The role of a marketer is never done. You must continue to find new ways to engage your audience and stay relevant. One of the best ways to keep your brand top of mind with your audience is through content marketing. Content marketing is any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire and attain customers. Content, in this context, is any text associated with your brand. This includes the text on your website, blog, emails and social media.
To help you refocus the purpose of your published content and guide it in a direction that resonates with your audience, follow these four content marketing tips.
1. Think in terms of longterm strategy. Your content should be strategic, not tactical, so try to plan in context of your entire marketing strategy. One of the key elements of a successful marketing strategy is the acknowledgement of the diverse needs of your audience and how your company solves them. You can then create a marketing strategy that makes the most of your strengths and matches them to the needs of the clients you want to target.
2. Speak to your audience like people, not ATMs. You should write in a voice and tone that is authentic, and genuine, rather than language that is full of business jargon. It’s possible to align your content with your brand’s values, while also delivering value to your audience. You should drive relationship-based engagement with your audience, not always be pushing for the sale. Become aware of the issues they face and offer ways you can solve them. What are they getting out of this relationship?
3. Write in a manner that teaches rather than tells. You want to spur discovery and spark discourse. Oftentimes when people come to you, they’re merely looking for more information and aren’t quite to the buying stage yet. If all of the content on your website and other marketing collateral is all “buy this, buy that,” you’re going to turn a lot of potential clients off.
4. Don’t talk over your audience. Instead, allow your audience to interact with you. If you have a blog, allow comments. Respond to social media interactions and encourage open communication. Especially in social channels where conversation is much less formal and all interaction is optional, responding to comments and questions lets your audience know their voice is heard and forms a strong bond between your audience and your brand.
Originally published on the SAGE Blog
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