If you’ve ever read advertising content, it was clean and easy to understand. Perhaps you liked it!
To get there, it takes more than writing a few blog posts and uploading images on social media, however. Some parts of content marketing are extremely technical. However, every business can benefit from content marketing to get more customers.
Content marketing is an aspect of inbound marketing which is focused on attracting customers via methods that aren’t overly intrusive. Instead of bombarding your audience with advertisements in their living spaces they are able to visit you on their own schedule. This usually occurs when they’re researching online.
Content marketing agencies were established to address a specific requirement. Companies were interested in engaging in content marketing but needed assistance with direction and execution. The process of creating content can be time-consuming and acquiring the required software needed to manage a content strategy can get expensive. If you work with a marketing company, businesses can outsource the work and cut expenses.
To comprehend what a content marketing agency does, you need to first understand the basics of content marketing. not only how it functions however, but the reason it works.
What Is Content Marketing?
Similar to the majority of forms of inbound marketing content marketing is a digital strategy. It’s about the creation and distribution of content. “Content” can be defined as written materials, graphics videos, texts, or any other type of consumable or readable assets. Content marketing’s goals are to boost visitors to your website develop trust, engage audiences, gain new customers and satisfy current customers.
Contemporary content marketing came about with the birth of the internet, but businesses have utilized content for decades. Charts, graphs and product guides have been useful, particularly for marketing purposes. Some might even say that content marketing originated hundreds of years ago through cave paintings, but this is probably stretching it.
It’s the way that most content is useful but not a sales pitch. It is important to avoid talking that is about your business or the reasons why people should purchase, particularly when writing top-ofthe-funnel content like a blog post or a guide to making a DIY.
There are several different ways to approach content marketing, as well as diverse types of content. The same content strategy won’t be suitable for every business. Nonetheless, at least one type of content marketing is important, regardless of whether you’re just creating sales decks.
For example, B2C businesses may be more successful by focusing on platforms such as Facebook. B2B companies selling high-end service contracts may prefer to concentrate on longer-form content , and then distribute it on platforms like LinkedIn.
Blogging
Blogging is a tried and true method of marketing through content that’s been in practice for decades. As it stands, it’s expected to become a major strategy for the foreseeable future. It’s been reported by HubSpot, 53% of marketers declare that creating content for blogs was their primary inbound marketing priority in 2017.
A lot of businesses use blogs to distribute announcements or press releases on their company. Some also use it to provide insight for their business on current news related to their sector. Both strategies are valuable. They establish your business as an expert in the field and helps you build confidence among readers.
There are also other objectives to shoot for with your blog strategy.
SEO
The role of blogging is crucial in SEO, or SEO Agency. Each blog post has the potential to be ranked in the results of a search when relevant queries and keywords. You should choose your keywords according to the terms that people search for and those that you think you are able and should rank for. The goal of this approach is to get a high ranking on search results for relevant terms and increase traffic to your website.
For instance, this particular post is optimized for the following keywords: “Content marketing,” “content marketing agency,” “benefits of content marketing,” “content marketing strategy,” and “what is content marketing.” If you came to this page after doing a Google search, you may have searched for one of these keywords or something similar.
When you write a blog, you’re not doing it for Google You’re writing for a reader – a human being. Select subjects that appeal to your customers. What questions have they asked you about your business? What are the reasons they chose to work with you? Develop personas based on your customers . Write every blog article with this in mind.
It’s important to post regularly to ensure that your blog remains top of mind in terms of search engine results. It is also important to keep up with the changes that are happening in your field. Develop a blogging scheduleand adhere to it, even if you only put up a few posts per month. If you’re partnering with a Marketing Agency make a blogging calendar for them. Then, you’ll have to review every post prior to going live.
Content Offers
Content offers can turn your website’s visitors to leads. This type of content can be locked down, which means the audience is able to get access to it by filling out one of the forms on your website landing page. Once the form is filled in, you’ll get their contact information , and they are provided with a helpful piece content.
There are hundreds of types of content products you could make. Checklists with how-to-guides, eBooks, whitepapers, and industry reports are some of the most well-known. The content you offer doesn’t need to be long written pieces. Customers may also enjoy videos, images, informational charts and infographics valuable. No matter what you pick, pick the type that will resonate most with your audience.
You can share your landing pages with social media or post digital ads on your offer to bring in more leads. Place calls-to-action on your website as well as on blog posts to draw readers’ attention. A call to action can be described as the button that directs people to a landing page. Here’s an example of a Call-to-Action (CTA):
Making content offers can take time. It involves good writing and design work as well as people who know with a content management system. If you’re working with a content marketing agency, establish a schedule for creating content offers. They’ll have the tools and skills they need to upload them to your site and disperse them.
Social Media Posts
Social media marketing is a method in and of itself however it’s also one of the branches in content marketing. In reality, both social media as well as content marketing are best utilized together. Each social post is a piece of content designed to compel an audience to do something.
Whether your desire them to know about your business, read your blog post, click on it, or share it, the message you post is vitally important. It’s helpful having a skilled copywriter on hand for these types of messages.
When you post over time you should include a mix of your own material and the material of others. If you’re parting of any business partnership you may exchange content to increase traffic to each other’s websites. Other times, you could exchange content from other sources related to your industry such as online publications and industry blogs. These won’t drive traffic to our site in the direct manner, however they can help gain you fans and create interest for your company’s image.
Don’t be unafraid to share often, even at least once daily particularly if do not have a presence on social media in the beginning. Sharing is much easier when you use social media automation tools. These kinds of tools permit you to gather data so you can determine which types of posts get the most clicks, views, and shares.
Other types of social media marketing may be relevant for you, such as influencer marketing, active interaction, and social media ads. If you have a partnership with a content marketing agency ask them to figure out the best option for you. The agency can help with the tedious tasks that go with this strategy.
At the very minimum, be thinking about sharing your content to social media. This type of publishing is a vital part of any strategy for marketing content.
Videos
A growing number of marketers are watching video, and for good reason. Video content is predicted to claim more than 80 percent of the world’s internet traffic by 2019. In the U.S. it will be higher than 85%. Videos are extremely shareable pieces of content as well as easier to consume than lengthy written pieces, such as the one you’re reading today. They also provide the viewer with a greater insight into your business .
How you create video will depend on your business’s objectives and customers. There are various types of videos that you can pick from:
- Educational videos
- How-to videos
- Brand Value Videos
- Videos of events and experiences
- Video emails
- Product demonstrations
- Corporate culture videos
- Testimonials
- Video ads
- FAQ videos
- Thank-you videos
As with other types of marketing content, the type of videos you decide to use will be contingent on what part of the funnel that you’re targeting. Educational videos are best Marketing Agency 2022 for the upper part of the funnel, as are product demos and FAQs, while videos work best at the bottom.
The biggest drawback with making video clips is that these have to be well done in order to make a difference. People will generally be dissatisfied with a video that is poorly produced. Some employees will feel comfortable filming. Like TV ads, videos that have a high production value could be costly. So, many companies seek out third-party marketers for video-related services. A content marketing company may be able to make videos, or they may work with a third party.
In any case, it’s definitely worth your exploring the possibilities of video. Videos are able to get 1200 percent greater shares via social media than text and images combined. Start by creating your own. Perhaps you’ll find something that works. Perhaps someone on the team has some acting skill. If you’ve done webinars in the past there’s a chance you’ve already got some great practice.
Original Graphics and Images
Images, infographics and designs, charts, graphs, and other images are widely shared and easy to consume. Visual content appeals to the psyche in a different way the psyche than written content. The majority of people can be classified as visual learners this means that they can process information faster when it’s delivered through images. Presentations that include visual aids are also more persuasive in comparison to presentations that lack.
It’s common practice to accompany the content you write with pictures. articles that contain images garner more views and have higher rates of retention. If you’ve ever read any business blogs, you’ve probably seen that many of them have an image at the top, if not at all. However, you can take it one step further, though.
You may have an experienced graphic designer on staff or for a content marketing firm with a designer, benefit from their talents. Create graphics for your website and for sharing on social media. Design your brand’s image through images. Your name will be recognized more easily.
Original photos are always preferred over stock photos. If you are able to spare the time and money to develop your own images make them. Ask your designer to edit those images to make them fit your brand.
Here are some types of visual content you can employ:
- Original photographs
- Graphics designed by designers
- Image quotes
- Cartoons
- Infographics
- Presentations and SlideShares
- Screenshots
- GIFs