The 10 Commandments of Content Marketing
Content
A guide to creating engaging content across all online marketing channels
WHO THIS GUIDE IS FOR U N D E R S TA N D I N G C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G C O N T E N T C R E AT I O N CONTENT D ISTRIBUTION CONTENT ATTRIBUTION
PA G E 3 PA G E 4 PA G E 5 PA G E 8 PA G E 1 1
OTHER P OINTS TO CONSIDER
PA G E 1 3
2
This guide is designed to help small business owners and professionals who are working on content marketing on their own or as part of a small team. While the information here is helpful to companies of all sizes, the recommendations are tailored towards those who have constraints on both time and budget. Additionally, this guide assumes minimal prior knowledge of content marketing and is suitable for beginners or those with intermediate experience.
3
Content Marketing may the new buzzword in online marketing, but the practice is nothing new for many business owners. Simply put, content marketing is the practice of creating and curating content that has value for your target audience. It allows you to establish thought leadership, increase the time visitors spend on your site, improve organic SEO, and it helps to build your brand.
Think of content marketing holistically, as a part of your overall online marketing strategy.
4
Content Marketing Commandment 1: Create Only Valuable Content Because of the many benefits content marketing offers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “more is better”. In reality, more content is only better when it provides value to your audience.
The more valuable your content, the more likely your audience is to share it and improve your reach.
Content marketing is pointless if the content is spammy, unoriginal, or just plain boring.
5
Content Marketing Commandment 2: Always Verify Your Sources
This applies in particular to news-based posts, but is applicable to any fact-based posts or content you create. Make sure your sources are reputable, and that the information you are providing your audience is factual. Taking the extra step to verify information outside your area of expertise will ensure that your content is considered trustworthy.
If you quote statistics in your content marketing, be sure to list the study, publication, or other source for the data. This lends credibility and builds trust.
6
Content Marketing Commandment 3: Commit to Content Production One of the biggest mistakes* small business owners make when it comes to content marketing is lack of commitment. Before you ever start writing, plan an editorial calendar that will let you create content regularly.
Even if it’s only a few times a month, a regular schedule is preferable to sporadic updates.
*Most often it isn’t a mistake, but a lack of time.
Keeping to a schedule sets expectations and encourages visitors to return to your site to see what’s new.
7
Content Marketing Commandment 4: Refine Your Distribution Channels
This comes back to avoiding spam. Don’t simultaneously tweet, post to Facebook, and update Google+ about the same blog post unless you want your audience to tune you out.
Choose which content you will share across which social media platforms and make it relevant to your followers on each.
Sharing across social media is great, but don’t let automation turn you into a spammer. Focus on 2 or 3 social media sites and use automation carefully.
8
Content Marketing Commandment 5: Find Your (Social) Niche Or in simpler terms: you should be active on the sites that are popular with your target market. Smaller social media platforms like Quora or Pinterest can lead to better engagement if they are popular with your audience.
There are a lot of social media sites out there. Too many for a small business owner or professional to be active on them all. Pick the ones that matter most to your target demographic.
9
Content Marketing Commandment 6: Be Ready for Feedback Content marketing is almost never a one-way street. Even if you’re only publishing blog posts and whitepapers, you can expect feedback in the form of comments and questions. Be ready to engage positively and proactively in order to build a good reputation in the online community.
For every one person who asks a question, you can be sure that there are many more who will be watching to see how you respond. Always keep the tone positive and productive.
10
Content Marketing Commandment 7: Give Credit Where Credit is Due
Don’t be afraid to link out to other blogs, infographics, and articles on the web. If you found a great idea on a different website that inspired your blog post, say so.
Your audience will recognize the fact that you link to quality resources and information, which in turn helps establish your own expertise.
Try to cultivate online relationships with sites that serve the same target audience but with complementary services – this allows for growth and partnerships.
11
Content Marketing Commandment 8: Track What Matters Most The only way to refine your content marketing is to track the metrics that matter the most to your bottom line. If you use content as part of the conversion funnel – whitepapers for qualified leads, for example – keep track of how many of your leads actually interact with your content.
Keep in mind that this can include social metrics as well. Different types of content are needed for every step of the conversion funnel.
12
Content Marketing Commandment 9: Be Genuine
You’ll get better results if your writing reflects your brand and comes across as genuine.
This is easiest when you write about those parts of your business that truly excite you and that you enjoy.
However, even if the topic isn’t your favorite, treat every piece of content you write as a chance to connect with your audience.
Sometimes, being genuine can feel at odds with being “official” or “professional”. The best way to keep the balance is to use the same tone in your writing that you use when talking to a client or prospect.
13
Content Marketing Commandment 10: Be Flexible Content marketing is an art as well as a science, and there’s no one way to do it “right”. Finding what works for you may take a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months. Take your cues from the engagement level of your audience and adjust your efforts accordingly for the best returns.
In the end, what you are looking for is balance between the content you create, the engagement your content produces, and the benefits to both you and your target audience.
14
Need More Help? Let’s Talk.
My name is Ereika Stimley and I help small businesses and independent professionals establish online expertise, grow their online audiences, and improve conversions through planning and executing content and conversion optimization strategies. (All of which is a very long way of saying I show you how to use content to grow your business and make more sales.) If you have any questions, please get in touch and let’s talk about how I can help you.
WHO THIS GUIDE IS FOR U N D E R S TA N D I N G C O N T E N T M A R K E T I N G C O N T E N T C R E AT I O N CONTENT D ISTRIBUTION CONTENT ATTRIBUTION
PA G E 3 PA G E 4 PA G E 5 PA G E 8 PA G E 1 1
OTHER P OINTS TO CONSIDER
PA G E 1 3
2
This guide is designed to help small business owners and professionals who are working on content marketing on their own or as part of a small team. While the information here is helpful to companies of all sizes, the recommendations are tailored towards those who have constraints on both time and budget. Additionally, this guide assumes minimal prior knowledge of content marketing and is suitable for beginners or those with intermediate experience.
3
Content Marketing may the new buzzword in online marketing, but the practice is nothing new for many business owners. Simply put, content marketing is the practice of creating and curating content that has value for your target audience. It allows you to establish thought leadership, increase the time visitors spend on your site, improve organic SEO, and it helps to build your brand.
Think of content marketing holistically, as a part of your overall online marketing strategy.
4
Content Marketing Commandment 1: Create Only Valuable Content Because of the many benefits content marketing offers, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “more is better”. In reality, more content is only better when it provides value to your audience.
The more valuable your content, the more likely your audience is to share it and improve your reach.
Content marketing is pointless if the content is spammy, unoriginal, or just plain boring.
5
Content Marketing Commandment 2: Always Verify Your Sources
This applies in particular to news-based posts, but is applicable to any fact-based posts or content you create. Make sure your sources are reputable, and that the information you are providing your audience is factual. Taking the extra step to verify information outside your area of expertise will ensure that your content is considered trustworthy.
If you quote statistics in your content marketing, be sure to list the study, publication, or other source for the data. This lends credibility and builds trust.
6
Content Marketing Commandment 3: Commit to Content Production One of the biggest mistakes* small business owners make when it comes to content marketing is lack of commitment. Before you ever start writing, plan an editorial calendar that will let you create content regularly.
Even if it’s only a few times a month, a regular schedule is preferable to sporadic updates.
*Most often it isn’t a mistake, but a lack of time.
Keeping to a schedule sets expectations and encourages visitors to return to your site to see what’s new.
7
Content Marketing Commandment 4: Refine Your Distribution Channels
This comes back to avoiding spam. Don’t simultaneously tweet, post to Facebook, and update Google+ about the same blog post unless you want your audience to tune you out.
Choose which content you will share across which social media platforms and make it relevant to your followers on each.
Sharing across social media is great, but don’t let automation turn you into a spammer. Focus on 2 or 3 social media sites and use automation carefully.
8
Content Marketing Commandment 5: Find Your (Social) Niche Or in simpler terms: you should be active on the sites that are popular with your target market. Smaller social media platforms like Quora or Pinterest can lead to better engagement if they are popular with your audience.
There are a lot of social media sites out there. Too many for a small business owner or professional to be active on them all. Pick the ones that matter most to your target demographic.
9
Content Marketing Commandment 6: Be Ready for Feedback Content marketing is almost never a one-way street. Even if you’re only publishing blog posts and whitepapers, you can expect feedback in the form of comments and questions. Be ready to engage positively and proactively in order to build a good reputation in the online community.
For every one person who asks a question, you can be sure that there are many more who will be watching to see how you respond. Always keep the tone positive and productive.
10
Content Marketing Commandment 7: Give Credit Where Credit is Due
Don’t be afraid to link out to other blogs, infographics, and articles on the web. If you found a great idea on a different website that inspired your blog post, say so.
Your audience will recognize the fact that you link to quality resources and information, which in turn helps establish your own expertise.
Try to cultivate online relationships with sites that serve the same target audience but with complementary services – this allows for growth and partnerships.
11
Content Marketing Commandment 8: Track What Matters Most The only way to refine your content marketing is to track the metrics that matter the most to your bottom line. If you use content as part of the conversion funnel – whitepapers for qualified leads, for example – keep track of how many of your leads actually interact with your content.
Keep in mind that this can include social metrics as well. Different types of content are needed for every step of the conversion funnel.
12
Content Marketing Commandment 9: Be Genuine
You’ll get better results if your writing reflects your brand and comes across as genuine.
This is easiest when you write about those parts of your business that truly excite you and that you enjoy.
However, even if the topic isn’t your favorite, treat every piece of content you write as a chance to connect with your audience.
Sometimes, being genuine can feel at odds with being “official” or “professional”. The best way to keep the balance is to use the same tone in your writing that you use when talking to a client or prospect.
13
Content Marketing Commandment 10: Be Flexible Content marketing is an art as well as a science, and there’s no one way to do it “right”. Finding what works for you may take a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months. Take your cues from the engagement level of your audience and adjust your efforts accordingly for the best returns.
In the end, what you are looking for is balance between the content you create, the engagement your content produces, and the benefits to both you and your target audience.
14
Need More Help? Let’s Talk.
My name is Ereika Stimley and I help small businesses and independent professionals establish online expertise, grow their online audiences, and improve conversions through planning and executing content and conversion optimization strategies. (All of which is a very long way of saying I show you how to use content to grow your business and make more sales.) If you have any questions, please get in touch and let’s talk about how I can help you.
