Content marketing can be an efficient and cost-effective way to grow your customer base. But the success of content marketing pivots on the content quality and how the content is shared.
Great content should be monetizable. This does not mean that your business profits directly from audiences reading or engaging with the content, but that the content contributes to lead generation and increased sales.
The appropriate strategy for monetizing your content depends on several factors, including your business type, your customer base and the types of content you produce. But it all begins with original, pertinent content.
5 Steps to Creating Great Content
1. Keep it Real
The best content consists of writing that is informative, engaging and, most of all, authentic. Too many content marketers attempt to develop content that feels forced, stuffed with keywords or contains so much sales talk that it causes readers to lose interest. Aim for writing that is clear, concise and genuine.
2. Make it Relevant
Content that resonates with your target market is content that will convert prospects to sales. You need to be in tune with your customers; what are their wants and needs? Relevance is also important if your content is used in search engine marketing; Google seeks content that establishes expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, which support relevance. When you know your audience, you can craft content to answer their questions or help them solve problems.
3. Find your Angle
Your brand needs to have a distinctive voice, and so does its content. Will it be formal, witty or casual? How will you capture the reader’s attention? What point of view will you use?
4. Take it to the People
Think about where you will publish your content, whether on social media platforms, blogs or elsewhere. There are many channels for posting content and attracting potential customers. The type of content you create and what channels your target market frequents most often will ultimately determine the best avenue for you to publish your content. Don’t expect to just publish content and have audiences or search engines immediately recognize it; good content gains traction through sharing and promotion.
5. Consider the Sales Funnel
Customers take part in a journey — from the moment they find your brand to the moment they make a purchase of your products or services. Along this journey they will likely encounter and engage with some of your content, which in turn plays a role as part of your sales funnel. Where in the sales funnel will your content work best? How can your content support lead generation and sales conversions?
Turning Content into Revenue
To monetize your content, you need to get that content seen.
You can repurpose your content — whether it’s a web page, blog post, video, etc. — into different forms for various social media channels. For example, craft a blog post that corresponds with a video or webinar.
Or add new components to your content marketing mix, such as webinars, and draft content including social media posts that correspond with these other content forms. This can further improve your brand awareness across multiple outlets and increase your customer base.
The biggest challenge many organizations face in monetizing marketing content is the actual content development and writing. This is where a brand journalism or content marketing service like PowerPublish can be an asset.
Benefits of a Content Marketing Partner
If you don’t have your own in-house marketing team, a content publishing service offers you everything you need to develop, create and publish excellent content that attracts website traffic and increases sales.
PowerPublish, for example, gives users direct access to their experienced brand journalists to create engaging content in your company’s voice. These accomplished writers can craft relevant content that’s tailored to your unique audience and needs, and provided according to your schedule.
Organizations have the option of working with vetted freelancers on a self-serve basis, or they can choose a managed, recurring content plan that includes content development and editorial guidance.
Create, Then Create More
Regular content is crucial to a successful digital marketing strategy.
Routinely publishing fresh, insightful content lets your audience, prospects and search engines know you’re active, responsive and have expertise within your field. Fresh content also helps you maintain an edge over your competitors, who may or may not be doing the same.
Monetizing your content also takes patience. Analytics tools can help you track your content’s progress by identifying what works and indicating gaps where improvements could be made. As consumer wants and needs change, your content strategy may need to be adjusted as well.
PowerPublish is transforming the way brands outsource their marketing content. Our unique, streamlined approach to brand journalism — with fully managed and self-serve offerings — focuses on delivering premium content and a seamless client experience. Connect with us today for more information about our talent marketplace or to arrange a demo.