As Bill Gates declared in 1996, “Content is king.” However, just because you create content, it doesn’t mean that you’ll see any return from it. What Gates should’ve said is “The right content is king.” To establish yourself in your field and convince people to trust what you’re telling them, you need to produce material that will appeal to your audience. If you do it correctly, you’ll see your sales numbers go up. To do that, though, you’ll need to take the proper steps to create interesting content.
1. Become an expert
People want to work with companies who know what they’re talking about. If you don’t prove yourself, how will consumers trust you and your business? You don’t only need to know what your organization is all about and why you went into the field. You also need to stay up to date on everything that is happening in the industry, Salesforce explained. Know what’s going on at all times so you sound informed when you’re talking to both competitors and customers. When you know what you’re talking about, people will be more willing to buy your products or services.
“Get to the point quickly or people will tune out before they receive your message.”
2. Vary your content
People have different preferences when it comes to finding out information about companies or products. Luckily, there are plenty of ways for you to appeal to the masses. You can write articles, create photo galleries or produce videos. When it comes to content, your options are unlimited. However, no matter what you go with, you’ll want to get to the point quickly, Entrepreneur recommended. If you take too long to do so, people are going to tune out before they read or view your message. Start off strong and continue the same way. Keep videos short and cut out extra words from articles.
3. Be transparent
If you’re going to start a content marketing plan, you should make sure you’re producing material that will allow people to trust you. You should never lie to or alter the reality for your customers. They will find out if you aren’t being honest, and then your business banking account is going to dwindle. Instead, you need to give them the details that will allow them to believe in you, Salesforce explained. Tell them why you went into the business, provide proof of your products doing what you say they will (perfect opportunity for videos) and test out services and tools if you’ve chosen to endorse them.
Just like Pinocchio, you can’t hide your lies. Stick to the facts to build trust with your consumers.4. Share
All your work will be for naught if no one is seeing it. Make sure you’re sharing your content with the world, Entrepreneur suggested. If you have social media accounts, post every article, video, infographic, et cetera, that you create. Get your friends to like, comment and share the post on their own pages. If these articles and videos are being published on your company’s blog, make sure it’s easy to find. No one is going to search for it. If it’s not part of your website, link to it. Connect the page to your social media accounts. It doesn’t matter how you go about it as long as people will be able to find it.
Content marketing can be a great way for you to promote your business. However, if you don’t take the proper measures, your materials won’t do you any good. Make sure you post factual information and share it as much as possible and you’ll see the return on your investment.