Discussing Content Marketing
Check out my latest interview, when I was honored to be a guest on the Sweet Tea Social Marketing podcast with Heather Heuman! We talked about content marketing campaigns, social media marketing, email marketing, and other digital marketing services.
When you don’t know anything about it, content marketing might seem intimidating and overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be! You can learn more about it and master the skills needed to become successful in your marketing efforts. Find out more about digital marketing and create the perfect content strategy for your business.
In this interview, we talk about the A.B.C.’s, the basics of content marketing. You can get rid of that feeling of being overwhelmed and tackle the challenge of digital marketing with ease. Tune in to hear more about focusing on your audience’s wants and needs, and discover how to use social media to grow a successful business.
What Is Meant by “Content Marketing”?
Content marketing can include so many things: podcasting, blogging, videos, social media, e-list… You need to find the perfect way to reach your ideal customer (avatar). Attracting the avatar is an A in ABC! Everywhere your potential clients are, you should be, too. The key element of a content marketing strategy is understanding your avatar and tailoring your content strategy toward it.
You don’t have to invest in every piece of the content marketing puzzle. Just use the forms of digital marketing that your customers are responding to. If your people don’t care for videos, forget about spending hours in video production and focus on something else. Maybe they listen to podcasts more often? Then, that is your aim.
Consistency Matters
Whatever your chosen marketing method is, you need to be consistent. The number one factor for success is consistency! Producing digital content and emailing your list on a regular basis is an absolute must. You can’t send one email and then go AWOL for a month. That’s not how email marketing works! People will just forget about you.
On the other hand, you can’t spam your subscribers with a constant flow of content. Finding the perfect balance of creating and sharing quality content is crucial in the digital marketing world. Small businesses can’t afford to lose subscribers on an email marketing list, but they also shouldn’t be inactive and get lost in the crowd. Content marketing agencies can help you find this balance so that you can grow your business and increase your revenue.
Building Relationships
The B in ABC of content marketing is building relationships. Most business owners focus on attracting customers to make a sale and forget about the crucial part of business growth: nurturing relationships with the clients. And this is where social media marketing matters the most. Social media platforms provide by far the best way to connect with people.
Social media platforms are such a powerful tool for relationship building! You can DM people and communicate directly. You can engage your followers, ask questions, and respond to their comments. And whatever you do in your digital marketing efforts, don’t hesitate to ask for feedback or a review so you will be able to make business improvements as a response to the customers’ demands.
Videos can be very useful in connecting with your audience. You don’t have to spend hours in video production. Just go on Facebook or Instagram live and ask a couple of questions. Be yourself and let people see your personality so you can connect with someone on a more personal level.
Email marketing is also great for nurturing relationships. Don’t just blast your marketing campaigns and promotional material every time you send an email. Write different kinds of emails, ask people how are they doing, and share interesting resources (blogs, videos, podcasts). You will get responses and build stronger relationships when you’re showing that you truly care.
Convert – the Name of the Game
Converting is the C in growing a business. But first you need to attract clients and build those relationships. There are tons of tactics you can include in your marketing strategy aimed at converting:
- Using the landing page (“lead capture page”)
- Optimizing your website (SEO content marketing is the king right now!)
- Adding a call to action to your emails
- Including a call to action in your videos or podcasts
When you simplify the process of content marketing like this (attract, build, and convert), you have a formula you can use and adapt according to your business needs.
Tips on How to Convert Leads to Sales
- Look at your analytic data to see what’s moving the needle. Focus on your best sales so you can figure out what piece of the marketing strategy provides the most leads and, ultimately, sales.
- Find your unique “thing.” There’s no one single way to design your brand strategy. You can’t just copy what someone else is doing and expect the same result. Choose something that fits your business model and that resonates with your target audience. If webinars are bringing you more conversions, then tailor your digital strategy towards creating the best webinars in your niche.
- Don’t forget about the follow-up. If potential customers send you messages, ask you for a call, or even click on your links, make sure to respond and do a follow-up. You don’t need an entire sales team on board to be able to communicate with your buyers on a regular basis. Don’t brush it off because “you don’t have the time.” That potential lead can be converted, which ultimately makes a huge difference.
- Monitor your conversion rate. It’s great that your content marketing efforts are paying off and you’re getting leads, but if you’re not converting them, what’s the point? Find something that can convert those leads. If emails aren’t working, find a different method. Get someone on the phone (if you can’t do it personally) and make those calls.
What Does a Content Marketing Agency Do?
A content marketing agency can help you go through this process. You can hire experts to create content you need, be it blog posts, videos, or something else entirely. Just explain your business plan and how you visualize your goals; then the content marketing experts can work towards generating new leads for your business and increasing your sales numbers.
Content marketing companies can focus on different things, from email marketing and social media management to blogging and podcasting. Some full service content marketing agencies also offer related services including web design, public relations, SEO content marketing, pay per click advertising, video production, etc. What you pick depends on your business needs and the type of digital marketing agency you choose to work with. The ultimate goal is to raise your brand awareness so you can attract new customers.
Social Media Marketing
Content marketing companies can help you leverage your social media account as much as possible. They’ll help you tailor your digital strategy towards the ideal customers. It’s all about building relationships, and good marketing agencies know this! If you don’t have time to respond to your followers’ comments and messages, delegate that workload to the digital marketing manager.
Not only will they be able to engage with people, but digital marketing agencies will also help you create quality content. Each social media platform is different, so you need to adapt your posts to fit specific networks. Naturally, you don’t have to be present on every single social media platform. Remember, you need to go where your potential customers are.
Search Engine Optimization
Another crucial part of digital marketing is optimizing your content for search engines. Among other things, SEO services include:
- Keyword research – finding relevant phrases your potential customers are searching for.
- On-page SEO – optimizing titles, meta descriptions, URLs, and images.
- Off-page SEO – link building, guest posting, guest podcasting, etc.
- Progress tracking – monitoring the success of your digital strategy.
A content marketing agency that also specializes in SEO can help you bring traffic to your website by securing a spot on the first page of Google. It’s about creating quality content but also paying attention to the ranking factors such as using relevant keywords, backlinks, meta descriptions, etc.
What Is a Creative Content Agency?
Have you heard of creative content agencies? These types of content marketing agencies are focused on creating engaging content for businesses in need. People who work in creative agencies come from different niches and professions, and this is what makes creative agencies unique. In a creative marketing agency, you can find content writers, graphic designers, web developers, PR specialists, and other experts eager to help your business bloom.
One huge benefit of working with creative content marketing agencies is getting a lot of fresh ideas for improving your content creation. When you’re so involved in your business (as most business owners are), you might have a harder time thinking of something new to try. A creative marketing agency can both give you objective feedback of what you can improve in your marketing efforts and suggest exciting new brand strategies.
Who Are the Top Marketing Agencies?
For top content marketing, you need a top-tier marketing agency. Find the experts that know their ABCs! You need a marketing agency that can create and implement a brand strategy for your business, optimize your website for search engines, manage your social media accounts, deliver regular content, and basically get those leads. Get us on your team, and we can work towards growing your business today.
For more details about content marketing, check out our amazing podcast interview. Please join us and learn more about the content marketing world!
CLICK HERE AND CHECK IT OUT!
Categories: Podcast.
