such as what are they going to ask about your business/product.
Provide Answers
Once you know who your audience is, think of questions they are going to ask. They will be more interested if you are willing to help them. Provide the answers before they ask the questions. By providing answers beforehand, they will gain trust in you and know that you are willing to help. Don’t stop there – once you have provided answers, follow up with your followers. Engaging with them turns you into a trustworthy business and builds a bond.
Be SEO Friendly
This part ties into knowing your target and making sure your page is technically optimized for SEO. Once your page is equipped, focus on findings and keywords for content. Knowing this information will help with ideas for content; it gives you topics that your followers are interested in. Don’t overlook this information as it will help your content be useful, relevant, comprehensive and readable to your target.
Focus on Meaty Content
Now that you are using SEO to form content, make sure you provide the Thanksgiving dinner to your followers. Think quality over quantity. Don’t overuse keywords that you found from SEO research and stay away from overloading followers with content. Make posts and create content that stands out and resonates with your readers. Make one post that stands out rather than a bunch of junk mail posts that will be passed over and not read.
Be Creative, BOLD and, most importantly, SHINE
Show what you’re capable of and be unique. Don’t be afraid to try creative ideas. See what works best for your readers, by testing out ideas and listening to their responses. If there is no response to your content you know you have to start from scratch with a new idea, but at least you tried and this helps you know your target. Try lists, videos and anything that comes to mind. Re-use and borrow ideas – this doesn’t mean steal or copy, it is simply re-using an idea and creating your own content with the same topic.
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