Content marketing can help a company go from unknown to a customer’s go-to. It’s all about creating and sharing information online that whilst doesn’t explicitly promote the brand, it does stimulate interest in the brand’s product and services, somewhat indirectly.

As traditional marketing has become less effective, most companies are now turning to content marketing to boost their brand. However, some companies aren’t quite getting it right and could be turning potential and current customers away. Great content marketing requires experience, practice and knowledge of how to succeed. Read on to find out how to make it work for your company.

1. Content is key

This should be obvious, but there are a number of factors which could cause a company to be unsuccessful. Great content boosts SEO rankings and gains and/or leads traffic so clearly, it’s very important to get the content of your content marketing perfect.

a) Original Content

When content marketing was first used, companies would use bots or low-level employees to churn our unoriginal content highly regularly. By using this method and updating their website regularly, they were ranked highly by Google for SEO. However, times have changed and Google now rewards companies who create original content by increasing site rankings, which will positively impact your business. Google does this using an algorithm, meaning companies whose content marketing includes unoriginal content will be ranked poorly, reflecting negatively on the business.

Creating original content means using originality. It’s important to create original concepts and write about them, don’t just use existing concepts and write them differently. If your content gets people talking, this is great for SEO Marketing; why not write about something controversial? Debates such as putting the milk in before or after the tea bag are great for this.

b) Use accurate information

If your content contains information with inaccuracies, this could damage your business. Producing accurate information and sharing this with your customers builds trust. If your advice helps them, they are more likely to return when they need more advice. On the flip side, if you have provided them with inaccurate information which has hindered them in some way, there are unlikely to return to your company in a hurry.

c) Create engaging and thought-provoking content

If you want your audience to return (which of course you do!) then it’s important that you keep them engaged. The best way to do this is by creating engaging content which can be done successfully in a number of ways. You could create content that causes the reader to consider how they can apply what you have taught them to their life. Also, ensure your introduction is excellent, if the reader isn’t engaged immediately then they are likely to stop reading altogether. Lastly, and as mentioned previously, create content that sparks a debate to get people talking in the comments.

d) Create short and succinct content

Make sure you’re keeping your content to the absolute minimum it can be. Good content is brief, to the point and drives the message home. Your audience is likely very busy, so getting the information to them as quickly as possible is key.

2. Make sure your headline is catchy and engaging

The statistics say that whilst 80% of people will read your headline, only 20% will go on to read your full piece. Why? Because of the headline. Your headline needs to draw people in and explain what the piece is about. If you state in the headline why people need to read your piece and what they will gain from it then this makes for great content marketing.

3. Provide your reader with answers

Your reader has most likely found your article by using a search engine, looking for advice or an answer – so make sure you give it to them! Also, make sure the answer sticks out compared to the rest of the content, you could do this by using bold or a specific layout such as bullet points.

4. Use images, diagrams and videos

Using any of these will enhance the reader experience, breaks up big blocks of text which could have caused a reader to give up on your article and reinforces learning for the reader. Content marketing is about providing information that perhaps your readers didn’t even know they needed, which is best done through images and videos alike.

5. Keep updating and creating more content, regularly

If a customer returns to your website and there’s been no new updates or content since their last visit, they are unlikely to come back in a hurry. Content marketing is a commitment that you are choosing to make to better your company and so updating at least twice a week is recommended.

Amongst other things, to ensure optimal content marketing you need a proper title and impeccable grammar and organisation.

If your having trouble with your own content marketing or SEO marketing, give us a call on 01925 563 960 or you can contact us here.