Content Marketing Strategies for Today’s Businesses

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“Content marketing” is one of those buzzwords that sounds simple enough in theory but is rarely executed well. Roughly, it refers to the practice of promoting your brand through blog posts, infographics and other resources that position you as an expert in your field.

While much of the most trusted and useful content on the web comes from established players in their industry, the democratic nature of online information means that, with an effective content marketing strategy, even a smaller operation can establish their legitimacy among larger competitors.

Who Can Benefit From Content Marketing?

It’s no secret that people are becoming increasingly more cynical about traditional advertising and promotional materials, no matter the source. That’s why everyone from non-profits to online security experts can benefit from a well-deployed content marketing strategy. When you actively produce content that attracts people’s attention, you drive more customers to your website, increase your following on social media, and develop a higher profile than your competitors. Most importantly, you’ll increase the confidence clients, investors and other stakeholders have in your organization.

Producing Great Content

The web is littered with content — much of it is poorly written, badly sourced or incoherent. This provides an excellent opportunity for businesses willing to invest the time and resources in creating content that really shines. When doing this:

  • Diversify the type of content you’re producing. Be active on blogs, release whitepapers, design eye-catching infographics and maintain an active YouTube channel.
  • Don’t produce content for content’s sake. Focus on issues and aspects of your industry that will grab the attention of both insiders and the general public.
  • Don’t just promote your content through the top performing content marketing channels. Most people don’t look at Twitter for the latest tech whitepapers. So think of your audience and develop a strategy for reaching them.
  • Remember to promote yourself. Content marketing is not effective unless people know where that content is coming from.

Content Marketing Sources

Content curating is a type of content marketing that involves finding, organizing and sharing content from third party sources. While it’s no substitute for producing original content, curating can raise the profile of your brands if done properly. The key to this is using only the best content marketing sources — spreading poorly-researched, false or reactionary information can quickly tarnish the authority you’ve worked hard to develop.

Setting up a Google alert for a specific topic can help you find sources for content marketing, but be sure to thoroughly vet everything you promote. Many businesses also rely on outside marketing agencies to produce and curate content for them. If you choose to go this route, make sure you firmly establish branding guidelines and work with a reputable agency you trust to produce content you can proudly put your name on.

Want to more content marketing strategies? Download our Ultimate Guide to the New Buyer’s Journey Whitepaper!