How can you improve your content if you don’t know what sticks? Learn from your competition, learn from the best. See what’s new and what to avoid. Hopefully, this list of content marketing resources we’ve curated will help doing just that.
1. Customer Insights Are Key for More Persuasive Marketing Content, by TopRank (1.1K shares)
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Oftentimes, content is created without actually knowing if this is what the customer wants. Content that isn’t directly targeting specific customers will never increase sales or improve a company’s image. On the same note, writing for the sake of writing can make good copywriting, but never content marketing.
TopRank’s article offers good advice for understanding the importance of customer insight. Before embarking on the adveture,
– figure out the motivations of the buyer and then add the keyword insight;
– profile those potential customers in terms of preferences and behaviors;
– find relevant stories for you and your customer. Don’t forget that the narrative for each storyline should empathize with them.
2. 5 Mistakes That Hold Back Your Content Marketing, by Content Marketing Institute (1841 shares)
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An article about the frequent mistakes made in the content marketing industry.
Years ago, a common belief stated that “the more links to your website, the better for your business.”
Things have changed. Now there are many other factors that influence a site’s rank and influence – such as citations, brand mentions, and the quality of links.
– Just creating plain content won’t make customers come by.
– Content isn’t marketing in itself. Only by including a call-to-action, will you manage to achieve your business goals by publishing.
It’s extremely important to now what others have done wrong. One needs to learn from their mistakes because it can save a lot of pain (and money). At the same time, constantly evaluating the performance of your competition can get you one step ahead.
3. 10 Charts That Are Changing Content Marketing, by Contently (1836 shares)
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The content marketing scene is quickly changing and you need to keep up. Time is the most important resource you have, so use it wisely:
– People want good content. Don’t waste your time if you can’t provide professional resources.
– Share buttons are becoming less and less popular. No wonder, since we all like to shorten links on our own and add personal insights.
– Don’t ever forget: quality trumps quantity, just as well as “Strong essences are held in small bottles”. Your customers don’t read long articles because they are impatient. Keep this in mind for your future posts.
4. Content Marketing Strategies You Can Steal, by Entrepreneur (3606 shares, 11 comments)
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An article illustrating the key points revealed by the study “B2B Content Marketing: 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America”:
– Great marketers use a variety of tactics and social media platforms, so go ahead and extend your type of content. Go beyond case-studies and tried-and-true posts. Develop a social media distribution plan, for example.
– Learn from those who have a documented strategy and follow it closely. Define a content strategy that suits you and helps you achieve your business goals.
– The most effective content marketers process, improve and refine what they are already doing. We know it’s hard to give up some of those old habits, but change is always beneficial, especially in CM. Start small: change the structure of your SM posts.
5. Developing Innovative Content: What You Need to Know, by Moz (3471 shares)
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Innovation seems to be the big word for 2015. It has been so during the past years, true, but it looks like businesses strive to include it in their strategies more and more.
Innovation can come in the form of a special app (that’s rethinking the way travel guides have been done, for instance), of a different content strategy or a of a new, diverse content format.
3D graphics as content material? Doesn’t look like sci-fi anymore.
6. 13 Steps to Writing Effective Content, by Inc.com (1,2 k shares)
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Effective content is hard and not only Contently can make it easy. Here’s a few ideas that can help your copy reach its business goals faster:
– Customers are looking for human beings, not robots; stories can help you make your content more human, interesting and memorable;
– You’ve noticed so far that time is a big challenge. Your followers have as well. That’s why they won’t read all of your articles. So summarize any important points and state your conclusion right in the beginning. Tough one, right?!
– Become a curator, not a collector of words. Cut out as much as possible, keep only the essential parts and interpret them. Edit, edit, edit.
7. How to Take Your Visual Content to the Next Level, by Social Media Examiner (2,541 tweets)
Customers are now thinking in visual terms more and more. Social Media Examiner have put together a list of the platforms that can help you create your own visual content in a professional way:
– Pinterest can help you stand out in the crowd. Do a keyword research in your area of expertise. Filter the results.
– Instagram “is an excellent platform to tell the story of your business thorugh visual updates.” In order to do that, search for relevant hashtags.
– Explore popular interest lists on Facebook and contribute to them with relevant visual content.
It is important to understand what the expectations of your followers are, in order to keep them alert. That’s why developing and incorporating a visual plan into your social media distribution is imperative.
Featured Image credits: Wicker Paradise cc
