Have seen statistics on the amount of information available today … doubling every 18 to 24 months? Amazing isn’t it? That is why a content marketing guidebook can be extremely valuable.
Note that Statistic Brain says that our average attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds – one second less than a goldfish! It is not surprising then that the battle over content marketing is getting more difficult every day.
All this available information and data is creating a battle for customer attention between brands, publishers, and each one of us who creates content. But more importantly, it’s forcing businesses to think and act much more competitively.
I think we can all agree that content marketing is both practical and potent. It’s the ultimate form of inbound marketing and makes total sense when you need to reach 21st-century consumers. I could even spout off a laundry list of stats that prove just how big of an impact content marketing can have.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing involves using writing to make customers and potential customers more aware of a customer’s brand. It also offers help and useful suggestions. This can be in the form of web articles, blog posts, eBooks, or white papers. Unlike newspaper and traditional magazine articles, good content marketing does more than just report, however. Good content marketing connects with readers and makes them want to use your client’s product or service.
Marketing content is all about making connections. Your level of success has a lot to do with how your readers react to what you write. People connect with the product or service that your clients sell because they relate to what you’re saying to them. They want to feel that your copy is specifically crafted with their interests and needs in mind. In other words, it should feel personal.
There are many content-type options available to you. You can create one type of content or multiple types.
Here are the top content formats that we have found to generate the most attention online:
E-books
This type is an electronic version of a book composed in or converted to digital format for display on a computer screen or handheld device. An e-book requires deep content (15,000 words or more) to be taken seriously. There are countless examples of brands getting razzed for releasing a 10-page “e-book,” so create something with depth.
If done correctly, your e-book will be so useful that it will get cited or referenced by other books written on your topic. Do a Google Books search for your content name (in quotation marks) to find out if your e-book has been cited!
Guides / Handbooks
Guides and handbooks help someone to make a decision or calculation, formulate an opinion or execute a strategy or tactic. This content may be best for audiences looking for content with the brevity and aesthetics of an infographic and the depth of an e-book. This is a great middle-of-the-road place to start if your organization is new to content marketing.
Studies
Studies are published results of a detailed investigation and analysis of a subject or situation. They are very good for highly educated audiences that want to learn something new that is based on facts and data. It must be based on credible research and contain citations from expert resources.
If done correctly, a study can be the most effective way to earn a high volume of powerful citations in a brief amount of time.
Mixed-Media
Mixed-media posts use a variety of media with the intent to solve problems and entertain. Examples include interactive infographics that can contain audio, video, and animation on demand. The right mixed-media combination may just be an ace in the hole for your brand campaign.
Cheat Sheets
A cheat sheet is a reference tool that provides simple, brief instructions for making a decision or calculation, forming an opinion, or executing a strategy or tactic. A cheat sheet is somewhere between an infographic and a guide. This format is especially useful if your problem is process based and the required content to solve the problem is very brief.
Videos
Video campaigns contain a Web-based video with the intent to solve problems and entertain.
People love watching videos online, and marketers are taking notice. Solving problems or educating your target audience online through video can be very effective content marketing.
Not all content is housed on your website. You can create a channel on YouTube or Vimeo that provides another access point to your business. Some content marketers upload videos to YouTube, then reposted on their blogs. Others create a video blog, or vlog, that lives on YouTube.
Apps
This content type is a self-contained program or piece of software designed to fulfill a particular purpose. Apps are great for building a more native and interactive user experience. Build only apps that truly take advantage of mobile functionalities.
Apps are also ways of supporting other marketing campaigns, such as event apps or loyalty programs. However, most apps that caught market attention did so in the same way as the other content formats–they solved a specific problem for the user.
No matter which content format you choose, just be sure to make a decision on the basis of data. Allowing your audience to make this decision for you will be the most likely path to success.
Blog posts
Think of articles that talk about issues related to your core message and secondary messages. They can range anywhere from 100 words to 2,000 words, depending on the format you choose and what your readers prefer.
Podcasts
Podcasts are audio articles or radio shows, often published on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, or Blubrry. Podcasting is gaining renewed popularity now because people who don’t have time to read can listen to articles while on their daily commute or for other activities.
Webinars and Teleseminars
You can present information to a live audience during webinars and teleseminars, then use the recording and slides as content on your website, in newsletters, and in programs/products.
Speeches, workshops, interviews
If it’s information, it’s content. And it’s easy to recycle this information, incorporating it into other content types to add value.
Powerpoint presentations
Offer them on your website. Turn them into infographics. Use them in blog posts. Upload them to Slideshare.
Tutorials
You can create a Web page that provides links to additional information, essentially making a lesson plan for learning something new. This is a great way to build authority in your area of expertise. Remember to tell people what to do if they need additional help.
Infographics
Infographics are creative presentations of facts and figures rather than dry-as-toast reports. If they’re well done, they are also very shareable. Visual.ly is a great resource for simple infographics.
White papers and special reports
People want useful information that helps them make better decisions. That’s why white papers, special reports, and other researched information make such great premiums and free offers. You can periodically offer these as a value-add to your followers, or you can offer them as an incentive for signing up for your email list.
Newsletters
Content marketing is about building relationships, as we have said. What better way than to send your content to people’s inboxes rather than making them visit your website every day? A newsletter also helps you build your email list, which allows you to make email offers as well.
To keep it simple, brands should start by asking two basic — but vital — questions. First, who is your target audience? And second, what do you want them to do? Whether you learned about marketing 30 years ago or 30 days ago, marketing starts with these fundamental principles.
These questions apply to all marketing, not just content marketing. And that is why you have seen us make this point in several sections of this guidebook.
Once you’ve defined the content foundation, consider how to build the most effective content strategy:
Educational
People come online for solutions, and they want to be informed of your brands’ products or services.
Economic
Money still matters. Whether it’s a coupon or a financial incentive on Twitter or Facebook, people are always looking for a good deal.
Entertaining
Mobile’s prevailing success stems from the notion that people, more than ever, want content that’s fun and gratifying — at a moment’s notice.
Engaging
Content should hold the consumer’s attention and stand the test of time. If you can engage customers, you’ll be well on your way.
Emotional
The most important, yet the most overlooked, factor is having an emotional connection with your customers through your content. We discuss this element many times.
You need to define strong values and establish clear boundaries in content messages to confidently show who you are, and where you’re headed. Simplicity helps in this regard.
Content marketing that connects with audiences and earns a high level of organic promotion isn’t an easy task. One of the important aspects of setting your content marketing campaign up for success is choosing the best format for your content.
Choosing a content format requires considerable research to discover what type of content your audience prefers. For example, an infographic may go a long way when targeting Millennials versus an e-book which is much better suited for executive decision-makers.
Some are always better than others, but in a general sense, there is no single format that outperforms all the others every time.
As the author of hundreds of blog posts, one question I often get is: How do you think of new ideas for blog posts?
I have had occasional writer’s block; but for the most part, coming up with ideas has never been an issue. If you pay attention to the world around you, do a reasonable amount of reading, and listen to people, you’ll get a flurry of potential ideas for posts.
Also, there are tools and tricks that will help you find even more ideas.
Before you start trying to brainstorm content ideas, it’s best to be in a problem-solving frame of mind. You’re attempting to solve the problems and answer the questions your target readers have regarding your industry.
In other words, you are looking for questions. It could be questions people ask aloud, things they search for, or things they simply ponder in their minds.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your social media marketing or advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?
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Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
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Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
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