10 Tips for Effective Content Marketing

 Some aspects of content marketing are simply good marketing practices – like establishing a strong goal or end goal, identifying your target audience, planning your strategy, deciding where to market/publish, and monitoring your results. Others are more specific to content marketing. Here are 10 key points to keep in mind.

1. Successful content marketing has to be awesome.

Content marketing isn't new, so people already have a lot of material to choose from, both online and offline. To capture and retain their attention, your content needs to be truly exceptional, so aim high.

2. It's good to talk...

Content marketing builds relationships and communities, so be social. Recognize and address questions and comments – both good and bad – that people leave for you on social media. Repay the effort your followers make in sharing your content by sharing theirs too.

3. But it's also good to act

Content marketing should inform and entertain your audience, but ultimately you want them to sell your service or product. If your content includes a call to action, like "watch this video" or "fill out this form," it's more likely to provoke a customer. Add to Reply. If audience members can interact with your content, they are more likely to remember it.

4. Successful content is personalized content.

Your content will lack direction and focus if you don't have a clear understanding of who you are targeting. Use people to identify the specific group you are targeting and optimize your content to meet their specific needs, speak directly to them, and deliver through the channels and in formats that work best for them.

5. Good content has a strong identity.

Develop people's expectations so they know what's coming. Give your content a consistent approach, tone, and look. Focus on an overarching subject or topic that will gain people's constant attention.

6. Choose your channels wisely.

Identify the channels your audience uses the most and target them. Find out where they go - online and offline - and be there! Don't overload your audience with content. Serve it in "chunks" appropriate for the channel you are using.

7. Keeping your finger on the pulse is critical.

Consistency is important, but so is agility and adaptability. Being flexible enough to respond to current events and industry news means you don't have to miss out on opportunities to create topical content.

8. Dropping the "hard sell" is key.

A relentless drive for maximum sales or profits will doom most content marketing ventures to failure. Avoid open promotions and "in-your-face" sales techniques in favor of useful, relevant, and entertaining information, and people will reward you with their custom and loyalty.

9. Focus on frequency.

You want to keep your audience's attention, but not beyond your reception. Decide what constitutes the "right" frequency of content and adjust it to match your audience's responsiveness. Take what media platform you're using as well. For example, you would naturally expect more frequent - but shorter - bursts of content on Twitter than you would from a book series.

10. Content marketing is not rocket science!

Content marketing is not about writing technical manuals or academic books. It's about finding your company's unique human voice - bringing irreverence, solemnity, or whatever is appropriate for your audience - and having an opinion, taking a position, or expressing a point of view. In short, be human.