Content marketing is arguably one of the most effective forms of inbound marketing. It instills greater trust in your target audience; encourages people to seek out more information about your business; and lays the foundation for a successful online presence. But there are a few questions you should ask when creating a content marketing strategy for your business.
Who is My Target Audience?
You can’t expect to launch a successful content marketing strategy unless you know your target audience. In other words, for whom are you creating the content? Rather than creating content for “everyone,” it’s recommended that you focus on your core audience — individuals who are most likely to buy your product or service.
Does My Content Provide Value?
You should also consider whether or not your content provides value to your target audience. Think about who is reading your content, what they are searching for, and whether your content meets their expectations. If it doesn’t, perhaps you should reevaluate your content marketing strategy so it’s better aligned with your audience’s interests.
What Type of Content Should I Create?
Some people assume that text-based articles and blog posts are the only type of content worth creating, but this isn’t true. Other forms of content to consider using includes photos, photo galleries, videos, interviews, infographics, questions and answers, podcasts, PDF files, etc. Don’t be afraid to venture away text and experiment with some of these alternative content types.
Should I Syndicate My Content?
Syndication is a hot topic among digital marketers. As you may already know, syndication refers to sharing your content — or parts of your content — on multiple platforms. There are benefits associated with content syndication, such as increased visibility, traffic, exposure and backlinks. On the other hand, it can also lead to duplicate content issues since the content is being published on multiple locations. If you’re going to syndicate content, only syndicate parts of your content and not the whole thing.
Can I Measure the Results?
When creating a content marketing strategy, you’ll need to decide whether or not you can track the results of your work. Without some type of analytics, you won’t know if your content is generating leads/conversions. Thankfully, there are many analytics options from which to choose, including Google Analytics. Once installed, you can use Google Analytics to find metrics like average pageviews, time spent on page, bounce rate, exit rate and more.
