7 Steps To A Digital Content Marketing Strategy
If you have woken up to the fact of how critical content is to your organization, then you better know how key content marketing is. Both have come to be synonyms almost; it is not enough to have a perfect content assets portfolio. If you are not putting it out there for your clients, prospects, and interested parties to read, then your content will continue to be only a liability on your hard disc. Simply occupying GBs.
1. What are your goals?
Simply knowing where you want to go with your Marketing efforts is the critical first step in growing your business. Often enough it is easy to start with zeal and spend a great deal on marketing money. But having absolute clarity on what you wish to accomplish as a business through this initiative is a must. Brainstorm as a team and obtain executive buy in for the content marketing efforts that is underway.
“It’s not the best content that wins. It’s the best promoted content that wins.” ~ Andy Crestodina
2. What will you track?
Once the goals are firmed up, knowing what exactly to measure will make the digital marketing efforts that much more impactful. Is it a specific number of qualified leads, queries, downloads, registerations, sign ups, email is something you need to be clear about? The more specific you get here, the better the success of your programs.
“The buyer journey is nothing more than a series of questions that must be answered.” ~ Analyst Firm IDC
3. Who is your target segment?
How well do you know who you are going after? You cannot create content marketing for everybody under the sun. Unless you are selling ice cream, even then you must skip the diabetics. So, if you are targeting the middle management of B2B organizations, then understanding where they are and how they consume content will give a more drilled down approach.
“Content Marketing is a commitment, not a campaign.” ~ Jon Buscall, Head of Moondog Marketing
4. What types of content to create?
The above three questions will give you the ammunition to plan your digital content. You will know if you must create podcasts, videos, articles, films, brochures, slides, infographic. Based on what your target segment consumes you will have to tailor your content accordingly.
“Traditional marketing talks at people. Content marketing talks with them.” ~Doug Kessler
5. How will you disseminate content?
Your website is the primary source, after which its best to figure how you will reach it to the customer. Is it social media channels, or emails, or messenger chats, are some of the ways you could reach your potential customer base. And here the more aligned you are to their needs the more chances you get call to action.
“Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.” ~ Jay Baer
6. Are you meeting your goals?
Pausing to check how the content marketing efforts are progressing is as important as determining your target audience. Track every channel and determine the performance of each collateral understand the reason for its performance or lack of it. There are several methods to the same.
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” ~ Andrew Davis
7. How will you continue?
Know what to change and freely administer course corrections and continue. Most campaigns are not successful because they lack consistency. Here is why a content calendar and a focused content team of writer and visual artists come into play.
“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.” ~ Tom Fishburne, Founder and CEO Marketoon Studios
Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay