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If you’re looking for a way to increase brand awareness, grow a community of loyal followers, and improve your online rep, you need to develop a content marketing strategy for your business.

Still unconvinced? Consider this—72% of marketers say content marketing increases engagement, and, for every dollar spent, content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as traditional marketing.

There’s no denying a well-planned content marketing strategy is an economical and effective way for you to grow your brand visibility.

Curious how to create a strategy for your own business? We’ve broken it down into 6 easy steps. Let’s take a look.

1. Create SMART Goals

Have you heard of the SMART strategy of goal setting? Any time you set out to create a marketing strategy, you should ask yourself what you hope to accomplish through the campaign. To be most effective, the goals you set should be:

• Specific – Improve website traffic by increasing and promoting blog posts
• Measurable – Increase sales by 5% in the 3rd quarter
• Attainable – Increase click-through rate by 8% (as opposed to something difficult to attain…like 80%)
• Relevant – Why waste time and money creating content that does nothing for your brand?
• Time-based – Set a deadline and stick to it.

2. Write them Down & Create a Plan

Brainstorming sessions are all well and good, but it is important to create a content marketing plan and write your goals down…preferably in a calendar. If you’re wondering why this step is important, research indicates that companies with a documented marketing strategy are 313% more likely to achieve success with their marketing.

Your content plan should define who your audience is, the type of content you will create, determine the frequency with which you’ll create fresh content, and how you plan to distribute and promote it.

3. Mix Up Your Content Offerings

Blogs are great and important—after all, there’s a reason 53% of marketers say blogging is a top priority. It’s an inexpensive way to drive traffic to your website.

But try to mix up your content offerings. In addition to blogging, try your hand at video creation. Dip your toe into the world of podcasts. Both mediums have become wildly popular in recent years and allow customers and followers to see the human side of your brand and business.

Videos and podcasts are a great way to provide relevant, useful information to customers who will quickly begin to see you as an expert in your field. Some ideas for content include:

• How-to videos
• Guides on how to solve problems using your product or service
• Interviewing an expert in your field to provide valuable and/or helpful information
• A demonstration of how your product or service solves a particular problem.

4. Build Genuine Relationships

At the end of the day, content marketing is really just storytelling. When done right, content marketing allows people to connect with your brand in a way that is genuine and authentic, which builds loyalty and a devoted following.

By sending out thoughtful emails, creating powerful blog posts, and providing valuable and informative videos and/or podcasts, customers will see your business as service-centered, as opposed to sales-centered. And, when customers believe you care more about their best interests than you do selling your product, you’ll develop long-lasting relationships with people who deeply support your business.

5. Speaking of Email…Keep Sending Them

Although some think of email as a more archaic form of content marketing, don’t throw out your email list just yet. Those who chose to subscribe for email updates and newsletters are an audience who you know, with 100% certainty, are interested in your products and/or services (or, at least they were at one time).

Crafting thoughtful, informative emails is a great way to share content with your clients and followers. And don’t forget to throw in the occasional offer, either in the form of an exclusive discount/coupon code or access to a downloadable e-book with helpful tips and tricks. Again, creating that service-centered business model will go a long way in building trust with your audience.

6. Ask for Help When You Need It

Building a cohesive content marketing strategy is no small feat…and it can sometimes feel overwhelming. If this is your first attempt at creating a strategy, or if a past failed attempt has left you feeling less than confident, it may be time to bring in a team of professionals to oversee the development and distribution of your marketing strategy.

And that, my friends, is when we at Digital Canteen are happy to help. Our professional team members are experts at creating quality content that showcases your business and connects your brand with your customers in a genuine and authentic way.

Contact us today to learn how we can build an impactful brand for your business or showcase the brand you’ve already created.

Here’s to creating quality content marketing strategies!

Thanks for reading,
Digital Canteen Team
02-9025-4304