Elle Shelly, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Pinball Strategy and Shannon Johnson, a Content Strategist at HubSpot gave an excellent presentation at Digital Summit in Phoenix on some common content and strategy questions small business owners often have. Read on to get some of the best tips for creating a content marketing strategy and things to consider when you actually create your content pieces.
Myth: In the world of content, it’s all about engagement.
False: It’s all about profitable engagement in which conversations lead to more conversions. If you are just out there making noise, you’re just creating a distraction, so make sure you have a very finely tuned purpose.
Correlate data: The average time on site should correlate with goal conversions. As visitor time on your site increases, so should goal conversions.
Myth: If you built it (content) they will come.
False. You don’t need a documented marketing strategy, but you do need to make sure the plan is practical and able to be implemented. If you create content and let it sit there, it’s a waste. Distribution is key here.
Johnson’s portion of the presentation started with her sharing that Hubspot’s strategy is to be helpful. For small business owners, it’s important to know that you shouldn’t spend time documenting things that won’t be used, especially if you want to get started right away. She did share the crucial elements needed in order to be prepared as you develop your content.
- List of questions by buyer persona
- Style guide (Mailchimp’s VoiceAndTone.com)
- Guidelines for contributing to the company blog
- List of internal and external experts
- PowerPoint and InDesign templates
- Folders of stock photos, icons and other ready to use design assets
Your audience doesn’t have time for “stories,” so you need to give your audience the facts right away, but be a good tour guide. Lead readers from start to finish without losing them along the way and make a promise to them then fulfill on it. Attention is a privilege, not a right.
There are a few things that we might have learned along the way of becoming content marketers for our small businesses, so consider unlearning the following things:
- You will get not docked for improper grammar. People notice. They do.
- Length of content equates to value. It’s the topic and development that matters.
- A robust vocabulary equates to credibility. Everyone can access a thesaurus and throw around jargon.
- You get to pick what you write about. If you want to be relevant and helpful, you’ll stay on the pulse of your industry and speak to those pertinent topics.
Here are a few things that you need to know about content basics if you want to have raging success with your content marketing efforts:
- You need a great title
- Formatting is key because you’re creating for people who scan
- Have a “so what?” – a reason why people should keep reading
- Write with empathy in order to connect with your audience
- Write vividly to keep readers engaged
- Support your arguments with reputable sources
- Revise your piece with fresh eyes after you’re done
Looking for a great framework for the content you produce. Consider answering the questions the 5 Ws ask:
WHO am I talking to?
WHAT is my “so what”?
WHEN do I need to publish?
WHERE will this thing get distributed?
WHY am I creating this in the first place?
So there you have it. Some amazing ways to create relevant content and share these pieces with your readers and followers from some of the best and brightest in the content marketing game. Now go forth, and produce some wonderful, informative, shareable pieces of content!
This post Mythbusters Content Marketing Edition: Secrets Revealed was first published on the Big Ideas Blog.