There is no way the importance of a strong content marketing strategy can be overstated. While the web continues to grow, change and adapt to new technology, content is the only thing that has remained equally important. Information will always be sought after, entertainment will always be crucial, and content can provide both.
More than that, content is versatile and as adaptive as the Internet itself. Just look at recent innovations that have become popular within the last couple of years, such as Vine and Google Hangouts on Air. One allows you to create mini clips strung together into a single small video. The other live-streams and records communications, so you can hold group interviews, discussions, webinars, etc.
Both of these inventions are incredibly modern, and emphasize that while technology is becoming more sophisticated, content is still the core reason behind its creation.
These are some basic principles to always keep in mind when planning your content marketing:
- Your content should always be high-quality. Yes, this one is pretty obvious, but how do you define “high-quality”? I’ve been asked this question a thousand times. My definition of high-quality has always been the same: You need to be true to yourself. If you are reading an article and think it’s something you would love to come across when researching this question, it’s a good one. You need to love every piece of content you are publishing online (be it your website or someone else’s).
- Your content should always be varied. Don’t just stick with a single type of content, because it limits your reach and audience. You can re-package or create whole new pieces in a different style of media, which will allow you to stretch beyond your usual boundaries.
- Your content should be social-media-friendly. Content marketing and social media marketing go hand in hand. While social platforms should be about engagement as a priority, they are also a great place to show off your work. Make sure you are using the right kind of platform for the right kind of content.
- Your content should be narrowed down using analytics. A glance at this valuable data could make all the difference in the world. You can use tools like Google Analytics to see your most popular content, the most popular content on competitor sites, and narrow down your strategy based on what your audience is most attracted to. This may also help you to settle on what types of media you will focus on.
Now, onto the types of content to build your strategy around.
