Content marketing is nothing new, however, it is increasingly changing each year. It’s important that businesses and bloggers keep up to date with the changing trends or they’ll miss out on enormous opportunities that otherwise present themselves. Let’s look over some quick statistics…
It’s said an estimated 59% of marketers will increase their spending on content marketing in 2015. Even though different companies have various percentages for marketing, the number is still a good indicator of what direction content marketing is heading. We need to adjust our marketing strategy as per demand because I wouldn’t be surprised if Google considered different ranking elements to coincide with the increase is content marketing. Here’s a great example.
If Google suspects people are spending more on tweaking content, they might add factors in search algorithms to rank businesses with a solid marketing campaign. Even though this hasn’t been discussed, it is still a good idea to be prepared for the future. In 2 years, the average rate people are spending in content marketing has already jumped from 29% to 59%.
Over the years, we have learned a lot about marketing trends and what works. For example, no one will argue social media plays a vital role in blogging, so people find creative ways to utilize social media by adding tools, setting up campaigns, etc. The same can be said about content marketing and what will matter going forward into 2015 and beyond.
Each year, the following factors have been increasing and play a vital role in content marketing. Let’s look at the elements that will matter in 2015 so you can start implementing them right away…
Your Own Identity
Just writing content is not the only thing that is required to standout against the competition. You know you’re going to have competition in every niche so the only thing that is going to have you standout is your own-voice or identity. Bloggers work so hard to build a brand of their own for this reason. With a brand comes loyalty and respect, which keeps people coming back to read your content. Having your own identity means your content marketing strategy will conquer when all others fail.
So, how can you distinguish yourself from the others?
Start by producing the best content and be known for only providing your readers with the best. This means write in-depth content that resonates with your readers, providing a complete solution to their problem. Write content that solves a problem and is a growing concern within your niche. Remember, helping someone, no matter what the cause, builds a level of trust that can go a long way in your success.
Manage Analytics
If you want to succeed next year against your competition, it’s important to have tools in place that will provide a breakdown on what’s working. This way, you’ll be able to tweak your strategy quickly and start moving forward. Working with analytical tools means you’ll have to know what to look for so it’s time you start using some of them and learn how to read reports. The reports are a good indication of what’s failing and you need to make changes while applying them in real-time. Here are some awesome tools to help you get started. All of them offer tutorials so check them out before you implement them into your content strategy.
Google Analytics –
A free tool that offers you everything you need to tweak your strategy. It’s easy to install and provides a breakdown of keywords, landing pages, organic traffic, geographical location, and referral traffic. With all the reports, I’m sure you can pull out the information you need to find what’s working. Once you find the best performing content, optimize it with email forms, products, advertising, etc. How you optimize will depend on the purpose of your blog.
Kissmetrics –
This analytical tool provides real-time data so you’ll have better insights on how to optimize your marketing machine. The goal is to provide you with better insight into your content marketing campaign so you make better decisions about optimization.
You can quickly see the conversion rate between two campaigns you have set up. Next, you’ll be able to follow the campaign completely through to the end point. This road-block data will show you exactly at which step you need to improve your campaign.
Woopra.com –
This analytical tool is not as popular as the others but can definitely provide you with the insights you need to get your content marketing strategy moving forward. Starting with…
Building a comprehensive profile of every single one of your users in real-time, so you have a better understanding of them from different angles. Learn about the optimal landing pages, geographic location, and referral statistics. This tool provides more advanced features compared to the free tools, like funnel tracking, which allows you to pinpoint where exactly the conversion failed during the conversion process. This way, you can go to that exact point and make changes, improving your content marketing strategy.
There are many other tools available that will help optimize your marketing strategy. However, if you are looking for a free tool, then Google Analytics will be able to provide a complete solution. Remember, the tool you use will depend on the purpose of your content marketing strategy and what you’re trying to achieve.
Content Credibility
With so much content available online, you need something that will differentiate you from everyone else. Next time you’re writing content, do a quick search of the topic in Google and you’ll probably see similar results pop up. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write about the topic, especially if you’re passionate, but you should put a twist on it so you stand out. Try this the next time you’re writing content.
Research some topics using great tools like Topsy.com and Buzzsumo.com. These tools will narrow down the best content based on the keyword. Skim through the top 4-5 results and look for ways to improve the content. The more detail and experience you can add to the content, the better. Try adding images, videos, and infographics. Because credibility rules, why not interview someone who is an expert in your industry and publish their thoughts on the topic. It’s a great way to build credibility for your content.
Personally, some of the best content available online are case studies. You start out with an objective and find ways to achieve it by trying various different strategies. Case studies involve showing your readers exactly what you’ve done to get from point A-to-B. Readers love this type of content because its proof based and leaves nothing to the imagination. If you want to build credibility, imagine doing a “case study†on a popular problem people are having in your niche. If you can help them find a solution while showing them EXACTLY what to do, you can build a huge following instantaneously.
Here’s the key thing to remember:
You need to build credibility that builds your brand. Find ways to do things better than your competitors so you stand out as someone who provides exciting content. Keep in mind, long-term, your expertise will carry you a long way and your content will be taken more seriously.
Marketing Skills
Just because you are a good writer doesn’t mean you deserve the same credit when it comes to marketing. If your content doesn’t get in front of people, you won’t be able to analyze how well your content marketing strategy is working. It’s important to have knowledge of the different marketing avenues you have at your disposal. With a solid marketing plan, you can test and tweak your content marketing strategy. Start by applying the most simplistic methods and increase as you require.
For example, organic traffic is the most valuable source of traffic because it’s free and “targetedâ€. With this type of marketing campaign, which often involves search engine optimization, you’ll be able to test long-term with very little investment. However, the objective is to know how to implement such a strategy so you benefit from organic traffic. Next,
if you are going to be testing PPC campaigns through different networks or banner advertising, you need to know the fundamentals of both.
For example, with PPC…
- What are some good networks?
- How to setup a campaign?
- How to target specific keywords?
- How to target different geographical locations?
- How to determine if a campaign is a success?
In reference to strict banner advertising,
- Selecting the best websites
- Understanding their traffic statistics?
- Designing optimal banners,
Writing content to market your business is an awesome asset, but it’s not a complete package without external marketing knowledge.
General SEO
It’s important you have the basic SEO skills so your content marketing strategy will be ready for search engines. When publishing content, on-page SEO is key to let search engines know what your content is about. Basic SEO will help you set up your content for indexing. Here’s a great example. When someone types in a search phrase within Google, it’s your title and description that will determine the click-through. The higher CTR, the better your chances of converting through your content marketing strategy so it’s important you have the right keywords in the right place.
Here’s something to keep in mind when moving forward.
Search Engine Optimization is the most in demand skill for 2015. This means you better start implementing the basic SEO skills right away or you’ll fall behind your competition. Here are a few things to consider…
- Research and generate “keywords†that describe your content marketing purpose and will produce optimal conversions
- Understanding the meaning of keyword density. It’s important you don’t stuff your content with your keywords because this makes it look spammy. The rule of thumb is to have a keyword density of in 2%-4%.
- Add keyword in the title, description, and keyword sections. Because users see this information when within SERP’s, it’s important you catch the user’s attention when they skim through the results, which increases the chance of a click-through.
- Have the right keyword density within the “body†of the content. When search engines index a page, they look for relevancy through keywords included within content. Don’t overdo adding the keyword, but include enough to maintain smooth readability.
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