Whether you operate as a small startup company or own a retail store chain, online content marketing is something you should keep in mind. Creating an adequate and efficient content marketing strategy, however, is no small task.
According to HubSpot, only 22% of businesses are satisfied with their content marketing and conversion rates. This proves that there is still a dissonance between brands and consumers which is something you should take advantage of.
What point is there to creating marketing content and spending precious resources if very few people will engage with your brand at the end of the day? With that in mind, let’s take a look at several content marketing strategy factors you should keep in mind as we go through 2019 and beyond.
#1. Brand your Content
Cliché content with stock photographs and copied-and-pasted quotes won’t bring new customers to your doorstep. You should create an appealing, recognizable brand image for your content in 2019 if you wish to differentiate from the crowd.
Elements such as logo, catchphrase, visual identity elements, and color palettes should be a part of your content brand and set in stone going forward. This would mean a slight redesign and reorganization of whatever visual standards are present in your business at the moment. However, creating a distinctive image will help you grow brand awareness and exclusivity around your brand which would be impossible to pull off otherwise.
#2. Focus on a Niche
Niche news and blogs are hard to come by these days since companies look to attract as many people as possible to their storefronts. This is a wrong approach to content marketing, however, since specialized brands and eCommerce sites attract very loyal and recurring customer bases.
Focus on a niche within your industry both in your blog and articles, as well as the product portfolio and services you offer to your clients. This will create a word of mouth about your brand and the way you specialize in particular items and services that no other business in the industry offers. Reflect your niche interests in your marketing content and you will reach a very specific audience willing to spend money on your products.
#3. Don’t Avoid SEO
It should be noted that SEO plays a pivotal role in how your (and any other) content is perceived on the web. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) represents an algorithm created and managed by Google in order to filter out spam and malicious content from search engines. This algorithm operates using a certain logic which can be exploited to rank your content higher with search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and others.
Platforms such as Google Keyword Planner and SEM Rush are specifically designed to offer content optimization options based on individual industries and niches on the web. Using these tools and their equivalents are essential in ensuring that your content marketing ranks adequately and becomes visible to your stakeholders.
#4. Implement Optimization Tools
When it comes to raw content creation, you should never approach it without software tools and online platforms to back you up. Elements such as legibility, SEO and general content flow all play part in your content’s reception:
Given that so many cloud-based platforms operate on a cross-platform basis, there is no need to rely on text editors such as Microsoft Office. Evernote is an intuitive and user-friendly writing platform suitable for both small-scale and large businesses and their content needs.
Publishing a piece of content with proofreading errors and spelling mistakes is unacceptable in 2019. Try out Grammarly in order to double-check your writing once you have it before you publishing online. All you have to do is insert your written content into its UI and the tool will detect any and all issues with your content’s grammar.
As the world gets smaller due to globalization, affordable travel and internet, your content should reflect those trends. You can check out Pick Writers, a translation review website where you can find localization services for your content in order to attract as many readers and customers to your business.
We’ve touched on the topic of content legibility, but what does that mean in practice? Written content which is filled with long, difficult words and phrases will have a negative effect on your growth and customer appeal. Hemingway can help you format and edit your content for better readability in order to attract more views.
#5. Make use of Social Media
Social media platforms are arguably the epicenter of modern socialization. Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enjoy multi-billion user bases which are active every day. Businesses with growth and expansion goals should make use of social media by creating dedicated pages for their content marketing. You can use these pages to share your blog posts, host live Q&A sessions, share polls and surveys, as well as organize giveaways and quizzes.
All of these activities can be a part of your content marketing strategy, and with adequate branding, they will speak volume about your business’ level of professionalism and communication. In turn, this will lead to a lot of buzz and word of mouth surrounding your business pages on social media platforms due to the ease of sharing content with friends and acquaintances.
#6. Balance Long and Short Content
It’s important to create a balance in your content marketing based on what platform you publish your content on. For example, blog posts and discussion articles can be written in long form. Social media updates and public announcements should be in short form to avoid misunderstanding or confusion.
The same principle applies for combined content (photo and writing, for example) which is why you should pay close attention to how much information is in each content piece. This variation in content is a must since not everyone will be interested in blog articles or live video discussions in equal measure. By striking a good balance, you will create a dynamic content plan with something different for every customer out there.
#7. Call Readers to Action
Lastly, the best way to engage future customers is through calls to action even in 2019. Passive content without direct and actionable messages will net you very little in terms of conversions and engagement rates. In order to amend that, make sure to cap off each of your content pieces with a question, an order or a suggestion for the reader.
Depending on the niche you operate in and the product portfolio you have on offer, this will result in different calls to action. Sometimes a classic “Buy Now” might work wonders while at other time you might find yourself in need for some creative thinking. Make sure to offer an “action” to your readers through content marketing and you will see a lot of improvements in your business’ reception and revenue down the line.
In Summation
As we go further into 2019, trends are bound to change and content marketing strategies will have to be shifted around. Stay vigilant and follow your industry’s news, innovations as well as trending products and services.
Stay on top of any market changes that might come over time and retrofit your content marketing strategy to meet those needs. If done correctly, your business will grow organically and enter the next calendar year in much better shape than you remember it.
