A content marketing strategy is a plan where marketers use written, visual and audio content to achieve the goals of a business. Such goals include increasing brand awareness, or moving leads through the sales funnel.
At the core of any content marketing strategy is the “why.” Why do you need content? Why do you need to create content? Marketers create content for businesses to help them reach their target audience. By doing so, businesses can use the same content for one of the following profitable results - increase sales, and attract more customers.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a marketing approach with a focus on creating and disseminating valuable content. It also involves the publishing of visual and written materials to attract leads to your brand. These materials can include videos, infographics, ebooks, blog posts, social media posts, and much more. Basically, marketers provide useful content to the brand’s target audience to solve their problems.
What you need to know is that the process of content marketing is not just about publishing content and hoping people will find it. It involves the careful tailoring of ebooks, social media posts, videos, and more so that they find the target audience the inbound way.
Your content needs to reach your target audience in a way that feels natural. The only way to do so is to create a narrative. Basically, your content should tell a story. By doing so, your content will feel authentic and tailored to your target audience.
What Should Your Content Marketing Strategy Include?
Your content marketing strategy should include the following:Audience Persona
The first thing marketers ask themselves is who’s the target audience of your business? Let’s face it, your business has more than one type of customer. Using one content type or channel will not help you reach your target audience.
What you need to do is tailor your content and channel to each audience persona. Marketing personas help marketers get inside the audience's mind. By doing so, it helps them to tailor content to the right people. Not only that. They ensure that the content is always relevant, engaging, and informative.
Content Maps
A content map is a strategy to deliver tailored content to the right audience at the right time. Content mapping takes into account the target audience's characteristics. This helps to better meet their needs thanks to the different types of content provided.
To create a content map, marketers need to define the content marketing purposes and its value. Then, they should research and segment their target audience and create buyer personas. Thereafter, they should develop a storyline, map the customer’s journey, and finally design a content marketing funnel strategy.
Brand Story
A brand story is a narrative that includes the feelings and facts created by a brand. A good example of a brand story is that of Uber. Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick were stuck in Paris on a snowy evening and unable to find a taxi. So, they asked themselves, what if you could request a ride on your phone? That is how they co-founded Uber.
Why Is Content Marketing Strategy Important?
Creates a Positive Experience
Yes, content marketing
strategies help to create a positive experience for your target audience. This
is thanks to the creation and distribution of tailored content that compels
your prospects to come to your store and spend money. Without content marketing
strategies, you don’t have a ticket to capture your target audience’s
attention.
Builds a Relationship
Content helps your business build a relationship with its customers. This is because, with content, businesses can answer questions their customers have. Also, it's an opportunity for businesses to engage with their target audience. So when you create content that adds value, your audience will more likely trust your brand, products, and recommendations.
Generate More Leads
Content marketing can help you generate more and better leads. When you create tailored content, it will reach your target audience. For example, if you add call to actions in your tailored content, it will attract the right audience. With new leads, businesses are in a position to convert them into buying customers.
Final Words
Content marketing is vital for every brand. With tailored content, not only are you able to reach the right audience but, you help build your authority online. Once your business establishes itself as a credible place to obtain information, you’ll rank higher in search engines. This also means more customers will come to your business leading to increased profits, and revenue.
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