It’s always challenging to come up with a list of “the top” anything. But, whatever the subject matter, it’s an interesting exercise. It requires stepping back to think strategically about what matters most. In this case, what matters most when it comes to content marketing. Having been engaged in content marketing for a number of years now, and having achieved a fair amount of success with our own and client accounts, we’d point to these as the “Three Must Knows” for effective content marketing.
Content Marketing “Must Knows”
- Know your audience, not just generally, but specifically. When meeting with various business groups to discuss marketing strategies for a specific product or business launch, I often ask the question “what is your target audience?” Most often, the response is very generic: “women age 25-50,” for instance. Think of the wide range of variables that might exist in such a broadly defined market: income levels, family status (e.g. single? married? children?), geography, profession, interests, etc., etc. As you work to more narrowly define your market based on as many attributes as you can think of, you’re better able to 1) understand their needs so that you can develop relevant messaging; 2) understand what channels might work best to get information to them. As part of this process another very helpful thing to do is to create a “buyer persona,” or very detailed description of who the target consumer is.
- Know the type of information your audience needs, or values. Then, based on your detailed understanding of your audience, think about the type of information they might need or value to solve problems or issues they’re dealing with, to improve their lives, etc. Group these into a few categories (3-5). These then become your “content pillars.” The content you create will fall into these general categories.
- Know how you can uniquely provide information others aren’t already providing. Consider the information your competitors, or others, may already be providing relative to the topics you’ve identified. What are the gaps? What information could you provide, or what approach could you take, that is different from what’s already out there in meaningful ways that resonate with your audience? Providing something different, and better, is critical. It’s not about being “the same as” everybody else; it’s about being “different from” in meaningful ways.
What Do YOU Know?
Those are our “Three Must Knows” for effective content marketing. If you do these three things well, you will be laying a solid foundation from which you can build your content strategy and, ultimately, your content. How many of these have you mastered?
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
Recommended Reading
21st Century Secrets to Effective PR: Tips and Best Practices for Gaining Media Exposure
Tags: content marketing, content that converts, copywriting, writing content, writing copy