If you’re not familiar with marketing, you’ll first need to understand that content marketing isn’t new.
In fact, it is said that Benjamin Franklin used content marketing in Poor Richard’s Almanack which sold 10,000 copies a year. This yearly almanac debuted in 1732 and lured readers into his print shop and paper mill business, making him a fortune.
Obviously, content marketing techniques have been revolutionized over the past 200 years, but the purpose still remains- to distribute valuable content that attracts a target audience that leads to profitable customer action.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some basic, time-tested strategies you should follow to get the best returns especially if you’re new to content marketing.
Ben Franklin had a diverse audience eager to read his almanac, and he was able to incorporate his marketing strategy to promote his printing business to those that needed that service. His almanac used simple language that appealed to a wide audience in that era.
In the modern world, the same strategies apply. You’ll need to find your target market.
Look for keywords that are of interest to your industry. You can do it on your own or use one of the many content marketing services out there.
If you don’t have a customer base to refer to, look at what your competitors are up to and see if your products can provide value to a niche market they’re overlooking.
Your audience must be able to relate to the content you’re distributing. Chances are, they’re not interested in technical jargon that doesn’t make sense to them.
Your content should be easy to understand at first glance to keep people interested.
In Franklin’s era, it was hard to come across reading material. Franklin capitalized on this. He was highly intelligent, but he didn’t write all of the content in his almanac. Franklin was more of a curator.
He provided value to his audience by including mathematical exercises and even his ideology of going against the imperial system. This was unheard of at that time.
In your case, you’re the expert in your field. You know the ins and outs of the industry and you know what content topics have flooded the marketplace.
How do you distinguish yourself from the competition? By producing content that is relevant to the industry which has been overlooked.
This could come from your personal experience or by crossing-selecting bits of content from various sources and repackaging them into something new.
Like any industry, marketing is always evolving. Not only does the medium used to spread content change, but its modus operandi too.
Competition is getting fierce and search engine algorithms get smarter. During the age of blogging, if you didn’t post every day, you’re bound to drop in ranks. Now, Google prioritizes quality over quantity.
It’s much better to have 5 people share your valuable content than to upload 5 pieces of lousy content. Remember, if you can’t be seen, you’re not relevant.
