Learn How Content Marketing Impacts Your Bottom Line

by Lynn Ventimiglia-Lobit

September 9, 2019

in Blogging, Buyers Journey, Content Marketing, Infographic, Sales & Marketing, Video Marketing, white paper

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Secure Your Industry Leader Spot with Useful Content

Content marketing is defined as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content that attracts and retains target audiences. It should not be a sales pitch, but it should provide content that truly helps solve issues your prospects and customers are experiencing. The goal of content marketing is to drive profitable customer action that will impact your business’ bottom line.

Where to Start

Most likely your company has produced content already. However, is it the right type of content that makes your company stand out in a crowded marketplace? The first step to determine if you have a good content marketing approach is to review all your existing materials. Next, align them with your buyer’s journey. In a previous blog, we divided the buyer’s journey into five different stages – awareness, consideration, purchase, retention and advocacy. The content at each stage should move the buyer forward to the next one while resolving their painpoints. This is how you will demonstrate your company’s value and not just constantly provide a sales pitch.

After you identify any content marketing gaps, you will need to pull in relevant stakeholders, not just fellow marketers. Sales, product management and customer service are critical to producing the right type of content. It is imperative that you know what marketing materials they are using successfully, what is not working and what is missing.

Content Marketing Calendar

Now that your content marketing audit is completed, the next step is to create a content marketing calendar. It is key to brainstorm as a team before you just start producing new content. The different types of content should be carefully laid out on a monthly calendar. We mentioned taking into consideration the buyer’s journey, but you should also take into account key events such as trade shows, product launches and sales meetings when laying out your content calendar. The plan should include new and/or revamped content that should be finalized in tandem with these important occurrences.

The calendar may fluctuate a bit during the year. However, it is important that certain details besides just the type of marketing material are captured on the calendar. It should include the persons responsible for writing and/or designing it, the key audiences it will target and its purpose. These items should be accompanied by the various due dates leading to its completion.

Best Practices for Creating Marketing Content

Creating new content can be arduous and time consuming; therefore, it is critical to think of ways to repurpose it. You want to make sure you receive maximum use from every piece. For example, the contents of a white paper can serve multiple purposes. The document’s key industry stats can be turned into an infographic. The paper’s content can be used for a presentation or truncated into a blog.

You want to make sure that your marketing assets can stand the test of time. A substantial piece such as a white paper or e-book should not cover a fad topic. It should be about a subject that your audience will care about in the future

Types of Content Marketing

A properly developed content marketing strategy will include many different types of materials. Below are just a few to consider:

Blog
A blog is the modern-day equivalent of journaling. It is a way for companies to offer advice or an individual perspective as a subject matter expert. Customers are searching the Internet and reading blogs to find information that serves their own best interest. A well-written blog can make a company stand out as a thought leader.
Case Study
A case study is a real-life example of how a customer’s business benefited from using a product and/or service. This story can be told via a written document or video versions are very popular nowadays. A case study is a great way to demonstrate how a customer’s success can be attributed to your company’s solution.
Infographic
An infographic is a collection of imagery, charts, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic. It includes striking and engaging visuals to communicate information quickly and clearly. An infographic also helps to elevate your company’s social media presence because it is shared much more often than other types of content and much more likely to be read than just plain text articles.
Video
You may not think of video as a component of your content marketing strategy, but it is critical in today’s fast-paced world. It is an innovative alternative for customers who want content in a quick, succinct, but high-quality format. It caters to today’s audience while still providing value, imagery and relevance.
White Paper
A white paper is a persuasive, informational, and in-depth document, which educates a target audience about a specific topic that relates to your company’s product or service. The document can briefly touch upon your company’s solution, but it should not be overly “salesy”. Its goal is to educate and persuade your readers about a topic based on facts. Generally, a white paper is sponsored by a business. However, to further enhance credibility, it is often created in tandem with a third-party source, such as an analyst firm.

Need an Effective Content Marketing Strategy?

In today’s complex world of digital, social, mobile and traditional marketing, an effective content marketing strategy is a must. If you need assistance with your strategy, process or content creation, the diamonddog Marketing team is here to help. Do not hesitate to contact us at info@diamonddogmarketing.com or 847-269-1422.