In today’s digital world, growth marketing strategy is more important than ever. If you’re just starting a business, ramping up operations, or looking to build a name for yourself, web presence is key.
When some people think of digital marketing, they might picture a big blast of online activity that brings quick attention. While that method, known as growth hacking, can be effective, it typically does not yield long-term, cumulative results. That’s where growth marketing excels.
As with growth hacking, growth marketing relies strongly on creating various types of content. For maximum growth marketing impact, however, you should create an array of content based on data analysis.
Growth marketing is like chucking an Idaho russet at the wall rather than a handful of spaghetti and marinara. The pasta might look more impressive at first glance, but the potato is more likely to leave a permanent dent in the drywall. Weird similes aside, here are five web content types to use in your growth marketing strategy.
Blogs can be a very powerful component of your growth marketing strategy because they serve multiple purposes. Not only do they display expertise in a given area, but they can also integrate with other forms of content.
Building authority through blog posts can be accomplished from issuing consistent, well-written material. A neglected blog that has either very few entries or blocks of content dumped in sporadic intervals does not showcase dedicated intention. Search engine algorithms can pick up on this and consider your blog to be negligible or an attempted growth hack.
You should also take care to make your blog posts as SEO optimized and data driven as possible. The latter is especially useful if you are wanting to encourage the generation of linkable content. Doing so signifies that others in your field consider you to be an authority in the subject matter.
Ideally, your blog will get sufficient traffic that signifies others are using your content as an actionable resource. If you’re trying to assert yourself as a leader in your industry, it’s a good step toward that goal.
Long-forms guides are comprehensive, well-researched information sources that should give readers a good understanding of any basic topic. Good examples of long-form guide subject matter are how 401k plans work or the process of building a custom home.
Your long-form guide keywords should be focused on main topical authority areas you want to be known for. This is key in creating effective rankable content. You’ll then want to link back to it in blog posts that have more specific subject matter within the same topic.
When it comes to structure, there are a couple of things to consider. Ideally, your guides should be SEO optimized to rank higher on searches and based on the search intent of your main target keywords. After all, a lot of work typically goes into long-form guides, and you want them to get maximum views.
Product and service pages are info pages on your website that give information about what it is that you’re trying to sell. Your viewers have heard of what you do or sell and are seeking more detailed information.
A useful, easy-to-follow product/service page can be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential customer makes a purchase. Neglecting this part of your site can have a hugely negative effect on your close rate.
If you choose to conduct a website audit, weaknesses in your product and services pages should be corrected. The more time people spend on these pages, the more likely they are to make the final decision to purchase.
And search intent plays a role here as well. Your product pages should be targeting your valuable keywords with a commercial or transactional intent since people searching those keywords are likely looking to buy.
As the name implies, gated content has a barrier between the reader and the desired item that needs to be unlocked. Typically, the content will be released once readers input their email addresses.
In a way, gated content works as a transaction. Users use their email address as payment for useful or actionable material. Templates are especially popular, as they provide information and theoretically save users a lot of time.
After you acquire a useful email list, you can input that information into a drip campaign to engage readers. Doing so potentially creates customer relationships and regularly brings your brand to their attention.
Apart from lead generation, gated content also provides valuable insight into your customers. You have the option of also requiring them to answer a short questionnaire before accessing the information. Data regarding demographics and intentions of those who access the information can allow you to make growth marketing adjustments as necessary.
Ebooks are a fantastic alternative method in getting your content out to a different audience. The digital format makes the information more accessible worldwide compared to tangible book copies.
Readers no longer have to find your book in a bookstore; instead, they can download it to their e-reader, phone, or even just read through certain ebook sites.
The best part is, you don’t have to create something from scratch in order to do so. You can compile material from blog postings or long-form guides into a new format. This is especially easy if you have traditionally placed an emphasis on evergreen content, which is much easier to recycle.
With ebooks, you have the option of making them gated or ungated. As mentioned above, gated content is a great way to capture email addresses. Ungated ebooks are effective for educating and informing during the buyer’s journey.
Growth marketing is traditionally focused on data and adapting content in response to that data. Whether you’re working on your game plan internally or in partnership with a growth marketing agency, well-rounded content is recommended. By adapting your growth marketing strategy to involve multiple content types, your end results will benefit.