Content marketing is becoming the preferred way to attract and retain customers. However, generating and distributing content isn’t an easy feat. Especially since most businesses don’t have a significant amount of editorial talent in-house.

If you’re looking to get started with content marketing but don’t know where to begin, this article will answer all of your questions and give you some solid strategies to follow.

Why Should Businesses be Doing Content Marketing?

Traditional marketing such as advertising has been proven to greatly increase the odds of a business becoming profitable and surviving in the long run. The same principals of marketing to attract and retain customers apply to content marketing. However, instead of focusing on attracting new customers, content marketers strive to build credibility and trust with existing customers.

By providing valuable information and resources to customers through content, businesses improve their odds of attracting and retaining customers. Moreover, by regularly updating the content on their website, blogs, and social media channels, businesses establish a lifecycle for their content and continue to build credibility with new and returning customers.

What Are the Most Popular Mediums for Content Marketing?

Just like any other form of marketing, the most successful content marketers experiment with different platforms and regularly revisit and test different strategies and approaches.

Since businesses and individuals with sizeable editorial teams tend to prefer creating content for traditional media like newspapers and magazines, it’s no wonder that many content marketers begin their journeys here. However, businesses have a wide array of platforms and tools at their disposal, which present new opportunities for content creation.

Starting with social media and evolving through blogs and webinars, businesses can now harness the power of content.

Regardless of the platform, businesses must focus on three main elements: creating value, distributing value, and measuring results.

Where Should a Business Begin Its Content Marketing Journey?

Just like any other marketing channel or tool, content can be used and abused. However, given its collaborative nature and ability to generate traffic, social media platforms are ideal places for businesses to begin their content marketing journey.

Since businesses can effectively target the right audience and measure the results of their efforts, content creators should focus on increasing brand awareness, engaging with customers, and driving traffic to their websites. Moreover, since many social platforms offer free basic accounts, businesses can take advantage of this and can begin experimenting with different strategies to grow their audience.

How Long Does It Take to Achieve SEO Benefits From Content Marketing?

Just as with any other marketing or SEO tactic, the results of a business’ content marketing efforts depend on a variety of factors. Among them, the type of content, the size and scope of the target audience, and the effort put forth by the business in terms of creating and distributing the content.

This content may or may not lead to increased organic traffic and sales. However, as long as the effort put forth by the business is there, the benefits will be for the entire organization. Moreover, given that SEO requires consistent and continuous effort, businesses can enjoy the benefits of SEO even if they’re getting started with content marketing now.

Which Type of Content Should a Business Create?

Choosing the right content for your target audience is essential for effective content marketing. Moreover, to get the most value out of your content, it needs to be specific, relevant, and engaging.

Depending on your target audience and what results you’re looking for, you can choose from a variety of content types. Just remember that the most popular ones are typically the ones that generate the most value.

How Many Different Types of Content Should a Business Create?

Since the content creation process can vary widely from business to business, we can’t give you a set number of articles that you should write. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should aim to create at least three different types of content.

This way, you can offer different perspectives to your target audience and gain a higher degree of engagement. Moreover, by regularly updating your content, you establish a lifecycle for the content and keep your audience engaged.

For example, you can begin by creating detailed instruction manuals on how to use your products or services. Once you have established credibility with your audience, you can move on to creating content that is more subjective in nature, such as reviews of products or services or tips and tricks on how to achieve certain results. Finally, you should aim to create content that is both authoritative and subjective, often times referred to as “whole-truth content”. This type of content provides an additional layer of information that is valuable to the audience and can help establish credibility while engaging them on a more subjective level.

The Importance of Research

As a business owner, manager, or marketer, it’s your job to continually evolve and improve. Just like any other form of marketing, content marketing is also a constantly evolving channel and one that is constantly changing in its approach and philosophy. Just because one method worked well for your last client doesn’t mean that it will work for your next client.

Since businesses and individuals are always looking for guidance and learning new approaches and tricks in order to succeed in business, take the time to learn from others. Moreover, content creators who consistently research and learn from the best in the industry can become invaluable assets to their business. Through continuous learning and educating yourself on various topics, you can continue improving your skill set and establishing yourself as an expert in your industry. This reputation can land you the job you want, help you grow your business, and enable you to provide more value to your target audience.

Testing and Improving

To ensure that your efforts are effective, you need to test and improve. Just like with any other marketing channel, the results of your content marketing efforts will not be visible right away. Moreover, just because your strategy worked for one client or business does not mean that it will work for you.

Instead, you can use the results that you’ve seen to test and improve your strategy. Just remember that since this is a continually evolving and changing channel, you will always be able to find new ways to test and improve your strategy. With a little bit of effort, research, and trial and error, you can find the right strategy for effective content marketing and can begin enjoying the benefits of this form of marketing.