Have you ever wondered what content marketing is? Simply put, content marketing is the use of content to attract and build relationships with your customers. If your business relies solely on paid ads to get new customers, you need a sound content marketing strategy to improve your marketing efforts. And as a business owner, you need to understand what content marketing is and how to do it right.

What Content Marketing Is

Creating an effective content marketing campaign is more than just writing and publishing blog posts or articles. While paid advertising is usually about getting a sale, what content marketing is, is simply about providing value.

Businesses today need more than a brochure-type website to make money. And unfortunately, more than 63% of businesses don’t have a content marketing strategy in place. It’s time to outsmart the majority of your competitors who aren’t using content as a tool to drive sales. Here is how you can build a successful content marketing strategy in 2019:

1. Define Your Goals

Before you start creating content, you need to answer why you’re creating it. It would be hard to ensure success without a clear purpose and direction. Without a clearly defined goal, how are you going to measure the results? So, understand your ‘why’ early on to make creating your content easier. Whether your focus is to drive leads or sign up more subscribers, defining goals will help you create the right content.

2. Understand Your Audience

Once you have clearly defined your ‘why’, the next step is to understand your audience. Who’s going to read your content? You can’t just write content without knowing the interests and preferences of your audience. Effective content answers the most pressing questions your audience has. As long as you understand your audience, you can create great content for them.

3. Set Up Your Blog

Posting relevant, valuable and informative content on your blog not only improves organic SEO but also brings in new traffic. When new prospects visit your blog, your strategy could lead them to a sale. The purpose of blog posts is not to market your business, but to establish your authority. Writing blog posts on a regular basis will also help you understand what content marketing is and how it works.

Consistent blogging is a great way to improve your inbound marketing efforts. Inbound means that customers come to you instead of you going to them. Here is what you can achieve through blogging:

• Long-lasting relationships with new and existing customers
• Reputation as an industry leader
• Boost to SEO rankings
• Opportunities for sharing
• Brand awareness

Take advantage of blogging as a key part of your content marketing strategy.

4. Use Keyword Research

Keyword research is the step before you craft content for your business. You can generate tons of content ideas that your audience might be interested in. However, keyword research will help find what your audience is searching for today.

Start the process by brainstorming as many content ideas as possible. After that, enter your terms and topics into a keyword research tool like Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest to see what’s relevant. Refine your list of topics based on your goals, audience needs, and keyword targeting.

5. Determine Your Format

You can use a number of content formats to achieve your content marketing goals. Here are some of the popular content formats companies use to deliver their message:

• Blog posts
• Infographics
• Videos
• Ebooks
•  
• Whitepapers
• Social media posts

No matter the format, your content should open the door for two-way conversations. Engage your audience and try to build relationships through exciting content. The secret to success lies in attracting both your ideal customers and search engines.

Still Not Sure What Content Marketing Is?

Content is an inseparable part of effective online marketing. So, develop a solid content strategy for your business to get the most out of your marketing spend.

Still not sure what content marketing is and how to use it to get results for your business? Our content marketing services will help you create incredible brand stories and drive more sales. Request a quote to get started today!