Business team working together on content strategy.
A robust content creation strategy is no longer just an asset to your business. Without quality content and a high-level Internet presence, your business practically does not exist.
Content is both an important facet of your company’s reputation and a critical factor in achieving its business goals. Your content educates your readers, engages your audience, and establishes you as an authoritative source. If you’re not already ready for content success, here are some ways to give your brand the content overhaul it needs.
1. Be everywhere and be useful
You can no longer rely solely on subscription-based weekly emails. Your business needs a comprehensive strategy that connects multiple channels and covers all angles. Your website should have a regularly updated blog, at least once a week. You also need well-researched white papers and studies to demonstrate your industry expertise. Use data and infographics to illustrate your point. Supplement your written and visual content with videos, podcasts and webinars.
And don’t just use your content to talk about your business. Think about what will entice readers to want to come to your site. Present practical advice that your readers will turn to again and again for help. Where possible and appropriate, consider news hijacking articles that link your company’s offerings to current events. These pieces should show why your product or service is more relevant than ever.
2. Find your audience
Before you go too far with content creation, think about who you want to appeal to. Who are your readers and what can they gain by immersing themselves in your content? If you offer a B2B technology solution, your blog might be able to provide some practical advice for small business owners. If you’re selling beauty products, consider common skin issues and position yourself as a solution. Regardless of the product, treat your content as helpful advice, not advertising.
Finding your audience doesn’t just mean knowing your target demographics. It also means meeting your potential customers where they are. Do you need to be on Instagram? TIC Tac? The hottest new beauty blog? Figure out where you need to post your content, especially on social media, so your readers are most likely to stumble upon it.
3. Explore new content solutions
If you’re unsure how to meet your organization’s content needs, you might want to consider partnering with an experienced content solutions provider. They may help with services such as preparing technical and software documentation and developing employee and customer training. They can also help you partner with scalable technology solutions or transition to a new type of content management system.
Some content creation solution providers, like Contiem, can audit all of your content needs and walk you through every step of revamping your entire content ecosystem, whether it’s creating, manage or deliver the quality content your business needs to succeed. When you’re struggling to gain traction, the right provider can take a close look at your content and determine what’s working and what’s not. And then they can put you on the right track.
4. Boost your search results
To truly succeed in the world of content, you need to stay on top of search engine optimization. Plugins like Yoast SEO can improve your Google rankings by helping you optimize your keyword distribution, assess the readability of your content, and more. Use alt tags and metadata wisely and make sure your links are up-to-date and flow naturally through the sentence structure. Pin your links to relevant keywords, avoid overlinks, and don’t force links or keywords where they don’t make sense.
In short: don’t go crazy. It is no longer so easy to trick search engines into doing your bidding. The most important thing is that your content is relevant, interesting and updated regularly. For optimal traffic and rankings, you should post to your site or blog about two to four times a week. But don’t just post garbage (see point 1). Make your content relevant and educational to keep your readers coming back.
5. Analyze and iterate
Once your content is up and running, you’ll need a system to track what’s working and what’s not. Which channels and post types are working well and which can you spend less time on? A host of tools and tips are available to measure engagement and content effectiveness. Use Google Analytics and other services to keep tabs on your stats.
You need to monitor not only how many people visit your site, but also who they are and how long they stay there. You’ll also want to track how many visits actually turn into conversions. Track how many people like your content enough to share it with their friends. Additionally, consider who chooses not only to read your content, but to subscribe to updates. Finally, look at your costs and figure out what to cut back or invest more in.
Great content fills a need
It bears repeating that the most important element of a good content strategy is utility.. Your customers don’t read your content because they want to be advertised on. They come to you because they think your content has something to offer them. Think about what makes you remember great content or makes you want to share it with friends or colleagues. The best content centers the reader and builds trust in you as someone who can make their life easier.
