Content marketing is important because it’s a primary and effective way to attract, engage and convert new customers. Conversely, if your website lacks engaging and compelling content, information, how much could this be costing you?
When a prospect or customer visits your blog and website, they want to learn more about what you sell. It’s your marketing responsibility to help them get what they want, and get them to do what you want them to do — like buy now.
Ask yourself the following questions and determine if there’s a gap when it comes to making your content marketing more effective …
- What is the goal of your best content marketing assets like website, blog, etc.?
- What do your prospects see on your website, blog and landing pages?
- What do you want your prospects to do when they see content that’s engaging and relevant?
- What do they actually see, think and do? Because therein lies your reality.
Content marketing shows up in and affects all aspects of your business. What you write, say and do is a reflection of your brand, culture and value to customers and stakeholders.
The art of great content marketing is all about attracting, engaging and converting your prospects into happy, paying, repeat, referral-crazy customers. Websites and blogs can play a massive role because of the way the internet can drive tons of motivated prospects to you and your sales team.
Websites, landing pages and blogs can and do provide a steady source of inbound leads when managed consistently well on a long-term basis. Content marketing, like most marketing, is not an event. It’s a process, and over time you gather data, you learn, adapt and grow.
Do your website, landing pages and blog articles speak to the heart of your ideal prospects, especially if they’re online searching for what you sell?
If you’re like most businesses that sell a product or service, millions of people are likely searching for what you sell right now. The key is getting your fair share of them to find you in the markets you serve. Then you need to compel your prospects to buy what you sell.
Again, getting and keeping customers is the most common purpose for mastering the art of content marketing.
Mastering the art
Content marketing existed before the internet and computers. I know, because I wrote and marketed financial seminars to build a business I owned and sold to major, Wall Street investment company in 2000. And I used typewriters and early computers.
Content marketing is pervasive, but there’s too much information crashing into us, which is why the art of great content marketing is about truly engaging your audience and compelling them to take the desired action.
The essence of great content marketing is creativity. It’s always been this way. The function of great content marketing is writing, editing, placing and distributing articles, websites, blogs, emails, videos and anything else that matters to your marketing success. And this is best left to true content marketing professionals, like writers and editors.
There’s a reason Fortune 1000 companies invest big money in creative talent at the largest ad agencies in the world. The better your creative talent, the more likely your content marketing will fulfill the intended purpose. In contrast, the cost of no or ineffective creative people to small company owners is beyond measure.
Here are a few ways to improve your content marketing results if this is important for your business results.
- Hold a meeting dedicated to discuss your creative and content marketing.
- Keep the agenda focused on how content marketing can help you grow your business.
- Assess where you are now. Use existing data. Be honest.
- Discuss a plan of action to make improvements.
- Build a content calendar to include new creative updates including website, blog, landing pages, emails, etc.
- Begin implementing the content marketing plan and measure results.
- Review the results, learn and adapt your content marketing plan.
- Hire the most creative content marketing people your money can buy, and quit trying to do it yourself.
In my experience, having great content marketing is essential for all successful companies. The key is understanding the purpose of content marketing for growing your business, then committing to invest, and taking action over time.
Ideally, your new content marketing plan of action helps you get more customers and cash flow, if this is your goal. Commit, raise the bar, create a plan of action, and do a better job with your content marketing.
Give it enough time, and be sure your content marketing is always in line with your business model, strategy, culture and plan.
Here’s the bottom line: Great content marketing works when you work it.
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