1. Make trust your top priority
Put the end user first. When it comes to content marketing the first question you should ask is what do your users want and how can you provide that? Remember content marketing is not another form of advertising. Trust is built when there is a true value exchange between the brand and the consumer and good content is consistently delivered to the reader.
2. Add value
Understanding how to create content that’s of genuine interest to your readers is key. For example, if you’re a software company, it’s unlikely that people will be hugely interested in minor product updates. However, your target audience may be interested in advice on improving productivity in their sector, or case studies of similar businesses who have done particularly well, as a result of working with you. Content marketing is never a hard sell – it’s about building the brand and positioning yourself as a trusted source of information.
3. Map out an end-to-end content strategy
The goal of content marketing can vary from brand to brand so before setting out on your content journey you must determine what it is that you want to achieve. This is a first and very important step that provides the foundation for a clearly architected strategy, developing content that goes towards telling a cohesive story and reinforces your brand. Take the time to consider what story you want to tell Aand make sure all your content has an unequivocal focus, in-line with your stated goals.
4. Consider how your readers engage with your content
Advances in mobile and tablet devices means that there are now over 14,000 different screen sizes, so it’s important to make your content easy to read and digestible. Content should be just as easy to read on a mobile device as a desktop or laptop. Even in B2B, many people consume work related content on the go, or at home on mobiles and tablets. Don’t alienate your audience by creating content that is unreadable if they are away from a traditional PC.
5. Don’t be afraid to experiment
According to Adobe’s State of Online Advertising research in 2013, 67 per cent of consumers think ‘a video is worth 1,000 words’. While traditional forms of B2B content, such as whitepapers and newsletters, are still effective, video and other more dynamic digital forms of content are increasingly impactful.
While your content should of course reflect the voice of your brand, remember: the most frequently shared content is not always the most informative or professional. More often, content that is fun, dynamic, and playful is what goes viral. Think about the impact your content will have on a customer and what impression you want your brand to portray. If you have a strategy in place to produce relevant content that adds value to online content consumption, then customers will associate your brand with great content that’s relevant to both your readers and you as a brand.
