This year the phrase content marketing became increasingly common in the list of ‘must-haves’ within a B2B and B2C marketer’s strategy. Fueled by the exponential growth in social media many companies are progressively engaging audiences through articles and conversation, focusing on creating quality and ethical content which stimulates brand confidence, traffic, leads and conversion.

Not to be confused with SEO, content marketing focuses on creating content which people actually want to read, whereas SEO focuses creating content which will be picked up by search engines. Both still very important components of any digital marketing strategy, and, when integrated alongside social media efforts should increase your ability to achieve your business objectives.

There are many and varied ways you can approach content marketing, but first and foremost you need to understand that it isn’t about you, it’s all about the customer, and that content is only relevant in the proper context. I.e. don’t create content on topics that have nothing to do with your industry, or area of expertise. If you are wondering where to start, or how to step up your existing efforts, the list below features a few basic suggestions to help get your content marketing on the right track.

Mobile.

If you are going to the effort of creating great content then you really need to make it accessible and easy to read on every screen. Include a mobile strategy that accommodates a tablet friendly version of your site, and a mobile app.

Social Media.

If you don’t already have a social media presence, then you’ll need to create one. You’ll also need to frequently update, engage and converse on whatever platform or platforms you choose to use. Have a strategic purpose and a measurable goal in mind. Regular use reinforces your brand, generates new leads and can assist in educating your audience. It can also provide topics you can expand upon or investigate for future content.

Affiliates.

Create industry insights, free eBooks, handy guides, innovative video, podcasts or online tools for your members or followers to share. Make it easy for them to write about you, share or comment on your content, which will in turn grow your audience. Invite influential writers and publishers within your industry to guest post on your site. As a result these influencers will most likely share your site with their followers, in turn boosting your traffic and credibility.

Photos.

Image driven social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest are rapidly growing in popularity and many brands now have dedicated pages. Even if you’d rather concentrate your efforts simply to Facebook, you can use your smartphone to easily (and cheaply) take a product action shot and upload it within seconds, and sometimes an image is much more powerful and engaging than 500 words.

Search.

Drive traffic by optimising your content for search engines. Do your keyword research, and focus on a few words or one phrase to use in your content. Add text to non-text elements and put all your content on the same domain/subdomain. Have any ideas or successful content marketing tips of your own? Let us know your thoughts below.