The Beginner's Guide to Content Marketing
In the early days of Let’s Talk, we weren’t quite sure what to call ourselves or package our services. We got our start managing social media for law firms, but quickly realized we couldn’t just share advertisements or links to the client’s website. That’s when we started developing our strategy of content marketing.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a form of digital advertising that involves sharing branded content that (a) adds value to the reader’s life and (b) is not explicitly promotional. This can include the following types of digital content:
Blog posts on industry topics
Videos that provide information on products and services
Graphics explaining processes or how-to guides
Podcasts addressing changes in the industry
What can content marketing do for my brand?
The purpose of this content is to stimulate interest in the product or service a brand sells to consumers. For instance, we are a content marketing company. So part of our content strategy is, you guessed it, this blog post on content marketing! Including this information on our website and sharing it across social media platforms draws in readers who may work with us, while answering questions they have with authority.
The value of content marketing for brands is that it starts a conversation with consumers without being a direct sales pitch. This is especially useful for brands that may not be a part of a consumer’s daily life, such as a car salesmen, lawyers, and siding companies. You wouldn’t need legal advice every day of your life, so a content marketer’s goal is to meet you in a stage before you would. For example, a car salesman would want to target people who are having problems with their current car and may soon need to replace it. They may share a blog post titled “3 Signs Your Car is About to Break Down” or a video about researching car loans.
How do I know my target audience for content marketing?
It’s important for a content marketer to establish their customer avatars, or the types of people they
are targeting with their content. Brands should consider at least 3 target audiences, but may have many more if they have several services or products. Taking a look at your current customers, the lives they lead and the types of information they may find valuable is a great way to start.
When creating avatars, consider:
Age
Gender
Stage of Life
Family or Marital Status
Geographic Location
Occupation and Income
Hobbies
Their Digital Spaces
How do I get my content seen by real people?
Another important aspect of content marketing to look into when considering this type of advertising is SEO, Search Engine Optimization. SEO is a process each piece of content goes through to make sure people who are looking can find it. A great example of this is Google rankings for webpages. A good SEO strategy would take into consideration what people are searching for when they are looking for the answers your brand is providing. There are different methods of SEO for different industries, as well as each type of digital content.
Armed with creation of content that isn’t a direct sales pitch, completing your customer avatar, and implementing basic SEO techniques, you can begin making your online presence known.When it comes to content marketing, there’s no one right way to do it. After a while, you’ll discover what your audience responds to and what they find most useful. Remember to listen to them, and offer more of what’s working and less of what isn’t.
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