While we here at No More Practice have been marketing our content to you – our valued community – for over four years, we talk to plenty of business owners who are only just starting to dip their toe in the water when it comes to content marketing.
It is actually a pretty labour intensive initiative but the good news is that you can use existing internal resources to start your marketing plan and rely on your own expertise to publish interesting, value added content.
Here are three ways to kick start your content marketing strategy and, if done well, generate new business and new recruits.
1. Write what you know from experience
Being authentic is what the new generation of content marketing is about. People want experts who know what they are talking about and are willing to not only admit their mistakes, but reveal how they fixed them. If you truly want to engage with people you need to let them ‘under your skin’ and expose the ‘real’ professional you. Any whiff of ‘spin’ or inauthenticity simply won’t fly as there is so much content to choose from these days. More people will spend time with your content if you provide real insights and truthful experiences.
2. Think about what channels you are writing for
Some people believe writing one piece and publishing it across all channels – your website, social platforms, trade press – will produce the best results while saving time. But unfortunately, content marketing isn’t that simple. If you are writing with a youth audience in mind, place it in channels where youth hang out. Don’t place it in areas that are not likely to be frequented by your desired audience. Not only will you miss your target audience, you will alienate those that it does reach as it has nothing to do with them.
3. Be patient and keep going
Writing a few articles is not going to cut it. You need to prepare for a three year program where you increase your reach, loyal audience and brand. If you think you can do it quicker than you had better be prepared to spend a significant sum on both digital strategists and money with the likes of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. After all, anyone can acquire audience quickly if they pay for it but this audience will be worthless. Unless your audience is there because they are loyal to you and your insight, they won’t do anything for you and your bottom line.
Content marketing is not about quick wins, it is about a long term strategic approach to contributing to a valuable conversation, where you are constantly adding worth to the audience. The rewards for those who nail this are invaluable. Good luck!
Vanessa’s mission is to positively impact people by increasing their knowledge base and decision making ability around finance and business principles. She is the co-creator of The Bottom Line and founder of the parent company, evolution media group.
