With millions of blogs posted daily on the internet, it can take real strategy to grow amongst all the noise. Numbers like that make it easy to think that marking via content will result in lackluster results. The fact is that the opposite is true! Having original content as a part of your marketing strategy is an essential part of the sales funnel.
What is original content?
You know that same ad you see everywhere, and then worse, other companies mimic that same old ad. That's not original content. When you share the same content that has been talked about, again and again, it keeps engagement low and people clicking off your page within moments.
Original content is unique or otherwise not highly discussed, which can be a real advantage for your business. Original content can also be expanding on an opinion that is different than mainstream ideas.
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The importance of original content
Having original content helps to establish and highlight a brand or companies authority over a subject. This content also helps to win business, engage new and old customers, generate leads, and create business relations.
Higher engagement
Exciting and unique perspectives allow an authentic voice for a brand to communicate with its readers. Diligent research is critical.
Employee engagement is a great way to have your content shared. The more invested an employee is, the more likely they will share content they agree with.
Customers love to share quality content that aligns with their interests and is already supporters of your business. Customers sharing original content is the perfect way to expand your business.
Increased SEO value
Part of Google's search engine ranking system is the quality of content. The ranking system takes into account expertise, trustworthiness, and your authoritative voice. Unique content is also a perfect way to earn backlinks, another factor in search engine optimization. Authorities on these topics search for refreshing and different content.
Increased efficiency
Content marketing is more than 60% cheaper than other routes of outbound marketing. When appropriately used, content can even generate more than triple the leads. For the price of a newspaper ad for a single week, you can buy a piece of evergreen content that your customers are searching for daily.
Increased branding and website traffic
The more often your brand is seen paired with original content, the more trust is built between you and your future customer. That trust leads to an increased chance that they will click through to your website.
When people find your content interesting, they are more likely to share that with their social media circle.
Creating a content marketing strategy
More than half of businesses don't have a content marketing strategy set in stone. Those businesses that do have one feel like their efforts are rewarded. Without some type of strategy, you are relying on luck, and that's not enough.
Not sure how to start your content marketing strategy? BigFooters is here to help you keep a steady flow of quality original content ready at all times.
Define your objectives
You can't reach your goals if you don't know what they are! The first step is to establish a strategic plan, including a mission statement. This will be a quick little snippet that defines your target audience, the type of content, and what benefit your audience will obtain.
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Set KPIs
Key performance indicators are the way you measure the performance of your content. These goals are what you plan to achieve for revenue, traffic, sales, or even SEO ranking. Your KPI will also help you determine your cost per lead so that you can pivot your strategy towards more profit.
Define your target audience
The more details that you know about your target audience, the better. Having a clear idea about who exactly is viewing your content is the key to successful marketing.
To help define your target audience, you need to collect data such as age, gender, income, etc. You can easily manage this through emails or via social media. Polls are a fun way to get essential feedback from active people.
Conduct a Content Audit
A content audit not only catalogs all of your current assets but helps to identify what content performs better.
To perform a content audit, you will have to log all content such as blogs, guest posts, videos, etc. Identify how successful they are and then identify the gaps between the good performers and the bad.
Decide on content types.
From there, you can decide on the types of content you should create. Successful content marketing strategies centralize content on their own site and then repurpose it to their other outposts such as social media.
Types of original content
The most common type of content that people think of is the blog. These are great, but there can be many other assets that can make up your content. Case studies, templates, videos, ebooks, and podcasts are all examples of original content.
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Create a content calendar
Part of your content marketing strategy is knowing when you plan to publish your content. Consistent publishing is the key to keeping an eye on your brand. Creating a content calendar helps streamline publishing.
One simple way to set this up is by utilizing the Google calendar. You can add projects and apply due dates to content to ensure it's launched.
Publish your content
This is the home stretch of the process. Publishing your content ensures that you will be able to see results.
For example, set up a schedule to share your content. A drip campaign is perfect. You can also set up direct email marketing to distribute this content or bring awareness through your email list.
Consult the help of a company like BigFooters
While it's great to do things on your own, sometimes we all need a little help. That's why it never hurts to consult with professionals. BigFooters take great creative minds to create unique, original content.
Conclusion
Now you can see why original content needs to be a part of your marketing strategy. This is the first step in the sales funnel process. Various types of regular content will highlight your brand as a leader in your niche.