WHAT DOES A GOOD CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY LOOK LIKE?
We’re living in the age of the influencer. By that we mean that everyone, (and if you’re on social media in some way) is a content creator in some regard or another. The barrier of entry into the content marketing space has never been lower.
So, does this over-saturation make content marketing obsolete?
Not in the slightest. In fact, Google has changed its algorithm to favor quality content and user experience (more on that, here).
However, it does make it harder.
Well, what does it take to create a winning content marketing campaign these days?
CONTENT THAT GETS TO THE POINT
You might think of yourself as the next Fitzgerald, but in reality, you should probably aim to be the next Hemmingway, instead. When people come to your site looking for information, make sure you’re giving it to them.
Having a lot to say is great, but make sure you’re doing it in a way that doesn’t require wading through long, convoluted paragraphs about nothing at all. Site visitors aren’t going to want to scan your entire piece of content to get the single tidbits of information they’re looking for, and they probably won’t.
Have you ever landed on a page and been met with a giant wall of text? How exactly did that make you feel- Bored? Annoyed? Reluctant? All of the above? Yeah, us too.
All in all, you need to develop knowledgeable and credible content.
CONTENT THAT IS RELEVANT TO ITS AUDIENCE
We know this sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised. So, say you sell skin care products. Pray tell, what kind of information is your target audience interested in? Skin care. So, stick to that. Maybe you can write up a blog post about the importance of SPF, or which of your products or services are best for different skin types, just some ideas.
The moral of the story is this: your audience is there because they consider you an authority in a certain area. To cultivate a developed, well-formulated brand, you need to stick to content relevant to your brand image and customers.
CONTENT THAT IS ENGAGING
Another seemingly obvious point we’re making here is your content should not be a pain to consume. Though, sometimes that’s easier said than done. Search engines may love a lot of relevant keywords in your content, but if you’re just stuffing them in there like a double bean burrito, then no one is going to want to hang around to see what happens next.
And, suddenly you’ve got a real bounce rate problem on your hands and you don’t understand why.
Try mixing up your mediums with video content. Break up big paragraphs into easy-to-digest bits. Put together an informative case study. Write up some listicles on innovative ways to use your products. Again, just some ideas. In summation, your marketing efforts are going to be all for naught if you’re not writing for both the audience and the algorithm.
CONTENT THAT IS EVERGREEN
While, yes, some one-off content about a certain trending topic can be great to throw in every now and then to spice things up, the bottom line is, your content should have a good shelf life. If it’s chock-full of discontinued products and outdated information, there’s no chance someone is going to share the content, let alone offer any kind of return on your investment, and all your content marketing efforts will be in vain.
Instead, create pieces of content that can be relevant to your audience today, tomorrow, and possibly even a year from now. If a certain page on your site is getting clicks for years at a time, the Google Gods will reward you with high placements on the SERP.
NEED SOME HELP WITH CONTENT MARKETING?
Whether you’re new to the content marketing arena or have been having a hard time seeing results from your existing strategies, we’re here to help. At Boxwood, we create quality content that yields real results. To get started, give us a call. We specialize in helping small to mid-sized businesses create new connections and reach their goals through time-tested SEO inbound eCommerce marketing strategies.
