Fortifying your marketing strategy with content marketing isn’t just smart, it’s necessary. McDonald’s is doing it. Coke is doing it. The entire automotive sector is doing it.
These brands realized they couldn’t afford not to delve into content marketing. Neither can you – even if your team is comprised of a staff of you.
Content marketing is a strategy that gives the audience something useful or entertaining, created by your company’s knowledge and branded with your logo. It’s a sneak-peek, a helping hand, a few words of wisdom. You can create content in-house or outsource and distribute it cost-effectively through the digital world as a blog, video tutorial, e-book, infographic, meme…think personal and share-worthy.
Do your research! Look at the big players and the small fry, and check out companies, brands, or personalities that have nothing to do with your industry but are winning at content marketing. And look at your audience. Know how the clients you have interact with your current marketing strategy and social media, and who else they follow.
Successful content marketing personifies your company and connects emotionally to your audience so the next time they need your services, yours is the first place they look.
So how are you going to reach out and touch someone? Here are some ideas:
Inspire Once upon a time you were a little kid with big dreams. You were a new grad with high expectations and a sense of entitlement. You were a new business owner buried in bills and losing sleep. Inspire people with stories from your own career. Write throw-back blog posts about what your life was like as a startup. Post photos from the old days. Talk about successes and, if you dare, failures. Putting your own stories out there not only inspires people but provides transparency, which clients adore.
Educate The people go to great lengths to avoid calling customer service or buying something pre-fabricated. First and foremost, they go online to see whether someone out there will teach them how to DIY. You can solve the world’s problems by offering advice and answering FAQ’s using your blog, illustrated step-by-step how-tos, video tutorials, or simple social media posts. You do this every time a customer asks you a question anyway, so provide the answers in a medium that allows them to show off your excellent customer service and dynamic industry knowledge to their friends.
Play Marketing is a creative outlet, so indulge. Hire a graphic designer and create some memes. Be punny. Make an animated commercial. Add a fun quote someone said about your service to your email signature. Overhaul your paper brochures. Embrace video content. Fear not the social media. Create fun.
Do a quick search for the best content marketing ideas out there. Not a single example is conventional, traditional, or expected. Stepping up your personal brand with content marketing can be as simple as cultivating a Twitter or Instagram account. The point is to be seen, heard, and remembered.
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