Maybe you’re new to content marketing, or you’re a little more seasoned but not seeing the results you think you should with the efforts you’ve been putting into content creation. You’re looking for a magical solution that will make your content perform, and unfortunately, you’re not going to find it.
The most powerful content strategy isn’t built around one or two tactics, but rather a comprehensive approach that looks at the many nuances of content creation and delivery. This is especially true today as we’re seeing major shifts in how audiences consume and engage with content. To help you navigate the ups and down of content marketing, we’ve gathered 5 of the most powerful strategies for getting the successful results you need.
Adapt to Natural Language Search
According to one estimate, there are over 1 billion voice searches each month. This is a number that’s only going to grow larger, so how are you changing your content strategy to adapt?
How we speak is different from the way most people enter text into a search, so it’s become important to adapt content to the shift in natural language search. Keep this in mind when creating new content. For example, the subject “What are the best content strategies for small businesses” will reach more voice search users than “Best small business content tips”.
Shorter, Visually Rich Content
The past few years, we’ve seen the average length of blog content steadily rise. Why? First, the average length of content that makes it to the first page of Google is nearly 2,000 words – meaning long-form content performs well for search engine optimization. Secondly, people crave the value that long-form content provides.
But, we also need to look at how content is consumed on social media where users expect something a bit different. They want shorter, more visual content when scrolling through their feeds. The best strategy? Keep long-form content on your blog or website but add in more infographics and content with visual components for social media.
Make the Leap to Video
Not stepping outside your comfort zone of text-based content is a costly mistake. Blogs are great, but if you haven’t at least dipped your toes into the world of video content, you’re missing out on huge engagement.
Video is becoming the preferred content type, especially among mobile users. If you’ve never ventured past text, making the leap into video can be intimidating, but it has become a necessity for producing content that audiences enjoy and want to share. Start by taking baby steps with a short live video on Facebook or maybe a new product description. Once you see the results you’ll wonder why you didn’t take the leap sooner.
Lifecycle Marketing
Consumers crave personalization. They want content that feels like it was created specifically for them. While you don’t have the resources to custom create content for each individual, you do have the ability to tailor it to one very important detail – their spot along the customer lifecycle.
Instead of pushing out a blanket, one-size-fits-all content, develop a strategy for meeting your customers where they are. The right type of content at the right time is often the tipping point in moving them one step further along the customer journey. For example, a product video that answers the more technical questions of someone who has done the research but is still indecisive or hesitant to commit.
Don’t Be Shy
It doesn’t matter how solid your content strategy is if you don’t share what you’ve created. So many businesses have a strong content game that falls flat because it’s either shared on the wrong channels or not at all.
Learn where your audience is and the type of content that generates engagement on those platforms. Dig into analytics to find out when the best time to share each type of content is. These are the small details that really matter in the performance of your content strategy.
Are you ready to reap the benefits of a powerful content marketing strategy? We can help. We offer a full range of digital marketing services and SEO services to help you create and manage content that gets results. Contact JLB today to learn more.
