Talking to a number of business owners, some feel that their content marketing has got out of control.  On the one hand they feel obliged to feed the digital channels they’ve signed up to. On the other, the time, energy and money to do this and get a decent return on investment has become overwhelming.

Like any marketing approach, good results stem from having a clear objective and strategy to begin with.  It’s important to be clear about audience you want to appeal to. This means understanding how they engage with the channel you’re using, when they do and what gets their attention.

Content marketing works best when its focused and adapts according to strategy being pursued.  Here are 3 strategy examples and how the content marketing approach adapts to deliver the desired results.

# Strategy 1 – Raise awareness and build a following

The goal here is to raise greater awareness of a business; its expertise, products or services and to help imprint them on an audience’s radar and build goodwill ahead of them having a need.

How to be even more effective here

1. Be clear of what values and messages you want people to associate with you and be consistent in what you say and share around these. If you flit about from disparate messages that don’t have some obvious synergy, people will become confused.
2. It’s very important to listen and respond, not just proclaim. A following will grow more from your ‘conversations’ rather than your broadcasts.
3. Follow your rivals or competitors in this space to learn how to differentiate from them in the content you create and share.
4. Be creative in your content – what gets enjoyed will get shared and remembered.
5. Be mindful how you manage evolution – both you and your following’s interests may change over time. If you have chosen to champion issues which are relatively timeless or link firmly to your values, you are more likely to be consistent in your ‘brand’ and build following around you who remains loyal.

#Strategy 2 – Lead Generation

For a piece of content marketing to encourage someone to enquire about your product/service, it needs to resonate with a specific need and be visible right at the time they have it.

How to be even more effective here

1. Emulate the vocabulary people use when searching for this need – use them in your content’s approach
2. Whilst you may be going for multiple frequency, you don’t want to annoy people. Provide slightly different/ engaging treatments of your core message to aid noticeability (keep a common central theme to avoid people getting confused though)
3. Make your content eye-catching and enjoyable to help it to get noticed, shared and taken up
4. Be sure to respond quickly and positively to any responses to aid conversion
5. Build familiarity with your audience by being known for other value-adding insights/content experiences. If you’re in promotion mode all the time, they’ll switch off.  If you use a lead-generation strategy occasionally and have fostered goodwill with your audience, they will be more receptive to it.

# Strategy 3 – Enhancing the customer experience and building loyalty

Summary

Done well, content marketing can help you achieve your business goals.  The key is to be clear what specific objective you want to accomplish and the audience you want to reach out to. With these two core considerations in place, the selected approach should become clearer, concise and more controlled.

If you need help regaining control of your content marketing or want your approach to deliver better results, do get in touch.