It is important to understand what content marketing is and how your business can best practice it. The reason why content marketing is so effective is because it is so customizable to every business and audience. You can feature anything you deem appropriate for your business, ranging from Q&A’s with industry professionals or even case studies of your customers. It is a way for your business to intermingle internal content on various platforms and spread your service or product. But what are the best practices for content marketing?
Blog
Having a blog seems like an obvious option for content marketing but there are many other factors that can influence your blog’s success. For example, how consistent are your posts? Are they relevant? Do they add value to your audience? These questions are important when planning and creating blog posts to ensure that you are creating a valuable space for your audience. Anyone can set up a blog these days with tools like WordPress and Blogspot but what makes you stand out is the consistent and relevant information that you post.
Video
YouTube has over a billion users throughout the world generating hundreds of millions views every single day. Video is a simple but overlooked tool that businesses can take advantage of to share their product and message. Additionally, Facebook has changed their video algorithms to automatically play videos. This makes it easier than ever to reach your audience through video. It has also been statistically proven that video gains more engagement than just a regular text post.
Podcast
Podcasts are relatively new to the content marketing game but have the fastest growing reach and potential. Smart companies invest in the time to create podcasts to educate others and share ideas while linking it back to their services and products. Podcasts create an intimate way of speaking to your audience and creating awareness for your brand. It is an exceptional platform that can lead consumers back to your product or service.
Magazine
Magazines, whether print or digital, are making a comeback. Brands like ASOS and AirBnB have different goals but both see the value in magazine-style content to reach their audience. In addition to star features, ASOS Magazine links the clothing and accessories shown in the magazine straight to products the readers can buy on their site generating over 500,000 readers every month to their shoppable content.
Infographic
Effective infographics manage to somehow look complicated and simple at the same time. By showcasing information in a visually appealing way, your audience is more likely to be interested in what you have to show them. Even with little to no graphic design experience, you can make your own professional-grade infographics with websites like Piktochart. Instead of having dense paragraphs of information, adding an infographic to your blog or company website allows for easy access to information that is easier on the eyes and therefore more likely to be read.
Content marketing requires you to think outside the box and create content beyond billboards and banners. Remember that these practices listed are not the solutions to your marketing needs but rather vehicles of expression for you to spread your message and ultimately reach a wider audience and customer base. It is up to you to take these practices and generate consistent and great content people want to see.
