Some experts say content marketing is the future of advertising. Others say it is actually the present, since over 90% of companies worldwide already use it to promote their products and services. However, most of them agree that it is a fairly new and complex tool that not everybody knows how to use in order to get the best results. Here are some tips on how you can use content marketing in the most efficient manner, to your best advantage.
1. The main asset of content marketing is… content! So, do not scatter materials chaotically all over the Internet. This is not the best way to reach your audience. Instead, you should come up with a clear, organized strategy and implement it systematically. Figure out what you want to achieve with your content marketing and, then, choose the most relevant pieces of content to help you meet that goal. You will see that, once you set a target, the rest follows naturally.
2. Pay special attention to the headlines. They are basically the wrapper of the entire article, so they have to be able to grab the public’s attention from the first words. In short, your headlines should cut straight to the chase and provide the main information in a concise manner. Your statements should be bold, clear, maybe even shocking in order to catch the reader’s eye at first glimpse. Statistics, facts and relevant figures should also be valuable ingredients in your recipe for success.
You have to “sell” your materials through their headlines. That is why a great article with a mediocre headline will probably be less successful than an average article with a killer headline.
3. Promote your products and services by telling a story. Use a relaxed, conversational tone in your materials and try to engage the audience through emotions, feelings, curiosity and day to day facts. Write about things that are close to the readers and easy to understand. This way, people will die to know more and they will keep coming back to read your work.
4. Address problems that most readers face. If you are just trying to sell something, in an obvious manner, people will probably be turned off by your material. Instead, if you give useful pieces of advice on issues that many readers encounter, they will be tempted to read through to the end. This is where you can slip in a discreet call to action and a set of contact details. Most people will be more open to trying your products after having read the advice article.
5. We live in a digital era, so make sure your content is search engines-friendly! If you want to reach your target audience, you have to convince Google and other search engines that you deserve to be in the spotlight. Most people use them when they are looking for something.
6. Use more than one type of content. Text is the most widespread form of content existing online today. However, a picture, a video or a chart are sometimes worth 1,000 words. So, do not hesitate to use them whenever possible.
