We’ve all been there. You have a question so you take to search or social media to find the answer. Remind me, what did we do before Google when someone asked, “How much does a baby elephant weigh?” From Google and Yahoo to Facebook and Twitter, the way we find and exchange information has changed dramatically—even in the past decade. So it only makes sense that organizations use these channels to generate and promote helpful content for their existing and prospective customers/members. Here are five easy ways you can generate helpful content that is easily accessible to people who need it most.
Review your most frequently asked questions
Regardless of your business model, you more than likely can recite your most frequently asked questions. From “How much is the annual membership fee?” to “How do I light my water heater?”, you know what people are more than likely to ask when they begin researching your organization. Why not help them find that information more easily and move them along in their journey with your brand to get to conversion faster?
Consider crafting blog posts and short, one-minute videos that address these FAQs and publish them to your website as well as your social media channels. Once you provide answers to their questions, these consumers are more likely to follow your brand and even convert to customers or members down the road.
Join discussion groups
Not sure what your target audience(s) are interested in? Take a peek at online discussion groups, like ones managed on LinkedIn or in Facebook groups, and see what those members are interested in. Can your business provide information on the topics they are most concerned with? If so, it’s a great opportunity to craft blog posts on these “hot topics” and promote them via social media updates that link back to your website, demonstrating your expertise and experience.
Make content generation easier
Not everyone is wired to sit down and organize all their thoughts in a blog post (nor should we expect them to be able to). Content generation is different for everyone and the trick is to make it as easy as possible to get the content you need to be helpful [and get found]. Ask your thought leaders how they prefer to create their content. For some, a video or presentation may work best. For others, they may suggest a podcast or an interview approach like a Q&A audio recording. Whatever works best for your team, is what you should go with—just be sure to transcribe audio (like presentations, videos, and podcasts) to gain some awesome SEO equity!
Look at the data
Check out your analytics and see what your most viewed content has been to-date. Do your posts on health care drive more website traffic and have a lower bounce rate than your posts on technology? Do blog posts that feature video have more views than those that are only text? Use your data to make informed decisions about what types of content work best for your audience. And be sure to test new ideas but always track and compare performance!
Make the time
A good content marketing strategy takes time and in the whirlwind of life, it often gets put on the back burner until the 11th hour. Encourage thought leaders to set aside time on their calendar to make it happen. For a team of 3-5 marketers, try setting aside 8-10 hours a month for content research, curation, and review. Keep in mind, each form of content can require a different amount of time so it’s OK if one person spends five hours a month on podcasting and another spends 10 on traditional blog posts. By proactively blocking time every Friday, for example, you can meet your content calendar needs and increase the odds of having enough indexable content on your website for search engines to find and serve up to target audiences looking assistance.
Remember, content is a long game. One blog post isn’t going to change your revenue for the year but, over time and if done consistently, regular content production can impact your search results, website traffic, social media following, brand sentiment, and bottom line. To increase your odds for content marketing success, provide helpful content that is easy to consume and easy to find, then offer readers a way to learn more and stay engaged with your brand.
Interested in learning more about how to develop a content strategy? Register for our Better U Event: How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy [that works!] on June 29th.
