It’s important to acknowledge an obvious point, which is marketing is important to every business. Then we turn to the question of how, when and what efforts will make an impact on marketing campaign efforts. One great aspects at an agency like, Marketing 4 Real Results is that we work with tons of amazing clients that are at different levels. This allows us to share successful tactics across many companies and avoid the pitfalls of marketing that do now show value. Our clients are usually pretty grateful that we share monthly insights with them and methods of improvements. We try to keep in mind when setting up all marketing campaigns the many ways that we can communicate with target audiences and over the last several years, digital marketing communication methods have taken the front seat and is for us, top of mind.
Since we are operating in a mobile first society what we do online is just as important as what we do offline. To achieve success in 2019, 2020 and beyond the influx of competition in every market indicates that we must put customers first in our approach to business. This will require a customer centric-personalized approach. In the Los Angeles area where Marketing 4 Real Results is based as well as many cities across the United States, there are mom and pop entrepreneurs with brick and mortar locations that compete not only for foot traffic but also for online business. Content Marketing is a key tool to engage clients and customers in both places. Success can and will happen as long as the needs and wants of your target audiences are a priority in your content marketing strategy building.
Content marketing builds trust, visibility, credibility and authority with new and existing clients and customers. This process allows us to engage, nurture, and convert more easily based on information sharing that leads to brand awareness and recognition. The easiest way to get started with content marketing is to connect social media channels to your website and create a keyword strategy. With these tools in place you are ready to start building momentum that feeds directly into your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By taking this direction your content marketing efforts will be clearly defined and you can outline relevant subject matters that will resonate with your target audience. By aligning SEO and relevant keywords into your content marketing strategy you are set for a positive ROI. Time is a factor in everything we do, so we must be mindful with intention and purpose in all marketing efforts. The potential to generate leads and build customer loyalty over time is an excellent long term business growth strategy. Your keyword research will help you to better understand your target audience and create content that supports business goals.
Keep in mind the fact that, content marketing benefits both online and offline actions with the ability to be one of your most viable channels for driving growth. Crafting the right content marketing strategy can also become the foundation for your brand voice. By understanding your audience, delivering consistent and reliable content and producing quality products/services you are on the right path for growth. An example of a well crafted content marketing example is “adding value” to your target audience. Taking this direction you have clarity, focus and direction for all content created. The next step requires us to take that content and consistently produce content in a storytelling capacity and share across multiple channels. These effort leads to a pap on the back and a job well done.
In 2019 we are required to dive deep into digital marketing if we want to stay competitive and continue to grow and not become the next Blockbuster. So by understanding all the choices to engage our target audiences, we must become aware of our need to do more to make an impact on our relationships. We must focus marketing efforts on adequately standing out from the crowd. How we do this requires an exploration into the number of marketing options that exist within our company and the kind of impact we want to have. How customer centric does your brand want to be? You must be willing to dive deep to show value in the form of content. Content that will attract the best and most profitable clients/customers require us to be very specific. If we want to convert prospective customers with value add content, the level of content that we produce is crucial. This is not a simple task and requires a strategic approach to accomplish impressive results. By focusing on consistently sending valuable content that aligns well with your business goals you are setting the stage for business growth.
Dive Deep With Your Content?
To become a leader in your space, you must adopt content marketing as a top marketing tactic. If you operate like most companies, you can appreciate support that speaks to the bottom line of your business to get more customers. Content marketing is your key to the kingdom. By answering questions that your prospects have before they ask them, shows that you have considered their buying journey and you are best fit to earn their business.
At Marketing 4 Real Results we place strategic marketing solutions such as content marketing at the foundation of marketing initiatives since we know content matters. By understanding the significance of content marketing, we encourage our clients not to ignore content marketing as a revenue generating marketing activity. Content Marketing should never be overlooked and instead should be considered as the “cornerstone” of your marketing strategy. Think of content from a bulls eye perspective that includes and integrates every aspect of your marketing strategy. Your communication across multiple touch points matters to ensure that you build trust. If you are able to execute content marketing correctly, you will see increased engagement with prospects and customers that will eventually turn into sales. To plan and execute your content marketing strategy carefully curating content focused on a specific product/service is recommended. Once you have developed a planned effort the next steps are to consistently translate that content into stories that answer questions for your audience and encourage engagement. By consistently delivering similar relevant content aimed to persuasive and engage, you are building and effective sales funnel.
Content marketing actions are best executed with the purpose. Are you looking to gain inbound traffic? Get the phone to ring? Regardless of the goal be sure to target prospects and customers with a deep understanding of who they are and what motivations they have to buy from you. In Real Estate a trigger for new home sales is pregnancy? That indicates a strong need for more space and a change in current living conditions, which give not only the need but a timeline to complete. Making a quick sale is not the right approach to any transaction. We should think long term. We do want referral business right? As well as loyalty, so after we have a commitment we want to continue to strengthen the bond. A quick sale may seem like a good idea but remember your prospect can always easily turn to your competition. So showing value of your product or service will never be diminished if we communicate effectively and give exceptional service. It is best to dedicate an adequate amount of time to build your content consider industry changes, trends etc. to have larger impact on increasing your sales. Remember everything we do is about expanding brand awareness and business growth.
How Often Should You Create New Content?
One of the most critical pieces of content marketing strategic planning is having a goal to be consistent. This is likely the biggest challenge that many people face. Not knowing what to write about or when to share on social media, email marketing or during conversations. This only happens when your business goals are not tied to your actions. We must think and say everything that is aligned with business goals. The habit to continuously create new content to increase engagement has a direct impact on the results of your business. First they heard of you, then they read your content, then they connected and started following you and eventually they were your customer. This is the story of how new business happens. Generally it is not a first round that gets the sales, even in retail. 60 percent of sales happen after your prospect has engaged with your brand on some level. That deepens the importance to always be selling. You know the ABC rule. Prospects that view our businesses before making a purchase are waiting to see what happens before, during and after the sale. In the primary industries we serve, Restoration, Real Estate, Consumer Goods and Healthcare, changes in your products/services don’t happen often. So we help our clients build, blog content, case studies etc that have a long life span. Marketing 4 Real Results clients have found the more consistent the messaging the more impressive the results over time. One tip to note is that having a segmented list of subscribers can help to ensure your audience gets the most relatable content at a desired time.
Top 5 Reasons To Create Content
- Improve SEO
- Build Brand Awareness
- Build Authority as an Industry Expert
- Effectively promote new products and upsell/cross sell
- Increase leads and turn more prospects into customers by delivering value
You can also create meaningful content experiences for customers and prospects, by sharing personalized local content. Use caution with local content creating, since more personalized content requires more time and resources. The best content to share pertains to companies internal relationships. Your authentic brand voice is important to your customers, so do not be afraid to share, birthday celebrations, anniversaries and promotions. This is the best trust building that can resonate quickly to your target audience. Recommended: Attract attention by unveiling your business with purpose and intention.
Suggestions: Sharing team collaboration projects, “A Day In The Life” shows what it’s like to work for your company. Each department can have a segmented time of year to share. By sharing this kind of content with your audience you are creating a story of family, team work and loyalty and you will have succeeded in grabbing their attention. One common content marketing strategy that most big brands adopt is sharing robust list of FAQ’s on their websites to answer common questions. Also, using historical data to capture consistent questions from customer service departments or online chat conversations can be a valuable source of content. Repurposing your content across multiple channels and departments within your company, is a savvy way to grab the attention of your audience while also being efficient. Now everyone on your team is able to answer any questions that may not pertain to their specific role. No more silos, we should have all team members speaking the same language. Another method that helps in building content is assigning a priority for all departments that is aligned to business goals and focused on connecting with clients/customers and prospects.
Great Content Marketing Sharing Suggestions
- Share Industry News (as it related to your product/service)
- Best Customers Tips
- Sales and Customer Service Tips
- Community Involvement Scenarios
What Type Of Content Should You Create?
Your specific business structure and goals by month, year and quarter should predicate the type of content you share and at what time. Below are a few Top Content Consumption suggestions:
- Blog Post: Facts, opinions and ideas with text graphics and video.
- E-Books: Showcase your expertise with a three to five page long content.
- Videos: Most people prefer a quick answer over searching pages and pages of content.
- Webinars: Speak directly to customers and prospects to demonstrate your expertise.
- Reviews/Customer Testimonials: Results from past customers can inspire confidence in prospect
- Company Accolades/Awards: Share the journey
- Product or Service Features/Benefits: Use case scenarios that align with your target audience needs
What Should Your Content Marketing Strategy Include?
- Goals outlined with KPIs
- Well-defined target audience (include historical data when applicable)
- Start and end time
Content Marketing Best Practice:
To have a long-lasting impact with your content marketing strategy, you will need to review content consumption and make changes as needed. Since content marketing isn’t a simple process, scheduling an editorial calendar with internal teams will help keep the content flowing. Remember to have a proof reader, here at Marketing 4 Real Results, we recently added a third eye to catch errors and ensure the content we share targets our audiences in Real Estate, Restoration, Consumer Goods and Healthcare.
Start your journey by first deciding:
- Topics to be included
- Team/Departments to be involved
- Goals, target start and completion dates
- Consumption metrics
- Keyword Research and analysis
By frequently posting high quality content on your website and speaking directly to the questions your target audience has either online, by phone or in person, your search engine rating will increase on Google, Yahoo and Bing due to the frequency of online algorithms. Remember: Post Consistent – Relevant content often.
- Value –Prospect learned something.
- Relevant – Addresses a need, want, desire or interest
Effective content marketing (https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/content-marketing-plan) happens when consistent content connects the brand and audience. The better the branded content the more engagement you will see. It is very important to understand that well-written content marketing efforts supports online marketing activities including SEO, social media marketing and e-Commerce sales. As well as creative content can fuel social media marketing copy, visuals and links.
Facts to consider:
According to AdWeek, 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases.
Top Content Marketing Tactics:
By taking video, targeting landing pages, blogging posts and using eBooks, you can create a wide range to display your content marketing.
Content Marketing Steps to Take
- Align content marketing efforts with a goal to maintain the interest of current customers with high-quality content.
- Fuel your business with content that will engage your target audience and drive profitable action to your business.
Content Strategy To Consider
- Marketing medium
- Total marketing budget
The impact of having a content marketing strategy can positively and dramatically increase your always one marketing strategy. Building and maintaining trust with your audience is how you sustain your online authority. Embrace the value add content to grow your business. If your business does not have the internal team infrastructure in place to get started or if you would like help to get started with a strategic content marketing, contact Marketing 4 Real Results today.