3 Ways to Enhance your Content Marketing Game

“What we really need is a mindset shift that will make us relevant to today’s consumers, a mindset shift from ‘telling & selling’ to building relationships.” – Jill Stengel

For a company to grow and succeed in today’s buyer-driven world, in which customers’ needs and demands evolve as fast as technologies and communication tools, it’s extremely important to constantly take the time to look up new trends and research ways of adaptation and optimisation.

If you’ve ever dug deeper into the marketing game, there’s a high chance you have already heard the term “content marketing”. Even though content marketing may not be a new concept, in today’s marketing industry its implementation seems to be more important than ever before! That’s the case because lately, companies and marketers find themselves in a constant attempt to adapt to ever-changing markets; customers are dealing with information overload, and companies are struggling to communicate and deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time.

So, what exactly is content marketing? Well, I’m glad you asked! The concept of content marketing can be summed up as the process that focuses on the creation of useful, relevant content that is shared consistently, in order to generate high-quality leads and bind existing customers.

At this point it should be mentioned that a company’s social media strategy should not just “co-align” with its content marketing strategy; it should be part of it. There’s no doubt that great content is key for a successful social media presence, which, in turn, has proven to be core to building and maintaining strong relationships with customers.

Below we will look at 3 ways in which you can enhance your content marketing strategy and social media game!

1. Dedicate time to creating a meaningful content strategy

If you want to create useful, meaningful content, you need to take the time to research things in depth before you can start. Your content marketing strategy needs to highlight your holistic approach to the content your company creates.

First, you need to clearly define your Buyer Personas in order to be able to target and attract high-quality leads and prospects. If you don’t know who your ideal customer is and in what ways they prefer to be approached, how will you know what things are relevant to them, and how can you deliver those things in the most efficient way? Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Afterwards, you should consider which communication channels and ways (social media, blogs, websites, etc.) you will include in your processes, what technology you’re planning to use, as well as how the content you’re going to create will contribute to the achievement of your business’s overall goals.

2. Create and share different content for each social media channel

When it comes to sharing relevant and useful content on social media, it’s important to remember that there isn’t a single approach that can be used for every social channel. After you have studied your ideal prospects, as well as the ways and channels through which they like to be reached, it’s essential to create different content, suitable for each social platform you want to use!

You only want to use Facebook and Instagram? That’s fine! Or perhaps you’ve heard that Twitter and Pinterest are the real deal for your industry? That’s okay, too!

Regardless which channels your company is active on, it’s necessary to ensure you’re keeping up with all the best practises and trends for each platform. Let’s take a look at established updates for each of the social platforms mentioned above.

• Facebook: With more than 2 billion users, this social media platform is most likely to be your company’s strongest tool. With the help of Facebook Insights, you can easily learn which posts are being loved more, and what kind of content you should stop sharing to find your way to your customers’ hearts.Keep in mind that visuals with less text perform better than rambling ones, and remember to add interests when targeting an audience.
• Instagram: The social media platform that interests around 700 million users a month could also be your ally through the creation and delivery of great content. On Instagram it’s mainly about visuals, so get creative and don’t spend time writing long, inspiring texts. Concentrate on delivering “Instagramable”, high-quality visual material, and get your hashtag game right!
• Twitter: With the introduction of in-stream videos, Twitter has become more “relevant” again, and companies who are active on it should definitely take the time to explore this tool. Keep in mind that short videos perform better, and don’t forget to concentrate on one core message per video, as well as include your logo for a higher chance of ad recall.
• Pinterest: If your company can support the highly visual, artsy character of this social platform, then you should definitely go for it! By uploading and collecting visual material that showcases your business’s products, services and values, you get the chance to inspire and get inspired! Make sure you create a collection of pinned posts, by setting up a secret Pinterest Board, which you can use on other social channels (such as Facebook or Instagram), whenever you feel the need to post but lack the resources or inspiration!

By creating and maintaining a content calendar, a company can make sure it will keep generating and sharing relevant and consistent content on all its channels. This calendar should not 

miss the budget, dates, posting times, and even targeted audiences that refer to each post, blog, or event that a marketer plans to share. Spend some time testing out what works best with your specific audiences as, unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution!

Finding out what times during the day your prospects are online and most active, allows you to adapt and optimise your strategy. Make sure you are fully aware of all international days and big events that could be relevant to your business and audience, by procuring a social media calendar that will let you plan and schedule awesome content in advance! However, don’t find yourself tied in strict rules that MUST be followed constantly. Feel free to be flexible and add new things as they come up, in order to stay relevant, up-to-date, and ahead of the competition.

Still not convinced of the importance of content marketing? Through this approach, as well as the creation of high-quality material, you can establish trust between your brand and its prospects/customers. Additionally, you can help influence conversions as, according to ABG Essentials, content marketing constitutes a digital marketing method that provides 6 times higher conversion rates than others! This happens because with such an approach, a company manages to educate and entertain users in a more efficient and meaningful way.

Finally, practising content marketing is a great way to differentiate your company from competitors, provide the highest possible value to your prospects, and lead successful marketing actions.