Five Tips for Better Content Marketing

Would you like to know how to make people like your company so much that they'll be eager to buy from you, and tell all their friends how wonderful you are?

Right there is the heart of content marketing – attention-grabbing information that will draw your customers in and make them want to know more.

Content marketing means a move away from direct selling in favour of creating  valuable content that will spark interest and foster a desire to buy from you. So how do you make your content marketing stand out from the crowd?

Here are 5 tips to get you started >>>

Make It Attention-Grabbing

If you don't grab your customers' attention, the rest of your efforts will be for naught. Good content marketing needs to offer your audience something.

When designing your content, ask yourself these questions >>>

• Does this solve a problem or answer a question?
• Is it entertaining or amusing?
• Is it visually appealing?

The internet is a bit like a highway with a thousand billboards beside it – so you need to make sure your message is something worth seeing.

Take some time to craft a compelling headline. If your content is written or a video, make the first sentence attention-grabbing. If it's a graphic, make sure it's visually appealing.

The aim is to get your customer intrigued from the get-go.

Know Your Audience

Content marketing isn't just about casting a wide net and seeing how many nibbles you get. It's vital that you take time to get to know your target audience.

Time spent doing this now will offer returns when you produce relevant content that speaks to your intended audience.

Do some surveys, look at any stats you have, and figure out who you want to place your content in front of.

How old are they? What interests them? What are their social media and surfing habits? What do they want from the companies they buy from? Now, craft content that is laser-focused on those people.

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Consistent Quality

Good content marketing isn't about creating a one-time event. You need to produce good quality content on a regular basis.

That means placing a steady stream of interesting, relevant and appealing content before your customers.

This will keep their interest, and keep them coming back for more. When they keep coming back for more, they are more likely to make the decision to purchase from you.

Whether you employ a dedicated person or team, or create your own content, schedule it in as you would any other vital business activity.

Make sure you have a plan – how much content you will produce and how regularly. 

Customer, Not Company

The aim of your content isn't to tell your customers how amazing you are.

Think about it – if you were in the market for a new car, would you want to know how the company got started, or would you want to know what the car would do for you? Your customers don't want to know about you. They want to know about what you can do for them. What value can your content add to their lives?

Craft content that will enrich your customer's lives, show them that your products can do the same, and you'll be on the way to making that sale.

Promote, Promote, Promote

No matter how clever your content, it won't promote itself. Once you've crafted that ebook, podcast or blog post, you need to tell the world about it.

Go where your customers are – do you have a large mailing list, an active Twitter account or a popular Facebook page? Hopefully you have all three! Now go to those social networks and show your customers the content you've created for them.

Content marketing is the way forward when it comes to driving sales.

Rather than talking at your customers, content marketing builds a relationship with them, fostering trust and loyalty towards your company.

This takes a little longer, but like any good relationship the rewards are more than worth it.

About the Author

Tristan Anwyn is an author who writes on subjects as diverse as health, marketing, review reputation, and SEO.