How to Succeed in Content Marketing (Without Really Trying)

Content. Content. Content. Practically everyone is creating it on some level. And those who are not yet doing it wish they were. So let’s take a look at some steps that can help a content marketing program succeed while making it look easy.

Solve problems
Do you know what keeps your clients and prospects up at night? What does your product or service do to address that problem? Be clear about how your company can help. Aside from actually solving someone’s problem, this builds trust and lets your audience know that they can count on you.

Educate
It is all about how you can help your customers, and education is a huge part of that. Help someone understand an issue or its scope, or present a solution to a challenge they are facing. And do this without being in their face about your product or service. Like problem solving, this helps establish credibility.

Entertain
It is easy to get caught up in the language of business and the serious nature of products or services. But remember that you are talking to people and people like to be entertained. Consider adding something special to your content to make it interesting. It doesn’t have to be humorous or lightweight, but it does have to be engaging and compelling.

Diversify
Create different types of content—such as articles, blog posts, tweets, white papers, brochures, podcasts—to address different needs and to keep your audience interested. People learn in different ways, so one person may prefer to listen to a podcast, another to read a transcript, and a third may enjoy browsing through a brochure.

Distribute
Find out where your audience is and be there. Is it online? Via the company website or a social media site? In print? At events? Does your audience get their information primarily from one channel? Do you need to make your content available in a variety of locations?

Integrate
Thou shalt not create content in a vacuum. Marketing content is most successful when it is tied closely to the company’s goals and mission statement, as well as any other marketing or public relations efforts.

Persevere
It is so easy to get discouraged if there is not an immediate uptick in engagement or new leads, or if your blog or Facebook page does not overflow with comments right out of the gate. When it comes to creating content though, it is about being in it for the long term.

Creating content consistently over time is another way to establish trust and credibility with your audience.

In the end, the whole purpose of creating content is to make a connection with your audience. These are just a few of things to keep in mind as you build that relationship. To paraphrase from that famous film: If you build it, they will come.

-August 2011