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- What’s the purpose of content marketing?
- 7 point checklist to create & deliver an effective content marketing plan
- Typical business content marketing goals
- Tangible examples of content marketing
- Immediate steps you can take
According to a recent study from the Content Advertising And Marketing Institute (CMI), as well as MarketingProfs, some 63% of companies do not have a documented online content advertising and marketing strategy. It’s not surprising then, that those businesses who DO have an approach, are achieving results. If your business falls into the 63%, read on. If you’re one of the 37%, that’s great to hear. Read on as there may be some useful reminders …
What’s the purpose of content marketing?
In essence, there are two primary goals:
- brand awareness – be this establishing, raising or reinforcing
- target market – know your audience and understand their challenges
A Simple 7 Point Checklist to Create and Deliver An Effective Content Marketing Plan:
- Set out your high-level digital content marketing objectives. Focus on specific and measurable results:
- From your business’s perspective
- From your buyer’s perspective
- Define your target audience or audiences
- If you have multiple audiences, repeat the steps for each group.
- Identify your audience’s critical pain point and how your product or service will directly alleviate or resolve it
- Define the content to you will use per audience group
- Very clearly, state the BENEFIT your audience will derive in purchasing your product/service
- Know your KPIs
- Track, track and track your customer’s digital journey.
Typical web content marketing goals from a business’s perspective include:
- Securing an increase in high-quality leads
- Driving more traffic to your digital profile(s), e.g. website and other digital assets
- Authority in your market – in turn attracting more traffic
- Sharing of informative and valuable content
These should not be looked at in isolation but as part of a wider and interconnected activity. Whether you’re writing your content or have someone in your team who’s managing your online presence or have engaged an external search marketing company, it’s important to ensure your integrate your web activity. Ultimately, from a commercial perspective, all activities must be contributing to securing a solid Return On Investment (ROI) and by default, improving profits. If the ROIs low or negative, appropriate decisions can be taken to address and resolve. Remember to monitor the changes.
This does, of course, require the availability of the underlying metrics, also referred to as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Therefore it’s vital you as an SME owner, know your numbers!
Some tangible examples of goals, be this over a month, quarter or year:
- an increase in leads generally and specifically, high-quality leads
- an improvement with traffic to your key web pages
- a lower bounce rate or “drop-out’ before the visitor has taken the desired action
- an increase in engagement on social platforms – e.g. mentions, shares, likes, interaction
- request to participate in specific market events
- improved sales and, if appropriate, life-time value of your customers
Immediate steps to take:
- Build up a profile of the demographics of your ideal client/customer, your visitors, email clients and social media fans
- Analytics
- Internet
- Social network
- Email/customer analytics
- Research and verify your customer’s primary pain points.
Remember, your website isn’t about you; it should not be a vanity project! Your website, your digital assets should demonstrate how your product or service addresses or resolves your client’s/customer’s primary need. The challenge will vary depending on whether the item to be purchased is essential or a nice to have. A burst water pipe requires an immediate fix, whereas a new item of clothing is more discretionary. Consequently, the nature of the copy used and its presentation within your content marketing will differ.
Google, Yahoo et al. are all moving further into better understanding our intent and the language used. Content and context are and will be increasingly important for all content shared online.
We’re a web agency marketing company, specialised in working with small and medium-sized local businesses, across the Home Counties and London, to help with website marketing. Our goal is to take the strain away from you, at least on the digital marketing front, giving you your time back to focus on your business and do those things you want to do.
Contact us today to talk further about developing or implementing an effective integrated online content marketing strategy for your business.
To discuss further, contact us on: info@digitalmarketingsurrey.co.uk