The truth is that what I'm doing right now and here is an instance of CONTENT MARKETING. I'm also applying a content strategy that will become gradually clearer to you if you continue to pay attention.
I'm going to make it as PRACTICAL as possible. You will see what I'm saying from what I'm doing.
WHAT CONTENT MARKETING IS NOT, AND THE HEART OF IT
Almost everyone may talk about this subject. But, I keep seeing those who are getting it terribly wrong.
To begin to correct the errors, let me tell you what content marketing IS NOT.
Content MARKETING is not about MANIPULATING people. Rather, the most successful content projects are deeply PROBLEM-FOCUSED and SOLUTION-ORIENTED.
I'm going to make it as PRACTICAL as possible. You will see what I'm saying from what I'm doing.
WHAT CONTENT MARKETING IS NOT, AND THE HEART OF IT
Almost everyone may talk about this subject. But, I keep seeing those who are getting it terribly wrong.
To begin to correct the errors, let me tell you what content marketing IS NOT.
Content MARKETING is not about MANIPULATING people. Rather, the most successful content projects are deeply PROBLEM-FOCUSED and SOLUTION-ORIENTED.
Therefore, before you embark on a content marketing project, here are 4 MUST-DOs that I recommend:
1. Take time to identify real problem areas in your market. Don't imagine them. Rather, embark on real field-based research to have these problems on your finger tips.
2. Find out effective solutions to those problems - both those that are being offered by your competition and those you can discover by yourself.
3. Discover the most convenient ways to communicate these solutions to the right interest groups at the right time.
4. Decide the solution you can MONETIZE with your product/service offers without being manipulative.
Don't worry yet about how to go about this because we're also going to talk about it in this webinar.
While we continue, if you have any YouTube video or any other web content (eg. a web page, a landing page, a social media post, etc.) that you want to receive up to 10,000 views in 3 days, WhatsApp 07053311253 for sure assistance.
1. Take time to identify real problem areas in your market. Don't imagine them. Rather, embark on real field-based research to have these problems on your finger tips.
2. Find out effective solutions to those problems - both those that are being offered by your competition and those you can discover by yourself.
3. Discover the most convenient ways to communicate these solutions to the right interest groups at the right time.
4. Decide the solution you can MONETIZE with your product/service offers without being manipulative.
Don't worry yet about how to go about this because we're also going to talk about it in this webinar.
While we continue, if you have any YouTube video or any other web content (eg. a web page, a landing page, a social media post, etc.) that you want to receive up to 10,000 views in 3 days, WhatsApp 07053311253 for sure assistance.
One aim you must target while content-marketing is to build your BRAND REPUTATION. With increased brand reputation comes CUSTOMER LOYALTY.
It's why I personally believe that CUSTOMER RETENTION is far more important to any business than CUSTOMER ACQUISITION.
Seeing your content project (and your business itself) primarily as a service to your audience is one attitude that can help you to keep the customers you acquired. When you do, they will be the ones to recommend you in the long run.
This is one reason you must do all you can to avoid appearing (not to talk of being) manipulative in your content and business practices.
From my experience, I can firmly say that STRATEGY is almost EVERYTHING in CONTENT MARKETING.
It's not so much the content that makes the marketing project successful as it is the strategy behind it.
So, as we proceed, take note of the following 2 points regarding content strategizing:
1. A strategy that worked for someone else may not work for YOU.
2. A piece of content that failed woefully in the hands of a mediocre content strategist can become super-successful in the hands of a good strategist.
It's why I personally believe that CUSTOMER RETENTION is far more important to any business than CUSTOMER ACQUISITION.
Seeing your content project (and your business itself) primarily as a service to your audience is one attitude that can help you to keep the customers you acquired. When you do, they will be the ones to recommend you in the long run.
This is one reason you must do all you can to avoid appearing (not to talk of being) manipulative in your content and business practices.
From my experience, I can firmly say that STRATEGY is almost EVERYTHING in CONTENT MARKETING.
It's not so much the content that makes the marketing project successful as it is the strategy behind it.
So, as we proceed, take note of the following 2 points regarding content strategizing:
1. A strategy that worked for someone else may not work for YOU.
2. A piece of content that failed woefully in the hands of a mediocre content strategist can become super-successful in the hands of a good strategist.
THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF GOOD CONTENT STRATEGIES
The basic elements of content strategies are - so to speak - the ingredients that must go into 'cooking' a successful content marketing project.
You will find a lot of things being offered online as "the basic elements of content strategies/marketing". They will get so many and so different that you may get confused by them.
But, for me, here are the basic elements in their simplest forms:
1. A clear-cut target audience
2. A value proposition
3. A clear goal for your brand
4. Metrics
5. Buyer personas
6. Diversity of content types and platforms
7. Distribution
You can remember them with AVG MPDD (ie. audience, value, goal, metrics, personas, diversity and distribution (of content).
Now, let's take them one after the other.
The basic elements of content strategies are - so to speak - the ingredients that must go into 'cooking' a successful content marketing project.
You will find a lot of things being offered online as "the basic elements of content strategies/marketing". They will get so many and so different that you may get confused by them.
But, for me, here are the basic elements in their simplest forms:
1. A clear-cut target audience
2. A value proposition
3. A clear goal for your brand
4. Metrics
5. Buyer personas
6. Diversity of content types and platforms
7. Distribution
You can remember them with AVG MPDD (ie. audience, value, goal, metrics, personas, diversity and distribution (of content).
Now, let's take them one after the other.
A CLEAR-CUT TARGET AUDIENCE
Before you start giving out your solution in your information, you should have a clear idea of the kind of people who have the problems you want to help solve. Those people are your TARGET AUDIENCE.
A VALUE PROPOSITION
What unique value do you have to offer to your target audience? In other words, how do you intend to help in solving their problems (or PAIN POINTS) better than anyone else? That's your value proposition.
A CLEAR GOAL FOR YOUR BRAND
If your value proposition is what you want your audience to gain from the content project, your goal is what you want to gain from it. For example, do you want to gain more social media followers? Or, do you want to build an email list? Or, just that you want to sell more of your products or service?
METRICS
Your content project should include a means of measuring your progress and getting particular information on the members of your audience. This will help you in a number of ways - such as in developing your buyer personas (next step).
Before you start giving out your solution in your information, you should have a clear idea of the kind of people who have the problems you want to help solve. Those people are your TARGET AUDIENCE.
A VALUE PROPOSITION
What unique value do you have to offer to your target audience? In other words, how do you intend to help in solving their problems (or PAIN POINTS) better than anyone else? That's your value proposition.
A CLEAR GOAL FOR YOUR BRAND
If your value proposition is what you want your audience to gain from the content project, your goal is what you want to gain from it. For example, do you want to gain more social media followers? Or, do you want to build an email list? Or, just that you want to sell more of your products or service?
METRICS
Your content project should include a means of measuring your progress and getting particular information on the members of your audience. This will help you in a number of ways - such as in developing your buyer personas (next step).
BUYER PERSONAS
You started out with a target audience. However, after gathering metrics on the members of your audience, you will discover that they are people with different characteristics.
For instance, the members of your audience come from different age brackets, income levels, countries, professional and academic backgrounds, etc. Their kinds and levels of need will also differ.
This will make it necessary for you to visualize a number of different 'individuals' that your products and services (and therefore your content) are made for. These visualized 'individuals' are your buyer personas.
You started out with a target audience. However, after gathering metrics on the members of your audience, you will discover that they are people with different characteristics.
For instance, the members of your audience come from different age brackets, income levels, countries, professional and academic backgrounds, etc. Their kinds and levels of need will also differ.
This will make it necessary for you to visualize a number of different 'individuals' that your products and services (and therefore your content) are made for. These visualized 'individuals' are your buyer personas.
DIVERSITY OF CONTENT TYPES AND PLATFORMS
To be able to connect qualitatively with your different buyer personas and to spice up the interest levels in your content, you will have to develop your content in different kinds of media.
This may include blog posts, forum posts, third-party articles, email newsletters, ebooks, video, audio, graphics, etc BUT NOT IN ONE SWOOP. Rather, the variation will be best being need-based.
For example, I discovered that MOST NAIRALANDERS WILL NOT CLICK THROUGH TO A WEB PAGE OUTSIDE NAIRALAND UNLESS IT'S A WELL-KNOWN WEBSITE OR UNLESS THEIR NEED FOR THE INFORMATION IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS.
So, when you share a blog post from your website, you really need to deploy creative strategies to add value to them before you can get a significant (or even sizable) number of visits from Nairaland.
Also, video content is not half as much consumed in Nigeria as in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It's mainly due to a lack of free WiFi and high cost of internet data in Nigeria.
This makes most netizens in Nigeria to fear for their data consumption. Hence, the relative low acceptance for video content.
To be able to connect qualitatively with your different buyer personas and to spice up the interest levels in your content, you will have to develop your content in different kinds of media.
This may include blog posts, forum posts, third-party articles, email newsletters, ebooks, video, audio, graphics, etc BUT NOT IN ONE SWOOP. Rather, the variation will be best being need-based.
For example, I discovered that MOST NAIRALANDERS WILL NOT CLICK THROUGH TO A WEB PAGE OUTSIDE NAIRALAND UNLESS IT'S A WELL-KNOWN WEBSITE OR UNLESS THEIR NEED FOR THE INFORMATION IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS.
So, when you share a blog post from your website, you really need to deploy creative strategies to add value to them before you can get a significant (or even sizable) number of visits from Nairaland.
Also, video content is not half as much consumed in Nigeria as in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It's mainly due to a lack of free WiFi and high cost of internet data in Nigeria.
This makes most netizens in Nigeria to fear for their data consumption. Hence, the relative low acceptance for video content.
CONTENT DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS
Lastly, for your content strategy to be successful, you must have a robust plan for its distribution.
You've created a great content. Now is the time to get it across to as many people who need it as possible. For this, you need to have decided on what content distribution options to use.
Some options include social media paid ads, PPC ads, social media groups, email lists, and more.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Now, before we continue, feel free to ask me questions and question my answers based on the much we've done.
Lastly, for your content strategy to be successful, you must have a robust plan for its distribution.
You've created a great content. Now is the time to get it across to as many people who need it as possible. For this, you need to have decided on what content distribution options to use.
Some options include social media paid ads, PPC ads, social media groups, email lists, and more.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Now, before we continue, feel free to ask me questions and question my answers based on the much we've done.
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