The short answer is no, your content marketing will not die, as long as you have something interesting to say, and you know how to say it.
Unfortunately, one catastrophic mistake most companies make is to go for the same old, worn-out topics, ads, and marketing tools. Since content marketing has changed a lot over the last decade, what worked in the past may not work anymore. To make content marketing work in today’s social, mobile world, it is imperative that you:
Don’t Go forward without a content marketing plan
Your blog posts, educational content, landing pages, emails, webinars, and sales messages must be especially created to reinforce your company’s message, vision, and mission. Furthermore, they must address all of your buyer personas, regardless of how varied your target audience is. As creating compelling content and mapping it to each category of prospects, leads, and customers in the sales funnel can be quite complicated, you need a detailed plan to ensure that you cover all aspects.
Don’t focus solely on written content
Today, Internet users expect more than just useful articles. They want interesting pieces, funny stories, interactive content, such as infographics and videos, and even blog posts converted into audio files. But that is not all. You can surprise your audience with new types of content, such as:
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- memes – especially developed for social media outlets, memes can help you get many followers; Quick Meme and Meme Generator are two resources you can use to create interesting, funny memes that capture attention;
- podcasts – podcasting is still considered one of the most effective forms of communication that you can use to spread your messages; Apple’s step-by-step tutorial explains how to produce a successful podcast;
- guides – since “how-to” content goes beyond the length and style of blog posts, it requires good writers, who are able to present complex ideas as detailed as possible yet in a compact, unique, enticing way;
- reviews – when you come across a product or service your potential customers may be interested in, try it out and write a comprehensive review about it; this can help establish authority in your niche;
- case studies – case studies allow you to exemplify ways in which your products or services can help customers, either directly or indirectly;
- interviews – interviews define a unique type of content, especially because no one else has the information you have; if you are given the opportunity to interview a leader in your field, you can gain a lot of respect – not to mention the large amount of traffic to your website.
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Never market your content to the “cyborg”
In all honesty, how many ads have you clicked lately? How may “robotic” pieces of content have you read? Maybe two or three? Well, you are not the only one. The more social the World Wide Web becomes, the more you need to breathe life into your writing. Here is how you can do this: have real conversations with your prospects and leads, speak to them in their own language, and use your articles, videos, and images to tell engaging, entertaining stories that will conquer the hearts and minds of your audience.
In conclusion, content will never kill your content marketing strategy as long as you consider the aforementioned points. Now, look at your marketing techniques. Is there anything you can do to improve them? Can you try something new to engage your audience? Whatever your answer, here are 3 more steps you can follow to boost your business results:
- Check out our “2015 Easy tips for inbound to help your business” to know exactly what you can do achieve better results this year;
- Read our article “How to Make Content Go Viral” to find out how to create viral pieces of content;
- Download our free guide “Understand email deliverability” to learn how to write effective content, build a solid customer base, and improve your reputation online and offline.