Last week we covered why you need to leverage content marketing. So, how do you start with content marketing?
- Set up channels that are relevant to your audiences. Consider:
- Are they on social media? If so, which platform? You don’t need to be on every one. Choose the relevant one for your offering. If you’re unsure, start with Facebook as it is still the driving force in South Africa
- Would they like to be a subscriber? An email database remains the most popular SMS or WhatsApp channels are also used. When in doubt, ask your customers. Determine the frequency based on what you can maintain and what your prospects and customers feel is relevant to them. It doesn’t have to be weekly or even monthly.
- Plan your content. This is the most important and time-consuming part of the journey. Identify the key topics you would like to speak into. These should be ones you are confident in and your prospects and clients are interested in. Google around to confirm your industry’s trends and think about the questions you’re frequently asked. Plan at least a month’s worth of ideas before you kick off otherwise, each time you have to create content it can feel overwhelming.
- Create your content. Here you can tap into creative trends in content marketing.
- We are seeing a huge push to videos and podcasts. If it feels like a good medium for your prospects and customers, try incorporating it. They don’t have to be polished films, Facebook lives and simple how-to videos are greatly appreciated.
- Webinars and virtual events are also a popular choice and allow for a lot more direct interaction with your viewers.
- Repurpose content that is loved. Track your engagement as you try out different content through different channels. If you see a post doing especially well on Facebook, consider incorporating that content into your website or expanding it into a downloadable reference page. Look at what works and see how you can extend its life.
Getting this right is a process, it’s trial and error and a whole lot of listening but it is incredibly rewarding when you succeed. When you create the right content and put it on the right channels, you will see an increase in engagement and an increase in sales enquiries.
*The State of Content Marketing in 2021 [Stats & Trends to Watch] by Hubspot: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/state-of-content-marketing-infographic?utm_campaign=Marketing%20Blog%20Weekly%20Email%20Sends&utm_medium=email&utm_content=140292998&utm_source=hs_email