The majority of companies agree that content is a crucial part of their advertising mix.
To put it in simple words, content is effective because it helps potential consumers determine if your solutions meet their needs and because people feel inclined to “repay you” when they are given something of value for free.
It’s not a brand-new concept.
Marketing with written content dates back centuries.
Benjamin Franklin started putting out Poor Richard’s Almanacks every year about 290 years ago.
Why?
So that he might advertise his printing business. He used content marketing long before search engine optimization and social media.
The State of Content Marketing in 2022 research was released recently by Semrush. The article is packed with helpful advice.
They looked into:
- 2 hundred thousand tweets
- 500 thousand blog posts.
- 500 thousand categories of material
- And polled 1500 business owners
Two of the statistics they collected from marketers particularly caught my eye.
I’m always eager to expand my knowledge in this area, as I not only produce content but also help businesses in their content marketing efforts.
Marketers were questioned in one survey section if they used content marketing in their overarching marketing plan. Ninety-seven percent of people naturally answered yes.
Following this, we inquired as to whether or not they have a written content marketing plan. In fact, just 57% of respondents agreed.
That indicates that while 80% of organizations recognize the importance of content marketing, less than half have a concrete plan for using it or measuring its success.
Many companies assume that as long as they publish content, they will attract customers. This is not the case at all.
The lack of a well-documented content strategy becomes detrimental.
A lack of a written content strategy was found to be the root cause of failure for 81% of companies.
Seventy-eight percent of companies with a successful content marketing strategy also have a content marketing strategy document.
- There is an 80% likelihood of failing if you don’t have a plan.
- And an 80 percent success rate can be attained with a plan in place.
If you don’t have a content strategy already, that’s a compelling argument for creating one.
To be successful on any platform, I believe a well-defined plan is essential.
You’ll need a content strategy if you want to see any kind of expansion.
You need a content strategy if you want to grow your Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter following.
Having a content plan in place is essential if you want to increase website traffic.
Without a plan, you can try to make it happen, but there’s a good chance you won’t be successful.
How does one implement a content strategy?
Developing a content strategy is often overlooked because individuals believe it is too time-consuming or difficult. However, if a well-documented method increases your odds of success from 20% to 80%, it’s definitely worth the time and effort.
Goal setting is the first step in developing a successful plan.
You should set goals for the number of individuals you want to reach, the number of people you want to follow, and the number of new paying clients you want to acquire.
It’s fine to have two different targets in mind: one that you know you can reach with hard effort and dedication, and another that is more of a stretch but still within reach.
It’s also important to specify how failure will be measured.
Then, if you find that your efforts aren’t producing results, you can halt your progress and reconsider your approach.
Target your material to the right audience.
In spite of the fact that the vast majority of firms claim customer growth to be a top priority, they often fail to adequately target their advertising. Which of your potential customers is most likely to make a purchase? And if you’re a service provider, which clients would you most like to serve?
To no one’s surprise, it’s unlikely that you’ll find success writing for the masses. Your message will be wasted if it never reaches the right audience.
You need to put some thought into who you want to see your material and then write down some basic information about that person.
- Exactly how old are they?
- What’s their economic status?
- Who do they officially work for?
- What kind of education do they have?
- Where do they stand in terms of marriage?
You can be as general or as particular as you like, but if your goal is to “reach everyone,” you will, in fact, reach no one.
Create a schedule for publishing information.
When it comes to content marketing, consistency is key. If you only publish for a month when you’re feeling driven and then quit, you’ll never see the outcomes you want.
For the next month, you could go completely insane and publish a hundred articles on Facebook or LinkedIn or your blog. However, for the next six months, it would be ideal if you published 8 to 10 articles per month.
Make sure your content strategy is something you can keep up with for at least six months.
You can be as specific or as broad as you like. When I make my content calendar overly detailed, I often wander off course and end up frustrated with myself for failing to follow through.
Where and how often you will post your material are the two most crucial decisions you must make.
For example
We’ll be updating Instagram and LinkedIn two times a week.
You no longer need to post whenever the mood strikes; instead, you have 4 regular slots to fill. And you can still do whatever you like in terms of content when it comes to filling those spots.
To be more precise:
Each week, you can expect to see 1 image and one video from us on Instagram.
Every week, we will update our LinkedIn page with one photograph and one video.
You can now predict the weekly content requirements.
A content marketing piece doesn’t need to take dozens of hours to complete. Putting your content strategy into action is just as important as creating it. You won’t use it if learning it would be too difficult.
The odds of success improve when you follow some basic recommendations that help you focus on the correct audience, maintain a regular publishing schedule, and monitor your results.
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