Why Content Marketing is So Hot Right Now & How You Can Capitalize

When was the last time you said, “Man, I can’t wait to see some advertisements today!”

When was the last time you said, “That’s a great article – I’m going to post that on twitter / facebook / LinkedIn.”   

This is the power of content marketing. If you offer someone information that is truly valuable to them, they will often want to share it with others. The internet – and particularly social media – make this so easy that it’s almost the natural thing to immediately share information with your network because hey, if it helped you, then it could help them too. 

According to Entrepreneur.com, content marketing has now surpassed search engine marketing (SEM), PR, and traditional advertising as the medium of choice for B2B marketing professionals. 


What is Content Marketing? 

Put simply, Content Marketing is the sharing of relevant information (articles, resources, links, and the like) to your target audience, usually via social media. This information could have been produced by either yourself, your company, or a third party. As a marketer, the interaction that follows can be incredibly insightful. If done correctly, you will often see a flow-on effect which includes Likes, comments, @mentions, re-tweets, and even old-school sharing via e-mail. 

The benefits for a brand can be significant. They include: 

• Increased interaction with followers, fans, and prospects
• Positions your business as a valuable information resource for your industry
• Enhances your reputation and credibility (especially if you’ve produced the content)
• Positions you as a Thought Leader with well-considered views and insights
• Better results for SEO – rank higher on Google (or Ask Jeeves, whatever you prefer)
• Receive feedback and generate discussion with customers

If you’re wondering how this leads to sales, the link from content to action could go as follows:

> You post a brilliant article to your blog/website and share it on Facebook

> Consumer’s interest is piqued by your headline 

> Clicks link to your article and reads content on your website

> Is impressed by what they read, then explores your site to check out your offering

> Has a need / want for your product or service and makes an enquiry

In an ideal world, isn’t that a better way to engage with a potential customer than pushing an ad at them which interrupts or even annoys them and competes for their attention?

Become a ‘Curator of Content’ 


If you’re an entrepreneur of marketing professional looking to build your company’s online audience, and ultimately generate sales from your digital marketing efforts, I would suggest to include content marketing as a key part of your social media marketing plan.

There are essentially two types of content:


1. Content produced by you or your business.
2. Content produced by others.


The beauty of content marketing is that you can utilize both types of content to great effect, and therefore you don’t have to spend endless time or effort with producing content. Instead, your goal should be a ‘Curator of Content’, or someone who deftly balances the production and sharing of your own content with the sharing of content as created by other people. By carefully producing and seeking out quality content, you will have a constant stream of useful information ready to share with your audience.


Best Platforms for Content Marketing

Twitter: A platform tailor-made for content marketing. One of twitter’s greatest strengths is the ability to find and share amazing content with like-minded people in your industry.


Facebook: Facebook’s Pages application allows you to create a page specifically to attract your fans, customers, and potential customers, and if used correctly, to share information that is useful or entertaining to them. 


LinkedIn: A common strategy would be to share links and articles in your status updates. You can also post your articles to Groups on LinkedIn which are related to your market, or even create a Group and invite others to join so that you can share information with them regularly. 


Your Blog: A blog can be thought of as a home for the content which you personally produce. I would recommend blogging on at least a fortnightly basis if possible. Blogging is an ideal way to enhance your reputation as an expert in your field. It is also a way to increase your website’s search engine ranking, as Google’s algorithm loves fresh content on websites.


Frequency


A question that’s often asked is, “How much time is this going to take?” Or, “How often should I post something?” Ideally you will be able to maintain a high quality of content, as well as an adequate quantity. How often you post to each platform depends on your goals and what would be appropriate in your industry, however here are some very generic guidelines to start with:


Twitter: Post 2-5 times per day.


Facebook: Post 1-2 times per day, plus interact with any comments from users.


LinkedIn: Post 1-3 times per week. Be sure to post any content which you’ve personally created – such as a blog post – to any relevant Groups, as people are typically quite receptive to having people contribute valuable insights to their group.


Blogging: I would recommend blogging at least fortnightly. Origianal content as produced by you or your company will carry more weight and enhance your reputation more so than content produced by others and re-posted / linked to by you. With this in mind, the more content you can produce (whilst maintaining quality), the better.


Bonus!


Here are some examples of headlines to get you thinking about what you can write about / how to structure an attention-grabbing headline:


– 7 Non-Traditional Ways to Get Free PR for Your Business
– What the World’s Most Successful Online Marketers Don’t Want to Tell You
– How to Make Exercise More Fun than Sex*


Until next time, express yourself, start creating and sharing content and most of all, enjoy the sensation. 


*Thanks, Jonathan Fields.