Content Marketing: What Is The True Reach, Engagement & ROI?
Known and criticized to be interruptive, traditional marketing is fading away leaving more room for content marketing that appears to be more authentic and connecting.
Think about an ad on TV, a billboard on the freeway, a direct mailing. These types of marketing strategies push the company’s message to an audience whether they want it or not which results in campaigns that can be not only intruding and annoying but also very costly and inefficient.
Content marketing strategy on the other end isn’t about forcing the customers to look at a company’s message. Instead, its purpose is very different. The company creates content that is valuable and is here to help and support and that the audience will genuinely want to read and find interest in.
This can be done for example through blog articles, podcast episodes, or videos.
Are you looking to grow your company and you want to look into content marketing strategy? Let’s see how to make sure you are creating the right content that is efficient and support your sales goals
CREATE ENGAGING CONTENT
Content marketing isn’t about creating as much content as possible. It’s about creating the right content that will create a high engagement. This means your content needs to be valuable to your audience.
Implement this strategy BEFORE producing your content. Don’t write a blog to only think at the end about how this will interest your audience. Before starting writing aks yourself what your audience needs to read.
Make sure to really know your audience. What are their pain points, their desires, their needs? Your content will need to speak directly to them.
Be time-sensitive. What is happening in the world/in your industry and plan accordingly. You might have a great topic but if you release it in the middle of the Holiday season for example it might not be noticed.
Have a catchy visual and headline that will get their attention. Remember they are seeing a lot of content daily. Why would they click on yours?
Photo Credit: Brianne Bishop Design
MEASURE YOUR ENGAGEMENT
Is your audience engaged by your content? Are they taking any action? Engagement could be through likes, comments, shares, clicks.
Have a clear goal for your content. How do you want your audience to engage with you? What interactions would you like to create? Do you want to start a conversation with them? Do you want them to sign in to your newsletter? Do you want them to visit other pages of your website? Once you have that clear goal in mind, add the right call-to-action and track these interactions.
Photo Credit: Brianne Bishop Design
KEEP YOUR FREQUENCY
Content marketing is not a one-time shot. To create results, it is important to share content in a consistent way. For example, your message will be stronger if you decide to post a new blog on your website every Thursday versus if you post 3 blogs at random times this month, then create a video on YouTube next month, then share a podcast episode the week after.
Following a clear schedule will help you create expectations for your audience which will increase their loyalty and engagement.
INCREASE YOUR REACH
The reach of a campaign is the estimated number of people that will be in contact with your content.
Let’s say you publish a new blog. How many people will see your blog? It is important to know because in order to create results you will want your content to be seen.
But keep in mind that having a high reach isn’t the end goal. What you want instead is to put your content in front of the RIGHT people. Make sure to know who you are talking to and who you want to talk to.
Know which social media platforms your audience is using and make sure your message is optimized for it.
Adapt your visual to that specific platform. The image needed on Pinterest for example has a different dimension than on Instagram.
Understand your audience’s behaviors. Are they online in the morning, in the afternoon, at night? A young teenager will have different behaviors online than a working mom.
Use the right hashtags for that specific content
Increase the SEO of your content so that it can be more easily referenced and organically discovered/ Make sure to use the correct keywords.
Photo Credit: Brianne Bishop Design
ROI OF CONTENT MARKETING
It is important to know that content marketing is a long-term strategy. Do not expect to see incredible results after posting your first article.
Your content marketing is a tool to create a meaningful and trustworthy relationship with your audience. To share your expertise, show your commitment, engage with them. This implies you need to invest time. But rest assure this meaningful relationship is what will lead to more sales and better brand awareness.
While you keep in mind your long-term goal, we encourage you to keep an eye on the results of each campaign you are creating. Each article, podcast, video you will post will give you more information about your audience and what they need from you.
Set up your google analytics to understand where your traffic is coming from
Take a look at the amount of time people spend on the pages of your website
Compare your content and understand which one is doing better than others
Content marketing is a wonderful strategy that creates wonders when it is properly planned ahead of time. To be engaging you really need to know your target market: the more you know and understand them the better your content will perform. You will know WHERE to publish it and WHEN to increase your reach. You will know WHAT to talk about based on their pain point or their interests. You will know HOW to share your message.
Are you ready to take your content marketing to the next level? Click here to schedule a complimentary Brand Consultation and see how we can best support you!
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