Content Marketing is Easier Than You Think

content-marketingToday, your digital marketing strategy cannot successfully function without content creation. Content is one of the number one assets in the modern day marketer’s toolbox and for many of us, one of the most challenging parts of our jobs. The fast-paced nature of the internet and social media networks have made the need for FRESH content a growing one, and therefore it takes up more and more of our time as marketers.

Well, I’m going to let you in on a revolutionary thought: you’re probably making content creation harder than it really is. Yes, there are aspects of content marketing that are time consuming and will require thoughtfulness and strategy if you are to produce relevant and effective content, but there are ways to make this process simpler. Here’s how:

Identify your target audience.

Content marketing will certainly be difficult if you aren’t clear on who you’re talking to. It’s not enough to simply want to reach buyers or consumers either – if you really want to ease your content woes, create buyer personas and understand the needs and attributes that your target audience possesses. For example, if you know you want to reach millennial moms, understanding their needs will make you more equipped to create content that will resonate with them.

Develop content for the platforms/mediums where your audience is most present.

Now that you’ve identified your target audience, you should focus on creating content for the platforms where you know they are spending a lot of their time. This involves both research and some trial and error. But if you know that, for example, your audience uses a smartphone twice as much as a laptop or PC, then you can start with mobile-friendly and social media content. For more tips on how to identify content that is effective for your brand, click here!

Focus on helpful topics and providing solutions.

There’s no “I” in content. Essentially what I am getting at is that when it comes to your content, very little should be completely company-focused, and you should instead cater your content to your audience. You can do this by selecting topics that center around providing helpful solutions and relatable narratives surrounding their struggles and day-to-day lives.

Include a call-to-action.

If you don’t tell your audience exactly what you want them to do, they aren’t going to take any action. As simply as possible, tell your audience that you want them to “click here,” “download,” or “share this,” and you will be surprised at how your engagement will rise.

Set SMART goals.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. You should have goals like this surrounding every major piece of content you produce. For example, if you’ve chosen to create a downloadable eBook, you should set a goal for a specific number of downloads achieved over a reasonable period of time. If your content is a new recipe on your website, you can use SMART goals you’ve set surrounding website traffic for that month to fuel your usage of that content.

Repeat & recycle!

Who says you can’t continue to share and re-share old content? One of the smartest ways to make content marketing easier is to utilize “evergreen” content – content that is relevant at any time and can be shared over and over again. A great way to make use of evergreen content is to recycle old blog posts, updating the copy in key areas and then posting again to your blog. For fresh produce marketers, your recipes, infographics, videos, blog posts and even high performing social media posts are all examples of content that can be shared anytime.

Are you still finding roadblocks to success when it comes to producing and executing an effective content marketing strategy? Look for more great tips in our free Content Trumps All eBook and feel free to reach out to our team if you have any questions!

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