With 94% of prospects researching online before making sales decisions, what Google shows about your business matters. That’s why content marketing needs to be your #1 priority. Here is your 4 step content marketing plan.
Let’s face it – no matter what your business or profession is, your prospective customers are likely to research you online before they ever step in to meet you face-to-face. If your marketing efforts focus on online content that makes sense to them, then it helps to drive a steady stream of prospects to your doorstep.
In other words, a well-focused content marketing initiative is the engine that powers your sales efforts, feeding it a regular supply of leads.
What separates the men from the boys in content marketing?
Let’s take a look.
Content Marketing Step 1: Write for your audience
Ever noticed? Most content developers write for themselves – for imaginary readers who think, feel, and take decisions like them.
In content marketing, this could be a huge mistake, unless your audience happens to belong to your exact demographic, which is very unlikely.
Instead, observe your customers, and write for them. The easiest way to do this is to create a few customer personas who best describe your customers, and write with them in mind – your marketing content needs to be a conversation between your business and these personas.
Content Marketing Step 2: Test, Test, Test.
Make sure that what you write resonates with your clients in real life. Use Google Analytics to find out what works, and what doesn’t.
Relentlessly optimize till you hit the sales sweet spot.
Content Marketing Step 3: Go Cross Platform
If targeting millennials make sense to you, then Facebook still works – over 40% of millennials use it every single day. Interestingly Facebook works for almost every other age group as well, but the content treatment needs to be targeted squarely on the audience. In other words, what works on Facebook to target a middle aged banker will almost certainly not work to target a teen aged student.
And it’s not just Facebook. Twitter ,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat – choices abound.
Targeting fashion conscious women? By all means add Pinterest, and make your Pinterest content marketing very pictorial.
25% of Twitter users are aged between 30-49 years – the age group which buys the most cars, TVs, etc. While you tweet to them, do not forget to add photographs to your twitter content marketing – over 50% do.
Look around, keep your eyes open, and always be testing. In content marketing, what worked this month almost certainly will not 3 months later, so running your content marketing on auto pilot is not a good idea.
Content Marketing Step 4: Time It
You have figured out how to create awesome content which your audience loves, and know which platforms to use. You have tested your content and knows that it works. There is still one more step before you can start spreading it all over the internet.
You need to time your content marketing.
The best times to post your marketing content varies widely between platforms.
On Facebook, the best days are Saturdays and Sundays, followed by Thursdays and Fridays. Time your posts for 9 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.
Wednesday is the golden day for Twitter. 12 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm works great.
Innovate as you develop your content footprint. Always make your professionally designed business website the center of your content marketing, and intelligently add paid online promotions to it. It is only a matter of months or even weeks before you hit your marketing sweet spot.
Questions? Contact Us.